SigmaTel Announces New System On Chip Solution For The Photo Printer Market

Published 31st July 2006

The STDC8080 offers customers a complete controller solution for both inkjet and dye-sublimation photo printers...

Hong Kong (31 July, 2006)
SigmaTel, a leader in mixed-signal, multimedia semiconductors, announced its new system on chip (SoC) solution for the personal photo printer market. The STDC8080 SOC solution offers inkjet and dye-sublimation photo printer manufacturers a complete controller solution with a low bill of materials cost. The STDC8080 and its associated firmware controls all of the major photo printer product functions while at the same time producing photographic quality prints.

SigmaTel's digital imaging solutions (SoC, Firmware, & Software) provide complete solutions enabling consumer electronics and printer companies to develop innovative products. Through patented semiconductor solutions, firmware and software, SigmaTel's high level of integration and support allow customers to develop low cost products offering very high quality prints.

"SigmaTel's complete digital imaging solutions enable us to deliver high performance products quickly at the lowest possible cost – a characteristic that leads to standard-setting high volume designs for our customers," said Peter Morris, vice president of the SigmaTel Imaging Systems Group.

Today, many digital color photographs are being conveniently produced at home with photo printers and All-In-Ones. For many years, SigmaTel has been producing the semiconductor and software/firmware solutions that make these types of home printing products possible. The STDC8080 is SigmaTel's latest controller chip in a long line of successful printing and All-In-One (AIO) controller solutions. This is SigmaTel's first chip that is being produced to focus exclusively on the printer-only market, as opposed to the All-In-One printer market where products scan and copy as well as print. The STDC8080 supports both standalone photo printing (without a PC connected) and PC-connected photo printing. Its printing interface is very flexible and it supports both inkjet and dye-sublimation (dye-sub) technology based printers.

The STDC8080's major benefits include:
• Lower bill of materials (BOM) cost due to its high levels of integration
• Provides photographic quality prints
• Connects and prints directly to many of the inkjet and dye-sub printheads on the market
• Supports advanced photo printing features such as 6-colour printing, memory cards, LCD graphic displays, IrDa, Bluetooth, WiFi, and TV output interfaces
• Speeds time-to-market with proven in-production firmware offered as a Software Development Kit

The STDC8080 contains a high-performance, configurable Hardware Image Processor and an advanced 32-bit RISC processor. Its printer interface can connect directly to both Inkjet and Dye-Sub printing technologies, and it even supports on-chip Thermal History Control (THC) for Dye-Sub printers. It contains an integrated LCD Graphic Controller, Memory Card Controller, USB High-Speed Device port for optional PC connections, and multiple USB Host High-Speed ports. The USB Host ports support interfaces to digital PictBridge cameras, WiFi devices, Bluetooth devices, USB FLASH drives, and other types of devices.