Philips Electronics NV’s Sunnyvale, California-based Signetics division has announced a multi-standard digital video encoder chip that can be built into computer systems or onto graphics boards, to enable computer graphics and digital video to be displayed on televisions, or be stored on videotape, without degradation in quality. The new SAA7199 chip, says the company, will enable people working with video to edit, title, and design special effects on their personal computer or workstation. Signetics says the chip could replace complete analogue editing boards and systems. Signetics demonstrated the chip to Microbytes Daily by bringing in a real-time video signal from a laser disk to a personal computer, using another Signetics product that enables video signals to be digitised and brought into the computer. The company then laid text over the image, re-converted it to a video signal, and displayed it on a monitor with overlay effects. The SAA7199 has a master mode where it accepts timing from the graphics system. It also has a stand-alone mode where timing signals are generated based on a provided video clock and a genlock mode where it locks to an external analogue video signal. The chip can work with 24-bit RGB colour graphics, such as that generated by a full-colour Mac, or with 8-bit indexed or palletised colour, such as that used in IBM-compatible VGA displays. It also works with the CCIR601 digital video format, a composite video standard for NTSC and PAL. Outputs can be composite NTSC or PAL or component NTSC or PAL analogue outputs. Signetics expects that the chip will be used for a variety of video and multimedia purposes but hopes that manufacturers will adopt it as a basic part of computer systems. The new chip is priced at $47 in quantities of 100.
