Santa Clara, Calif. — Marvell, an IC producer and developer of the Qdeo high-performance video-processing technology based here, said Tuesday its Qdeo 88DE2710 solution will be included in Sharp’s new line of Blu-ray Disc recorders, which reach the Japanese market today.
The recorders, Sharp’s BD-HDW22/25/30, represent the second generation of Sharp’s Blu-ray Disc recorders to use the Qdeo suite of advanced video-processing technologies.
The technology is said to have been designed to “deliver a consistently high-quality 1080p image, vivid true-to-life pictures and a completely immersive home-theater experience.”
The Marvell 88DE2710 digital video format converter uses a suite of advanced technologies to clean the image of artifacts. Per-pixel noise and compression artifact reduction removes noise typically inherent in digital video. Per-pixel motion-adaptive 3-D de-interlacing removes jaggies and eliminates feathering. Adaptive Contrast Enhancement (ACE) and Intelligent Color Remapping (ICR) render rich and vivid images, Marvell said.
To generate an immersive image experience, Nikhil Balram, Marvell digital entertainment business unit VP/GM, said the Qdeo system addresses source signals from three approaches: noise reduction; resolution conversion (interlace to progressive and scaling); and contrast, color and detail adjustment.
“Qdeo enjoys very strong brand awareness in Japan,” said Balram. “We are very well regarded and our visibility is quite high and growing.”
“Sharp’s Blu-ray Disc recorders give consumers an incredible viewing experience for their recorded programming,” he said. “With our Qdeo technology built in, this recorder can deliver superior quality video that is vivid, quiet, and free of distractions so the viewer can sit back, relax and enjoy the show.”
The Sharp Blu-ray Disc recorders are the fourth-generation by Sharp, and the company’s second-generation to use the Marvell 88DE2710 with Qdeo processing.
The BD-HDW22/25/30 models are combination BD recorders and DVRs with built-in off-air broadcast and satellite tuners. Models are differentiated primarily by hard-drive size.
Hard drive sizes are as follows: BD-HDW30, (1TB); BD-HDW25 (500GB); and BD-HDW22 (250GB). The street prices in Japan are: BD-HDW30 ($1,564); BD-HDW25 ($958); and BD-HDW22 ($796).
The new models are said to support “Pure Aquos” mode when using the HDMI interface connection to an Aquos TV set. Sharp said this will provide “the fullest and most natural video quality available in the Aquos LCD panel.”
Models also support up to 5x recording speeds of full HD content, and include an “Eco-mode,” which results in a 70 percent power saving in standby mode.
Due to issues with digital interfaces, copy management decisions and political and technical difficulties making recordings of cable and satellite TV content, no plans currently exist to bring a Sharp Blu-ray Disc recorder into the U.S. market, but the company is expected to expand its portfolio of U.S. Blu-ray Disc players “in the near future” with a model including Marvell’s Qdeo video processing technology, according to a Marvell spokesperson.
