Media Player Chipsets
This page gives some technical background to the history of Media Player chipsets.
Media Players all use a SoC (system on a chip) design whereby all hardware functions are contained within the chipset (video, sound, LAN, interface. etc). For this reason it is sensible to group players of similar chipset together as they will have the same raw performance. The differences come in firmware (software running on the chipset) although in practice firmware is often also very similar between players of the same chipset family (often being just a rebrand of the manufacturer's 'base' SDK version). This page lists all HD Media Player chipsets, grouped by manufacturer. A table allowing sorting by chronological order, clock Mhz. etc is at the end.
Quick Links
Sections of this page: Sigma Designs - Realtek - Android OS - Other Chipsets - Chipset Comparison Table
HD Media Players according to chipset:
2011 - Realtek 1xx6 (1186)
2011 - Sigma 867x (8642, 8643)
2011 - Realtek 1xx5 (1005, 1055, 1185)
2011 - ARM Android OS (2011)
2010 - Boxchip F10
2010 - Intel CE
2010 - Amlogic
2009 - Sigma 864x (8642, 8643)
2009 - Sigma 865x (8653, 8654, 8655)
2009 - Realtek 1xx3 (1073, 1283, 1183)
2007 - Sigma 863x (8634, 8635)
Sigma Designs
The first 1080p HD Media Player chipset was the 863x from Sigma Designs. It spawned a whole series of Media Players from early 2008 onwards and it was these players that kick-started the Media Player revolution. Important players based on the 863x chipset are the original WDTV and the Popcorn A-100 NMT. The Sigma 863x is clocked at 300Mhz and has now been superseded by newer chipsets. Limitations of the Sigma 8635 are a slow user interface, limited DTS support, and a general lack of power.
Sigma released both Sigma 864x series and Sigma 865x series chipsets in late 2009, with the first player featuring the 8643 (Popcorn Hour C-200) shipping in September 2009, and the first 8655 player (WDTV Live) arriving in October 2009. The Sigma 864x and the 865x are related and similar chips, with the 864x being the more powerful.
The Sigma 864x is clocked at 667mhz. The 8643 and 8642 are identical except that the 8642 is a Macrovision version allowing for the ability to play copy protected DVD / Blu-Ray. The 864x chipset is significantly more powerful than the 865x series, despite the product number being lower.
The Sigma 865x is clocked at 500mhz. All the 865x variations are similar, with the 8655 being marginally the most powerful. The 8655 uses 64bit RAM whereas the 8653 uses 32bit and the 8655 has six video DACs whereas the 8653 has four. The only benchmarks we could find give identical scores so real world performance is likely identical. The 8654 and 8652 are copy protection (Macrovision) enabled versions of each allowing for the ability to play copy protected DVD / Blu-Ray. One notable deficiency in all the Sigma chips is the inability to play RMVB files.
Late 2011 has seen the introduction of next generation of Sigma chipsets. The 865x range has been suceeded by the 8670, offering a 700Mhz clock, and 30% lower heat. The Sigma 8647 is an updated version of the 8642, running at 800Mhz.
We expect late 2011 / early 2012 to bring the introduction of the 8910 chipset incorporating VXP image processing for superior video quality, and 1080p 3D. This chip will be aimed at premium players and will be dual core running at 1200Mhz.
Sigma Designs Links
Sigma Chipset Comparison 2011
Sigma SMP8910
Sigma SMP8670
Sigma SMP8652
Sigma SMP8646
Sigma SMP8642
Sigma SMP863x
Realtek
For Reatek chipsets the last number in the chipset name indicates the chipset generation. So all chips ending in '3' are 1xx3 (2009) generation and all ending in '5' are 1xx5 (2011) generation. The fact that 1073 is a higher number than 1055 does not matter, it is the final number that indicates the age and core design of the chip! This rule also holds for older Realtek chips such as the 1262 (so '2'), which is a 2007 non-HD chip.
The Realtek 1283 / 1073 (1xx3) chipset range appeared in mid 2009 and is clocked at 400mhz. A flood of cheaper Realtek based Media Players arrived through 2009, shaking up the Media Player market. Major players of this generation include Xtreamer, Asus O!Play R1, and ACRyan Play!On. The 1073 and 1283 are the same chip with the same performance, but the 1283 has added capabilities of recording and DTV. The Realtek 1073DA is an early release that is unable to downmix DTS whilst the 1073DD is the most common version and can downmix DTS.
It was revealed in February 2010 that neither the 1073DA, 1073DD, or the 1283 can passthrough (bitstream) Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA. In response to this in early 2010 Realtek started shipping enhanced + versions of it's chips. The 1073DD+ and 1283+ can both passthrough DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD. Some players use a chip that is marked 1073C, 1073C+, or 1283C+. As far as we know these chips are exactly the same as the DD+.
The Realtek 1183 chipset is a cut-down version of the 1283 (10/100 LAN, 400Mhz, DVB-T). It passed DivX certification on 01-May-2009 (see here), indicating that the 1183 is of the same generation as the 1073/1283. See also the Realtek processor roadmap link below for further evidence that it is not 'next generation', as some manufacturers have claimed.
Realtek RTD 1055, 1085, and 1185 (1xx5) chips are the successors to the 1073 series. All three chips run at 500Mhz so providing a small performance increase. Otherwise the chips offer the same comprehensive format support as the previous generation. The new chips run cooler than the old series, hopefully eliminating the need for cooling fans in some players. All chips run the same Realtek SDK4 Casablanca, offering a much better user experience (aesthetically, added media indexing, thumbnails..) even from the stock SDK.
The Realtek 1055 launched in late 2010 and is a non-network version with limited RAM (only 16MB flash and 128MB DDR).
The 1085 and 1185 are the replacements for the 1073 and 1283 respectively. Both chipsets are network enabled and benefit from the addition of Gigabit networking. The 1085 has 256MB DDR and an integrated Flash enabled browser. The 1185 has all the features of the 1085 whilst also being DVB-T / PVR capable (so equivilant to the old 1283). Both the 1085 and 1185 can have either 256MB or 512MB flash RAM. Both chips have an internal PCI-Express expansion slot allowing for internal Wi-Fi and other internal add-ons. As of late 2011 it looks unlikely that the 1085 will ever be released. The Realtek 1005 is a cut down version of the 1055 with less RAM.
Tne next generation of Realtek chipset, the '6' series 1186 was released in early October 2011. This runs at 750Mhz, has HDMI 1.4, is optimised for 3D, and is able to dual boot into Android.
Realtek Links
Realtek Media Processor Page
Realtek 1185 Schematic Diagram
Realtek 2010 / 2011 Processor Roadmap
Android (Operating System)
Players based on Google's Android Operating System began to appear in 2011. These players are essentially tablets without a screen and use exactly the same chipsets as found in many popular Android tablet PCs.
Processing power will vary between players but they will all be able to run Android 2.2 with Flash 10.1. This will give access to the full web and, we hope / presume, on-demand streaming services
iPlayer, Hulu. etc. An Android 'TV market place' is rumoured to be in development providing access to apps specifically for the TV Android platform.
Android based Media Players are all based on ARM chipsets, with the more powerful players all currently using chips with a Cortex A9 ARM core running at 800Mhz. The Cortex A8 (as used in the original iPad) is significantly slower at all clock speeds than the Cortex A9 (as used in iPad 2).
ARM chips are not specialist media playback chipsets. A lot of decoding will have to be done in software and there is not currently complete support in Android for all formats. Pure media playback performance in Android players will therefore be inferior to that in a player using a specialist Media Player chipset. By going for Android you lose in format support and decoding performance but gain in versatility (potentially many apps) and full web access. One day something
XMBC may exist for Android and Android Media Players will come to dominate, but this is a long way (years) off yet!
An interesting compromise solution comes with the Realtek 1186 chipset, which can dual boot into either the usual Media Player interface or Android 2.2. If the implementation of Android is done well then this solution could offer the best of both worlds and be a significant step forwards.
Android 2.1 / 2.2 / 2.3 are all designed for phones. This has caused problems even for 7" tablets, with Apps not working correctly on the larger screen. With a typical HDTV being 40" we see this as a big problem for Android based Media Players at this early stage. When Android versions designed for larger screens are made open source (3.x Honeycomb / 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich) these problems may be resolved and Android Media Player may have a firmer base.
Wikipedia ARM
Marvell 88DE3010 Info
Amlogic 8726 - Cortex A9 Android SoC
Skyviia - ARM Android SoC
ARM - Cortex A9
Other Manufacturers
The AmLogic 8626H (Apollo) chipset was launched in early 2010 as a budget alternative to the Realtek 1073. It runs at 400mhz and appears to be at least equal in decoding performance to the Realtek chips whilst being even cheaper. The 8626H's main drawbacks are that it does not support lossless HD-Audio or WMV / VC-1. The Amlogic 8613 is an older Amlogic chipset used in the WDTV Mini and is unable to decode 1080P.
The Telechips 8900 series, as previously found in car entertainment systems is clocked at 500Mhz and offers performance roughly on a par with Sigma 865x chips. This chipset is used in the HDX Bone.
The Boxchip F10 appeared in late 2010, is SoChip SC9800 based (currently also used in some high-end portable media players), and offers full 7.1 downmix. Clock speed is as yet unknown but decoding performance has been shown to be comparable with 1073 based players. The Boxchip is a low cost solution and has allowed Media Players to be more inexpensive than ever before.
Players using Intel chipsets started to appear in late 2010. Both Google TV and BoxeeBox use the Intel CE4100. This chip runs at 1.2Ghz and reports state it is capable of 90Mbit/s h.264 video, making it roughly on a par (for h.264) with the 667Mhz Sigma 864x series. As a general purpose chip it will however be much superior.
A new chip for mid 2011 is the MediaTek MTK 8550, a chip made originally for Blu-Ray players. As such it supports Blu-Ray menus. '3D' is also supported. File format support looks good and there are a few players upcoming using this chipset.
Other chipsets that we've come across but have little information on are MStar D7M26L/6M68/SC9800/TCC8900 and Amlogic7226/7228/8618.
Other Chipset Links
Anadtech - Intel CE4100 Specs
Amlogic Products Page
ARM - 11 Series information
Media Player SoC Chipset Comparison Table
Click on column heading to sort.
Manufacturer Chipset Family Launch Date Model Clock MHZ LAN Audio Notes
Realtek '6' Series 2011-10 1186 750 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD HDMI 1.4 + 3D support. Dual boot Android.
Realtek '5' Series 2011-07 1005 500 NONE DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Cut down 1055. 8MB flash. SATA.
Sigma Designs 8910 2011-12 8910 1200 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD VXP, 1080p 3D, dual core
Amlogic 8726 2011-11 8726H ? 10/100/1000? ? Very little known!
Realtek '5' Series 1901-01 1085 500 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Lower heat, 20% faster than 107x, Flash web browser. Possibly dead AUG2011.
Sigma Designs 8670 2011-09 8670 700 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD 30% less heat
Sigma Designs 865x 2011-11 8656 500 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD 3D Hardware Acceleration. Possibly dead. OCT2011?
Sigma Designs 864x 2011-11 8647 800 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Possibly dead? OCT2011
Sigma Designs 864x 2011-11 8646 800 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Macrovision. Possibly dead? OCT2011
Marvell Cortex A9 2011-06 88DE3010 1200 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Blu-Ray Java menus, 3D
Realtek '5' Series 2011-03 1185 500 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Lower heat, 20% faster than 107x, DVB-T, Flash web browser
Realtek '5' Series 2010-11 1055 500 NONE DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Lower heat, 20% faster than 107x
Intel Intel CE 2010-10 CE4200 1200 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD 3D, video encoder
Intel Intel CE 2010-10 CE4100 1200 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD
Boxchip SC9800 2010-09 F10 ? NONE DTS, DD, TrueHD DM
Realtek '3' Series 2010-09 1073DDC+ 400 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD ?
Amlogic 8626 2010-01 8626H 400 10/100 DTS, DD
Intel Intel CE 2010-01 CE3100 800 10/100/1000 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD
Sigma Designs 865x 2009-10 8655 500 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD 64bit RAM, 6 * Video DAC
Sigma Designs 865x 2009-10 8654 500 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD 64bit RAM, 6 * Video DAC, Macrovision
Sigma Designs 865x 2009-10 8653 500 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD 32bit RAM, 4* Video DAC
Sigma Designs 865x 2009-10 8652 500 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD 32bit RAM, 4* Video DAC, Macrovision
Sigma Designs 864x 2009-09 8642 667 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD Macrovision
Sigma Designs 864x 2009-09 8643 667 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD
Realtek '3' Series 2009-06 1073DA 400 10/100 DD
Realtek '3' Series 2009-06 1283 400 10/100 DTS, DD AV record
Realtek '3' Series 2009-06 1073DD+ 400 10/100 DTS, DD
Realtek '3' Series 2009-06 1283DD+ 400 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA, TrueHD
Realtek '3' Series 2009-06 1183 400 10/100 DTS, DD, DTSMA Cut down 1283
Sigma Designs 863x 2008-01 8635 300 10/100 DD, DTS (partial)
Page last updated: 06-Oct-11
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Tommy J. US December 18, 2011 - 21:47
I agree with Zon, that would be helpful to know what platform each CPU is. Missing from the list is Broadcom, the first media players seen in the US were based on the BCM7615. One last suggestion, if I may. As an open source developer, it would be useful to know which manufacturers are complying with the Linux GPL, and providing the source code for the players. Any manufacturer that uses Linux without providing the source, is breaking the law, and will NOT get my money.
RCA DSB772WE
gok han turkey December 17, 2011 - 00:39
