Believe it or not, this is far from the first we've heard of bringing high-def video to cellphones, and it's not even the first application to dabble in mobile 1080p. Still, we'll take all the innovation we can get in this space, and when the real Touch HD ever arrives, we'll be ready and waiting with Full HD capabilities. Announced at ISSCC 2009 in San Francisco, Renesas Technology is showing off an application processor that enables handsets to process 1,920 x 1,080 resolution video at 30 frames-per-second; the processor's core has a maximum operating frequency of 500MHz and supports MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video formats. There's no telling when the 6.4- x 6.5-millimeter chip will be available en masse, but we need the HTCs of the world to get us a 1080p phone and a retina implant or two to read 0.2-size fonts before it even matters.

In order for the thin to keep getting more anorexic looking, we need those internals to slim down, too. Thankfully, Zoran is looking out for those who know that no HDTV is ever thin enough by introducing two new HDTV processors. Designed for ATSC-tuning digital TVs, the highly integrated SupraHD 775 and 785 "eliminate multiple components from the DTV system design by integrating the TV microcontroller, 8VSB demodulator, audio codec, audio multiplexer, analog video multiplexer and a host of other functions including advanced audio processing and color management capabilities into the single-chip solution." Good show, Zoran -- we suspect you'll be a big help in making 0.1-inch HDTVs a reality.

HomePlug AV has been around for what seems like eons, but regardless of how hard it tries, it never seems to really take hold in the market place. That being said, two big names in the industry are teaming up to give it yet another push, as STMicroelectronics and Arkados join hands to "develop and manufacture a 200Mbit-per-second HomePlug AV wideband powerline modem System-on-Chip (SoC)." If all goes to plan, it'll become the world's first HomePlug AV SoC, and it's being designed to "power applications ranging from simple Ethernet-to-powerline bridges to full-featured products as wide ranging as HDTV distribution, digital set-top boxes, IPTV, whole-house audio, networked digital picture frames, surveillance systems, etc." We'll see if anyone notices when it ships in mid-2009.

As of now, it's still rare to find an HDTV with media streaming / playback capabilities built right in, but in preparation for the possible explosion of media-friendly sets, Broadcom has went and got a trio of its digital television (DTV) system-on-a-chip solutions certified for DivX. Yep, the BCM3548, BCM3549 and BCM3556 are all stamped with a DivX seal of approval, giving whatever HDTVs they land in the ability to natively play back streamed or local DivX / DivX HD files. Now, if only we knew which sets these chips were headed to (and when)...

First Blu-ray chipset to nab the DivX HD Certified stamp of approval? That'd be Panasonic's UniPhier SoC (specifically model #MN2WS0043DA, oddly enough not the MN2WS006 sample that claimed DivX HD support in May, but who's counting?), now thoroughly tested and promised to be compatible with all manner of videos using the codec in resolutions up to 1080p. Expect a renewed flood of DivX HD-compatible devices to hit...any minute now.

Panasonic pumped out its UniPhier SoC for worldwide digital TVs earlier this year, and now Fujitsu is hitting back with its MB86H70. The digital HDTV SoC (system-on-chip) boasts an inbuilt video processing engine, support for Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution and a multi-decoder that decodes both MPEG-2 and H.264 video compression formats. The chip is actually designed for digital TVs receiving HD broadcasts in Europe, and supposedly, the LSI will enable TV manufacturers to "improve their design efficiencies with regard to picture quality settings." Look for samples to start shipping without your knowledge in mid-October.

Realtek's found some additional horsepower for the next generation of DivX hardware, as its RTD1262/RTD1282 is the first to support 1080p DivX decoding as opposed from the 720p limitations on the previous solutions like the D-Link DSM-330. Designed for Networked Media Box and DVR STB applications, we're sure someone will find a box to wrap around this chip before long, although there's no word on exactly when it will be available to manufacturers. 1080p DivX DVR with support for streaming or local HDDs and USB devices? Yes, please.

Now that AMIMON is being taken seriously in the high-def arena, we're hoping to see a number of these releases in the not-too-distant future. Merely months after Sharp announced that its X-Series LCD HDTVs would arrive with wireless HD technology built right in, Mitsubishi has declared that it too will offer sets in Japan that can communicate with WHDI-enabled equipment sans cabling. The TV itself will have an AMIMON chip embedded within, though it will arrive with a separate HDTV receiver unit that connects to the LCD in wireless fashion. Model numbers, prices and all that jazz has yet to be divulged, though the Japanese will evidently be able to buy one of the elusive packages as early as "this fall." Full release after the jump.

We're not sure who let Yahoo! into Intel's party in San Francisco, but the two sure are getting along great. Much to the chagrin of Mark Cuban, these two actually believe that there's a future in internet TV, particularly if you force it down people's throats. Intel spent the bulk of its time talking up the Media Processor CE 3100 (formerly known as Canmore), which would theoretically be installed within HDTVs and enable users to access internet-based content without the need for an additional set-top-box ('course, the STB is still optional). That's where Yahoo! comes in -- it's hoping that its Widget Channel will encourage users to utilize its services when watching re-runs or other lackluster material in order to get news, weather and other related information right on the living room set. Not that this is a totally new concept, but these two surely have the power to push it one step further. Lots more information and pictures in the links below.

Update: It's official... surprise!

Read - Intel / Yahoo preview plans for Widget Channel
Read - Images of the tech in action
Read - Gigabyte Intel box (first product to use the CE 3100)

There are plenty of people out there that couldn't care less if HD programming continued to flow over component connections. To some, it is just seen as an outdated technology that deserves to die. So it's no surprise that some big names like DirecTV and AT&T recently told the FCC that they couldn't care less either, but this is mostly because they are more interested in offering some Hollywood movies a few weeks early, than ensuring their customers can use their connection of choice. Funny though, not everyone agrees, we particularly liked the stance of the National Association of Theater Owners which believe that if new movies were offered earlier, it is sure to kill the theater business -- boy, we never heard that one before. The only entity out there who did seem to be on the same page as us was the Consumer Electronics Association, who called SOC a "blunt instrument" to which they see many opportunities for abuse. TiVo seemed to have the most level headed approach though, which was, let 'em try it, and if it's abused (aka used for something other then new movies) then repeal it -- just so long as the content works on TiVo devices, of course.

There has been a bit of a ruckus lately about the fact that Hollywood recently petitioned the FCC so that the ban on selectable output control (SOC) would be lifted. The articles go on to say that the this could impact the way you record with your HD DVRs, but it really isn't the case. As DirecTV HD DVR, TiVo HD and Vista Media Center owners (among others) can tell you, there are already flags out there that can either limit the amount of time you can keep a show, or prevent you from recording something entirely. The copy never flags are not supposed to be used, but it's obvious that they are, and the copy once flags get abused by some providers as a rule, rather than the exception. But SOC has nothing to do with recording on your HD DVR; SOC is all about closing the analog hole.

With its latest EMMA3P Blu-ray SoC just launched, NEC is already looking to the future with its next generation EMMA3PF chip, that takes all the features of its most recent hardware, and adds the hardware to control the Blu-ray drive itself into a single processor (as pictured above). These chips will start sample shipments in September, and are expected to continue to drive Blu-ray player prices down. Staying a step ahead of the competition like Panasonic, Broadcom and Sigma is key since the company hopes to double its sales of Blu-ray hardware in the next two years, owning 40% of the market by March 2009, and half in March 2011. Cheaper players with full functionality? Sign us up.

Read - Impress
Read - Reuters

NEC seems to be over that whole HD DVD thing, announcing it's begun mass production of its EMMA3P SoC for Blu-ray players. Squeezing USB and Ethernet control components for BD-Live compatibility, h.264 / VC-1 / MPEG-2 compression, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD and of course DivX onto just one chip should make for more cheap (& fully featured) Blu-ray players on the way soon. Narrowly trailing the announcement of Panasonic's UniPhier single-processor solution it certainly hasn't come a moment too soon.

[Via Impress]

Further capitalizing on its new 45nm process, Panasonic unveiled a version of its UniPhier chip family meant for digital TVs capable of decoding MPEG-4 AVC and h.264 streams, and Dolby digital audio in order to meet European broadcast requirements. This design is apparently compatible with 98% of the world's digital TV standards, including Japan and US cable providers, meaning no matter where you get your next Panasonic, it'll be a MN2WS0052 inside. Sample shipments are starting any day now so we'll wait for the next refresh of Panasonic's HDTVs to see exactly what it's capable of.

[Via AV Watch]

Sigma Designs has been dabbling in wireless HD technologies for eons, so we aren't going to get too excited until we see this here system-on-chip (SoC) actually hit some products that we care about. Still, the CoAir is a fairly sweet concept, wrapping integrated wireless, coax and gigabit Ethernet capabilities into one single chip aimed at whole home networking. Put simply (or as simply as possible), this chip is the world's first to "simultaneously deliver multiple independent streams of video and data over coax cable, Ethernet cable and wirelessly without compromising quality of service and throughput." Based on the WiMedia standard, it can reach speeds of up to 480Mbps with UWB (ultra-wideband) wireless streaming, and room-to-room linkage via UWB-over-coax can peg those same rates. What we have here is a great basis for building a whole home server on, but until said device emerges and performs flawlessly, we'll just smile and carry on.