broadcom
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AMD selling its TV-chip unit to Broadcom for a cool $192.8 million in cash
AMD wasn't kidding around about trimming and down and driving hard after profitability. The company just struck up a deal with Broadcom to swap its TV-chip unit for $192.8 million in cash to help fight debt and seek out profitability. Broadcom is getting 530 AMD employees out of the deal and AMD's considerable experience in the digital TV chipset game, which will become the "core" of Broadcom's line in that market. The deal should close by the end of the year, and is unrelated to AMD's efforts to spin off its foundry biz.[Thanks, Keith L]
Paul Miller08.25.2008
Slacker G2 WiFi radio gets more personal thanks to the FCC
A lovely picture like this can mean only one thing -- the fine feds over at the FCC are leaking another unannounced product. You're looking at the new Slacker G2 WiFi radio which appears to have slimmed down from the original Slacker Portable while moving the skip and play/pause buttons to the front of a the device. A peek at the guts reveals a Broadcom BCM4325GKFBG chip which means 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, and FM receiver. We also spotted 4GB of flash storage and a 730mAH battery for what it's worth. Check the User Quickstart Guide and a few more pics in the gallery below.%Gallery-29619%
Thomas Ricker08.14.2008
NEC shrinks Blu-ray hardware further, aims for half of the market by 2011
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 - ImpressRead - Reuters
Richard Lawler07.15.2008
Broadcom cofounder Henry Samueli reaches plea agreement, admits he lied to SEC
Broadcom's former management team is still in a heap of trouble over falsified financial statements, but it looks like co-founder Henry Samueli has managed to reach a plea deal with the Feds that'll keep him out of jail -- he's admitted that he misstated Broadcom's finances and knowingly backdated stock options issued to executives, and he'll be fined some $12M plus an additional $250K, as well as serve five years' probation. The court hasn't yet approved the deal, but compared to the "warehouse of meth" antics of Henry T. Nicholas III, Broadcom's other co-founder, a little accounting chicanery seems positively straightlaced, you know?
Nilay Patel06.23.2008
Broadcom co-founder allegedly spiked tech execs' drinks, had "warehouse" of coke and meth
We've never really thought of Broadcom as being anything more than a fairly boring chip supplier, but apparently there's some glitz in the silicon game: co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III is currently in FBI custody after being indicted on charges of spiking other tech execs' drinks and maintaining a "warehouse for ecstasy, cocaine, and methamphetamine." The charges are in addition to another indictment charging Nicholas and former Broadcom CFO William J. Ruehle with conspiracy, securities fraud, and options backdating, and a civil suit alleging that Nicholas, Ruehle, co-founder Henry Samueli and general counsel David Dull falsified Broadcom's reported income. There's not a lot of details out there yet about who Nicholas was slipping mickeys too, but we're certain there's a lot of dirt waiting to get out -- expect this one to become an even bigger circus than the Stefan-and-Dieter Gizmondo show.
Nilay Patel06.05.2008
DivX support finds its way into HP, LG HDTVs
There's no other way to say it, DivX is on a roll in 2008 (that small Stage6 stumble is already a fading memory). If support from Blu-ray players and videogame consoles wasn't enough, DivX Certification has snaked its long arm directly into HDTVs, with "over 80 models" from HP and LG slapping on a sticker indicating users can simply plug a USB drive in and play their entirely-legitimately-owned content. Expect that number to grow, since DivX is also working with AMD, Chips and Media, Broadcom and Trident to include support in other chipsets powering digital TVs near you. Now how about we see some of that content?
Richard Lawler04.23.2008
Broadcom and Coship develop HD STB in advance of Beijing Olympics
As the 2008 Beijing Olympics draw near, we're seeing quite a bit of high-def progress being made in the Far East. Not only is flat-panel demand on the rise, but broadcasters are stepping up their games in order to dole out more HD content. Now, Broadcom and Coship have teamed up to deliver China's first commercial HD set-top-box solution. As it stands, the latter firm is already building N8603 and N8606 STBs that integrate Broadcom's SoC solution, and when rolled out, they will enable Chinese viewers to take advantage of HD content and PVR capabilities. No word on when the two boxes will leave the lab, but we have all ideas they'll be hitting homes well before the famed Opening Ceremonies begin.[Via Digital Edge]
Darren Murph03.25.2008
Chip makers rise and fall with format war conclusion
Though the clear winner and loser in the format war was Sony and Toshiba, respectively, quite a few behind the scenes supporters are now facing similar celebrations / dilemmas in dealing with the fallout. A new report takes an in-depth look at how chip makers are faring, and while not surprising, we are told that both NEC and Broadcom are reeling after HD DVD went under, and will have to "absorb software R&D costs that can't be recouped." On the flip side, parties such as Sigma Designs and IBM have their lucky stars to thank, as the former even attempted to ally with Toshiba but were spurned in favor of Broadcom. Interestingly, the article also notes that many fencesitters are now looking to jump in, which could hopefully lead to increased competition and lower overall prices for those anxious to snap up a Blu-ray player in short order.[Thanks, Daniel H.]
Darren Murph02.29.2008The Samsung BD-UP5000 to be discontinued in May
While we've become accustomed to Blu-ray players being released every six months, it's a little ridiculous when we're forced to wait for a new player longer than it's on the market. Eventually we expect the cycle to slow down -- like when BD Live players are out for example -- and many believed that the Samsung BD-UP5000 could be one of those players based on promises when announced. Once you have an Ethernet port for internet content, REON video processing, internal decoding and bitstream support for every codec, discrete analog output, as well as HDMI 1.3, what else could possibly warrant a mid year revamp? We suspect the problem is that the player isn't delivering, and on top of that, we don't think it's Samsung's fault. You see, just like the LG BH200, the BD-UP5000 is based on Broadcom's Reference design BCM97440, and the word on the street is that it isn't ever going to deliver. So it'd make sense that Sammy would change the platform for one that's actually able to get the job done. So yeah, this Broadcom bit is just speculation, but we did contact the outfit to figure out what the deal was, and while it was very responsive at first, as soon as we asked about the troubles with the BCM97400, it must'a lost our email address (or maybe its servers have been down for a week). The good news is that Samsung doesn't see the BD-UP5500 as a replacement, and promises a suitable replacement for the high-end dual-format customer in the second half of '08.**Update** Samsung says that the date it'll be discontinued is subject to change.
Ben Drawbaugh01.23.2008
Qualcomm: yeah, Broadcom injunction smarts a bit
In case there was any doubt, Qualcomm has publicly acknowledged that Broadcom's win in US District Court over the banning of its chipsets that infringe on Broadcom's patents will "hurt" as it immediately halts shipments and adjusts to provide a more law-abiding set of products. The company seems pretty convinced that the pain will be felt primarily in the first quarter, largely because redesigned silicon is already in manufacturers' hands with commercial availability following on in the next few months. Investors seem to agree, with shares sliding a mere 1.8 percent on the news; as analysts point out, the far-reaching nature of the ban is offset somewhat by the relatively speedy availability of replacement designs that don't infringe (or so Qualcomm claims, anyway) on any pricey intellectual property.
Chris Ziegler01.02.2008
Analyst predicts combo drives to account for 2/3 of PC drive sales in 2012
The only thing better than one analyst's opinion on the format war is...yet another analyst's opinion on the format war! ABI Research chimes in, expecting the currently high-priced hybrid HD DVD / Blu-ray PC drives to match price with Blu-ray-only drive in 2009, and exceed their sales in 2010. Also seen as not for long on this mortal coil: dedicated high definition decoding chipsets. ABI expects Intel and AMD's integrated chipsets to have more than enough horsepower for HD codecs in upcoming PCs. ABI has previously brought us predictions including HD DVD leading the way in 2006 and HDTV to Media Center PC connections tripling this year, so we'll wait and see how this one works out.
Richard Lawler01.01.2008
Broadcom wins major injunction against Qualcomm
In the latest major twist in this epic battle between wireless chipmakers, a US District Judge has slapped a permanent injunction on any products containing those Qualcomm 3G chips ruled to be infringing on Broadcom's so-called '686 patents. Not only can Qualcomm no longer offer infringing devices nor the chips themselves in the US, the retroactive nature of the ruling means that the company can't even provide service or technical support for '686 products already on the market. At this point, with a voluntary licensing agreement seemingly off the table, the next move for Qualcomm is establishing a plan of action to show Judge James Selna how it plans to redesign its products into compliance. [Warning: PDF link][Via Reuters]
Evan Blass12.31.2007Broadcom says Qualcomm's workaround still infringes on patent
So part of the deal of Qualcomm's nearly $20 million settlement with Broadcom over ongoing patent concerns was that Broadcom would continue to work on getting an injunction against offending products. Qualcomm tried to -- or at least claimed that it was trying to -- whip up a "workaround" that would allow it to continue to serve up chipsets that sidestepped Broadcom's intellectual property. Turns out that Broadcom thinks the supposed workaround is a bunch of hooey, though, and has gone back to the US International Trade Commission with its claim. The ITC in turn has referred the case to an administrative law judge for handling, which means that this thing could be dragging out for a little while yet. There's no telling what'll ultimately become of these chipsets or the future of Qualcomm's product roadmap after it plays out, but Verizon's got to be thinking that its decision to cough up cash on its own behalf is paying for itself over and over again right about now.
Chris Ziegler12.23.2007
Samsung ships 3G-enabled SGH-J750
Remember Samsung's SGH-J750 that we spotted months ago while perusing the always intriguing depths of the FCC's website? Even if not, Sammy is announcing that the no fills handset is indeed shipping now, and its standout feature is (unsurprisingly) the 3G-enabling Broadcom BCM59001 PMU SoC tucked within. 'Course, this wouldn't be a lower-end cellphone without a totally average 220 x 176 resolution display, completely mediocre 8MB of internal memory and a blatant lack of WiFi. Granted, the unit reportedly sports tri-band GSM connectivity, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, a microSD expansion slot, 1.3-megapixel camera, 3-hours of talk time (300-hours in standby) and an integrated music player, but nobody's jumping for joy after reading that, right? Mum's the word on price / availability, but look for it to slide in quietly here in the not-too-distant future.[Via Slashphone]
Darren Murph11.07.2007Broadcom intros inexpensive "3G phone on a chip" solution
Broadcom sure has been on a roll of late, introducing the feature-packed VideoCore III multimedia processor earlier this month and following it with the "world's first 3G phone on a chip" solution. The BCM21551 baseband chip was developed on a single, low-power 65-nanometer CMOS die and features Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, FM radio, an FM transmitter, support for up to five-megapixel cameras, 30fps TV out and "advanced multimedia processing." Notably, you won't find integrated WiFi or GPS, but it does play nice with HSUPA, HSDPA, WCDMA and EDGE cellular protocols. Best of all, this system-on-a-chip is available now to "early access customers," and the low, low $23 pricetag (when purchased in bulk, of course) is music to our ears.
Darren Murph10.15.2007
Qualcomm's legal quarrels continue... against its own lawyers
If you had an inkling that Qualcomm's legal altercations were finally concluding, you'd be badly mistaken. Reportedly, the chip maker is now feuding with 19 of its own attorneys (or should we say, prior attorneys) over "who should shoulder the blame for what a judge called 'gross misconduct on a massive scale' at a past trial." Apparently, 21 crucial e-mails and some 200,000 pages of documents owned by Qualcomm were withheld until after Broadcom trials, which was unsurprisingly seen as a "carefully orchestrated plan and deadly determination to hold hostage the entire industry." Now, US Magistrate Judge Barbara Major is "considering sanctions" against the lawyers in question, which has placed their careers in danger and is "prolonging a damaging episode for Qualcomm." We're tempted to ask what could possibly happen next, but quite frankly, we're terrified of the answer.
Darren Murph10.13.2007
Broadcom's VideoCore III multimedia processor bringing HD to mobiles
Broadcom's VideoCore III multimedia processor certainly isn't the first of its kind, but if it actually does everything it's said to be capable of, we can count on having "3D gaming and HD functionality" on our future handsets. Apparently, the chip can even "support up to a 12-megapixel camera," and could allow HD recording / playback to take place within a cellphone or PMP. Best of all, all this high-resolution goodness is said to not be a battery hog, which is good news for those carrying along HD films longer than half an hour or so. The processor can also provide "720p HD video encode and decode with H.264 main profile compression at low power levels," and if you're one of the lucky "early access customers," you can phone Broadcom up right now for pricing information on samples.
Darren Murph10.02.2007
Qualcomm ban on hold, US importing may return to normal
What a system we live in. After having multiple requests denied, Qualcomm (or at least those third-parties using its 3G chipsets) was just granted a stay which again opens the door for the US import of Qualcomm-based handsets. Right, those same handsets banned by the ITC at the request of Broadcom on June 7th. In essence, the ruling means that Qualcomm can not import phones but others -- namely, Motorola, Samsung, T-Mobile, LG, AT&T -- can. Note, this isn't a reversal of the original decision and only remains in effect pending appeal. In other words, this is nowhere near to being over. [Via Phonemag]
Thomas Ricker09.13.2007Broadcom wins appeal against Qualcomm, both claim victory
Chip ban aside, Broadcom's still pursuing other avenues to hurt Qualcomm's bottom line in its ongoing battles over a handful of alleged intellectual property infringements (also known as "Qualcomm getting a taste of its own medicine"). The company has just succeeded in getting an appeals court to overturn an August 2006 ruling stating that Broadcom had no antitrust case against Qualcomm over its WCDMA licensing terms; the higher court figures that Qualcomm's failure to license WCDMA technology at "reasonable" rates is tantamount to "actionable anticompetitive conduct," giving Broadcom an in to resume the suit. Broadcom thinks that's swell, naturally, but Qualcomm is tooting its horn as well, noting that just two of Broadcom's eight original claims remain. We guess that's a victory for ya, Qualcomm, but it's a bit of a stretch.
Chris Ziegler09.05.2007US Prez upholds Qualcomm chip ban, Verizon snickers
Qualcomm -- a company that's arguably more used to suing than being sued -- isn't finding much luck in its protracted quest to avoid a Broadcom-led ban of its 3G hardware from coming into the States. Following a recent denial of its motion to stay the ban in the court system, the President of The United States himself (or his administration, anyway) has swooped in to render an executive judgment, and it ain't looking any better for Qualcomm. Saying that the importance of protecting IP rights outweighs the inconvenience of the ban, the Bush folks have stood by the ITC's decision to impose the ban in the first place, making it seem all that much smarter now for Verizon to have sidestepped the whole ordeal and paid Broadcom itself. Barring any last minute antics, the ban gets enforced starting tomorrow.
Chris Ziegler08.06.2007