VideoDrivestheDesignofNext-GenerationPersonalComputingDevices FiveTrendsthatAffectICDesigners,ODMs,andOEMs—andWhatTheyCanDoAboutThem. 1950:Computerfitsinasingleroom1960:Computerismoveable1970:Computerismoveablebyoneperson1980:Computerfitsonmydesk1990:Computerfitsonmylap2000:Computerfitsinmypocket2010:I’velostputer Introduction:ComputingDevicesAreEverywhere(andShrinking) Oneoftheinnumerablejokesfloatingaroundtheisatimelineoftheevolutionofputer(seesidebar).Asidefromthehumor,thisvisualhighlightstheunrelentingdrivetowardminiaturizationthathascharacterizedputerfromitsinception. ThePersonalComputingDevice:ADefinition Forthepurposesofthispaper,aputingdevice(PCD)isanyelectronicproductthat: •Isnormallyownedandoperatedbyoneperson •Canbeeasilytransportedfromplacetoplace Incorporates:•Ahigh-resolutionvideodisplay•Amicroprocessor•Anoperatingsystem(whetheryoucan directlyessitornot)•Significantamountsofsystemmemory andlocalstorage•Offersawiderangeofapplications andservices Thisdefinitiontakesinanarrayofelectronicproductssuchassmartphones,books,s,puters,andMP3players—plusanynumberofcategoriesthatdon’tevenexistyet. WhatisaComputer?
Inrecentyears,thelineputersandotherelectronicdeviceshasbeenblurring.Takeatypicalmodern“smart”cellphone.Itfeaturesahigh-resolutiondisplay;runsanoperatingsystem,featuresaWebbrowserandscoresofotherapplications(a.k.a.apps);andincorporatesastate-of-the-artmicroprocessor,wirelessconnectivity,andgigabytesofstorage.Youmaynotthinkofitasputer,butinfactthisdeviceoffersfarmoreputingpowerandcapabilitythan-of-the-lineorPCfromjustadecadeago. Neitherofthesetechnologyshiftsshowsanysignoflessening;infact,theyareelerating.Throwinapetitivemarketplaceandever-shorterlifecycles,andresultisapressure-packedenvironmentforanyoneinvolvedinthedesignandmanufacturingputersandotherelectronicdevices.Semiconductormanufacturers,originaldesignmanufacturers(ODMs),andoriginalequipmentmanufacturers(OEMs)arescramblingtokeepupwiththemarketplace—andeachother. WhoShouldReadthisPaper Thispaperlooksattheuniquechallengesfacedbybusinessdecisionmakers,ICdesigners,andsystemdesigners.Itoffersinsightintothegrowingimportanceofonetypeofcontent—digitalvideo—andsuggestswaysthatdesignerscantakeadvantageofthesetrendstopetitiveadvantageintheputingdevicemarket(seesidebar,“ThePersonalComputingDevice:ADefinition”). TheiPad:fromZeroto1Millionin28Days WhenitwasintroducedinFebruary2007,theAppleiPhonesold1millionunitsinjust78days,unheard-ofvolumeforanew,untestedelectronicproduct.Thatrecorddidn’tstandforlong.Justthreeyearslater,itwasbrokenby AppleitselfwiththeiPadlaunch.TheiPad’smeteorictakeoffeasilyeclipsedtheiPhone,passingthemillionsalesmarkinamere28days. EvenmoreastonishingisthefactthattheiPadcreatedpletelynewcategoryinconsumerelectronics,whichcurrentlystandsinfourthplace,trailingonlyTVs,smartphonesandnotebookPCs.Netbookswerehitparticularlyhard,withsalesplummetingassoonasAppleannouncedtheiPadinJanuary,2010. NothingliketheiPadphenomenonhasbeenseenbefore,butit’savirtualcertaintythat—givenenoughtime—itwillhappenagain. TheWild,WildWorldofPersonalComputingDevices Inrecentyears,thePCDmarketplacehasseenasteadyessionofdisruptiveevents,asnewlyintroducedproductsdisplaceexistingones,andinsomecases,evencreateentiremarkets.Aninterestingcaseinpointistheriseandfallofputer. WhenToshibaintroducedbookin2007,thisminiatureputerquicklyrackedupimpressivesalesfigures.Overonebooksweresoldin2007,andthatnumberballoonedto14millionin2008—allthemoresurprisinggiventhesluggishstateoftheglobaleconomyatthetime.Muchofthespurtbooksalescameattheexpenseofnotebooks,thatis,thelowendofthemarket. Atthestartof2010,bookseemedtobepoisedforalongrunas-sellingconsumerdevice—untilAppleannouncedtheiPadonJanuary27.Aninstantandunprecedentedess,theiPadsetnumeroussalesrecords—andpedbookinitstracks(seesidebar“iPad:fromZeroto1Millionin28Days”). ThisexamplehighlightstheessentialcharacterofthePCDmarket:fast-moving,unpredictable,andsubjecttodisruptiveeventsthatcanremakethelandscapeinmonths. WhoBenefits—AndWhoDoesn’t?
Asisthecasewithanydisruptiveevent,somegroupsbenefitfromtheturmoilinthePCDmarket.Consumersexperienceasteadystreamofnewproductswithanever-greaterlistoffeaturesanddecliningpricesduepetitionandinnovation.Businessescantakeadvantageofgivingmorepowerfulproductivity-enhancingtoolstotheirincreasinglyremoteanddistributedworkforces,atdecreasingunitcosts.RetailersseecontinuedstrongdemandforthelatestandgreatestPCDofferings,andmorerapidproductreplacementbytheircustomers—allleadingtohigherrevenuesandprofits. ForthoseinthePCDdesignandsupplychain,however,thesetrendsposechallenges.Becauseofthelengthydesigncyclesandcapitalinvestmentrequiredforintegratedcircuits,ICmanufacturersmusttrytopredictthedirectionofthemarketseveralyearsintothefuture,adifficulttaskinthefaceofsuchvolatility. DigitalVideoDrivestheDesignofNext-GenerationPersonalComputingDevicesputing OEMs(originalequipmentmanufacturers)suchasApple,HP,Lenovo,Toshiba,Acer,Samsung,Sony,NEC,andmanyothersplacebetsonconsumerandbusinessmarkettrendsinthefullknowledgethatanothergame-changinginnovationsuchastheiPadcouldagainrendertheirplansobsolete. ODMs(originaldesignmanufacturers)suchasQuanta,Flextronics,Asus,Positivo,andothersmustinvestinpeopleandtechnologysothattheycansupporttheneedsofbothlargeOEMsandsmaller,morepaniestryingtoenterthemarket. Attheendoftheday,ICmanufacturers,OEMsandODMswilleedorfailinthePCDmarketbasedlargelyontheeffortsoftheirdesignteams.Byunderstandingthenatureofthechanges—andmoreimportantly,what’sdrivingthosechanges—designerscannotonlymodatethembutleveragethemtocreatepetitiveadvantage. DigitalVideoHoldstheKey AmongthemanyfactorsthataffectPCDdesign,onethatisgaininginimportanceisdigitalvideo.Foronething,thesheeramountofvideotraversingworksisgrowingastronomically.CiscoSystems,theleadingsupplierworkingequipment,predictsthatitwouldtake72millionyearstowatchtheamountofvideothatwillcrossglobalworksduringcalendaryear2014alone.Thisburgeoningamountofcontent,andtheincreasingdesireofconsumerstoessit,willhaveamajorimpactonthePCDmarketforyearse. ThefollowingsectionsdiscussfivemajortrendsrelatedtodigitalvideoonPCDs,howtheywillaffectthemarket,andwhatdesignerscandotorespond. Trend1:VideoWillDominatetheUserExperience Overthelastfiveyears,thebigplayersinthespacehavebeenopeningtheirwalletstofundmajoracquisitionandproductintroductionsrelatedtodigitalvideo: •GooglebuysYouTube(2006):This$1.65billiondollaracquisitionsignaledtheincreasingimportanceofvideocontenttoconsumers. •Ciscoinvestmentinconferencingandtelepresence:TheintroductionofTelepresence(2006)andtheacquisitionsofWebEx(2007)andTandberg(2010)showthatCiscoexpectsthatvideocontentwilldominatetrafficoverthenextdecade. •workingvendors,includingJuniperNetworksandAlcatel-Lucent,haveinvestedheavilyinproductstotransportvideomercialandworks. •MicrosoftbuysSkype(May2011):Morerecently,Microsoftpaid$8.5billiondollarsincashforSkype,asubstantialpremiumforpanywithjustover$1billioninannualrevenue.Ininterviewsonthedayoftheacquisition,SkypeCEOTonyBatespointedtovideoasoneofthekeyfactorsinSkype’sgrowth. TherisingamountofrichmediaconsumedbyenduserswilldrivePCDstohigherlevelsofperformanceandmorestoragespace.Fortunately,ICmanufacturerscontinuetoreachhigherlevelsofperformanceanddenserstoragewitheachnewgenerationofintegrateddevices.AslongasPCDdesignerschooseanICvendorwitharobustroadmap,theyhavelittletofearfromthistrend. Trend2:High-DefinitionVideoRequiresMoreBandwidth Withinthecategoryofvideocontent,high-definitionvideoisgrowingatadisproportionaterate.ContentproviderssuchasGoogleunderstandthiswell,asevidencedbyYouTube’s2009decisiontosupporthigh-definitionvideosonthepopularvideosharingsite.Devicemanufacturersareequallyawareoftheneedforhighdefinition.Forexample,theiPhone4hasavideoresolutionof960-by-640pixelsandcandisplayedvideosencodedinhigh-definitionformatssuchasH.264andMPEG-
4. DigitalVideoDrivestheDesignofNext-GenerationPersonalComputingDevicesputing High-definitionvideobyitsnaturehasmorepixelsforagivenscreensize,andthatincreasestheamountofdataneededtodrivethedisplay.Asaparison,thebandwidthfordisplayingastandarddefinitionvideoatgoodqualityrangesbetween500kbpsand1Mbps.Incontrast,ahigh-definitionformatsuchasH.264requiresbetween2and4Mbps,asmuchasafactorofeightgreater. Theincreasedneedforbandwidthhasnecessitatedrevisionsinmunicationstandards.Inrecentyears,anizationshavereleasednewprotocolversionswithhigherlevelsofperformance.Forexample,theVideoElectronicsStandardsAssociation(VESA)issuedspecificationsforDisplayPort1.2,whichhastwicethedatarateofthepreviousDisplayPort1.1standard,andtheUSBImplementersForumdefinedUSB3.0,whichoutperformsUSB2.0byafactoroften. Whilethesechangesarebothnecessaryande,designersstillhavetoincorporatethenewprotocolversionsintotheirPCDdesigns.Theimplicationscanbeprofound,sincehigherdataratesaffectnotonlyponentsthemselves(CPUs,memory,andinterfaceICs)butallpartsofthedesign,includingcables,connectors,printedcircuitboards(PCBs)traces,andevenPCBmaterials. Trend3:TurmoilandUncertaintyontheDisplaySide Thedaysof“VGAeverywhere”areover.Computeroutputsanddisplaymonitorinputsspanabroadrangeofinterfacestandards,includingDisplayPort,HDMI,LVDS,DVI,andVGA.Furthermore,ICmanufacturersareeagertolimitthenumberofsupportedvideoprotocolstosavespaceonthedieandreducethenumberofpinsonthepackage.Thistrendisunderstandable,butitcan“strand”userswitholder,unsupportedprotocols.Asanexample,IntelandAMDhaveannouncedthattheirCPUdeviceswillnotsupportVGAafter2015,eventhoughthenumberofVGAmonitorsstillinuseatthattimeisexpectedtobeinthetensofmillions. ThesetrendshaveunmistakableimplicationsforPCDandmonitordesignersalike:Theycan’tcountontheICmanufacturerstoprovideintegratedsupportforlegacyvideoprotocols.Therefore,therewillbeastrongneedforadaptersandothermeansofsupportinglegacyprotocolswellintothefuture. Trend4:PowerConsumptionMattersMoreandMore It’snosurprisethatPCDsaremovingtowardgreatermobility,meaningthatbatterylifecanbeanimportantdifferentiatorinthemarketplace.PCDdesignersareunderincreasingpressuretominimizepowerconsumptionwhilestillprovidingadequatelevelsofperformance.ICdesignersarewellawareofthisneed,andseektominimizeenergyusagetoprovidepetitiveedgefortheirproducts.However,thePCDdesignermustconsiderpowerconsumptionequallywithotherdesigncriteriawhenponentsfornext-generationPCDs. Trend5:EveryoneisNotMovingattheSamePace Thesetrendswouldbemucheasiertomanageiftheentireelectronicsindustryweremovinginlock-step.However,that’snotthecase.Adoptionratesfornewtechnologiesvarywidelyfrommanufacturertomanufacturer,foravarietyofreasons.MonitorOEMsmayhangontoanoldervideoprotocoltokeepbill-of-materialscostslow,whileaCPUmanufacturermaydiscontinuesupportforthatprotocolforexactlythesamereason.Toappealtothelargestnumberofconsumers,PCDdesignersneedtosupportasmanydisplayinterfacesaspossiblewhilekeepingthedesignwithinguidelinesformanufacturingcost,performance,andpowerconsumption. HowDesignersCanMeettheseChallenges ThetrendsoutlinedaboverepresentdauntingchallengesforIC,ODM,andOEMengineerswhoaredesigningthenextgenerationofPCDs.Fortunately,therearereadilyavailablesolutionsinthreekeytechnologyareas:high-speedswitches,signalconditioningdevices,andconnectivitybridging.Byleveragingthesepivotaltechnologies,PCDdesignerscanrespondeffectivelytotheshiftingtrendsofthemarketandeventakeadvantageofthemtogainpetitiveedge. DigitalVideoDrivestheDesignofNext-GenerationPersonalComputingDevicesputing KeyTechnology1:High-SpeedSwitches Today’smicroprocessorsoftenimplementanumberofhigh-speedinterfacessuchasDisplayPort,HDMI,PCIe,USB3.0andSATA.Tokeepthepincountaslowaspossible,I/Opinsareoftenshared;forexample,Intel’sEaglelakemicroprocessorusesthesameI/OpinsforDisplayPortandPCIe.UsingbothoftheseinterfacesinanEaglelake-basedPCDrequiresamultiplexerswitchthatroutestheI/OsignalstotheDisplayPortandPCIeinterfaceconnectors. Asvideoprotocolscontinuetoevolve,theseswitchesmustbeabletohandleever-higherperformancerequirementsandminimizedistortionandattenuationintheswitch.Thedesignermustalsokeepinmindtheinevitablenew—andfaster—versionsoftheprotocolthatwillsurelybedeveloped,perhapssoon. AgoodexampleistheCBTL02043multiplexer/demultiplexer,recentlyannouncedbyNXP.TheCBTL02043isdesignedtosupporthigh-speedprotocolssuchasUSB3.0(5Gbpsmaximumspeed),DisplayPortv1.2(5Gbps),SAS/SATA(6Gbps),andPCIeGen3(8Gbps),withlowpowerconsumptionandlowinsertionloss.Ratedat10GHzbandwidth,theCBTL02043hasaperformancemarginthatcanmodatefutureupwardrevisionsofkeyprotocols. KeyTechnology2:SignalConditioningDevices ThecontinuingtrendtowardfasterPCDsputsincreasingemphasisonsignalintegrityforseveralreasons: •Asprotocolsgetfaster,thevoltageswingbetweenthe1and0statesgetssmaller,ofteninthe100sofmillivolts.Thismakesthesignalmoresusceptibletocorruptionfromgroundingproblemsandstraynoise. •Longercircuitboardtracesandexternalcablescontributenoiseandcanimpairtheintegrityofhighbandwidthsignals. Takentogether,thesefactorsrequireheightenedattentiontothequalityofsignalswithinthetransmissionchannel.Onewaytoplishthisgoalisbyinsertingare-driverintothesignalpath.Re-driversrestoretheintegrityofasignalthathasbeenattenuatedordegradedbyicinferencefromnearbysignals,reflectionfromimpedancemismatches,andjitter. AgoodexampleofasignalconditioneristheNXPPTN36241BUSB3.0(SuperSpeed)Re-driver,whichenhancessignalqualityforUSB3.0datatransmissions.DesignersincorporatethisdeviceintoPCDsandotherproductstoensuregoodsignalintegrityacrossawiderangeofsystemconditions.SpaceisatapremiuminPCDs,sore-driversmayneedtobedesignedintothedockingstation. KeyTechnology3:ConnectivityBridging Finally,thereisaneedtoprovidesupportfordigitalvideoanddataprocessingprotocolsthatarebeingorhavebeendiscontinued.Twocasesinpoint: •WhileICmanufacturersarediscontinuingVGAsupport,thefactisthattherearemillionsofVGAmonitors.SomeOEMswillwanttoappealtotheseusers,andthereforePCDswillneedsomemethodforsupportingVGAwithoutrelyingontheICmanufacturer. •DisplayPortisgainingeptanceasaninputstandardformonitors.However,itmaynotalwaysbepracticaltoincludeDisplayPortsupportwithinthedevice. Connectivitybridges—devicesthattranslatebetweenprotocols,forexample,fromDisplayPorttoVGA—offerasolutiontothisdilemma.Designerschooseconnectivitybridgestoprovideon-goingsupportforlegacyinterfacesatanaffordablepricepoint. AnexampleofaconnectivitybridgeistheNXPPTN3392DisplayPorttoVGAAdapter.Asnotedearlier,IntelandAMDwillsoonsupportingVGAontheirCPUICs.ConsumersmightunderstandablybalkatbuyingaPCDthatcannotdrivetheirexistingVGAmonitororprojector.However,thePCDmanufacturercanethisobjectionwithadonglebasedonthePTN3392.Thissimpleplug-indeviceallowsthePCDtodrivetheVGAmonitorwithnootherchanges,extendingtheusefullifeofVGAmonitorsandprojectorsandlesseningtheimpactofthetransitiononendusers. DigitalVideoDrivestheDesignofNext-GenerationPersonalComputingDevicesputing NXP:Reliable,InnovativePartnerforPCDDesigners AsPCDdesignerslooktoaddressthechallengesofthishigh-pressure,volatileenvironment,theymustchoosevendorswhooffertheponentsandroadmapsthatleadtoess.NXPhasasharpfocusonthismarket,offeringabroadportfolioofhigh-speedswitches,multiplexers/demultiplexers,redrivers,andconnectivitybridges.NXPalsoparticipatesinanizationsandtailorsitsproductroadmaptomeetemergingneedsandsupportnewprotocolsandstandardsacrosstheputerindustry.World-classmanufacturingfacilitiesanda50-yearlegacyofesscontributetomakingNXPanexceptionalchoiceforPCDdesignerstodayandintothefuture. DigitalVideoDrivestheDesignofNext-GenerationPersonalComputingDevicesputing