National Semiconductor Unveils Industry's First SVGA/UXGA-Compliant Chip Set For Next Generation, High Resolution Flat Panel Monitors

National?s New LVDS Transmitter/Receiver Delivers Throughput of 5.38 Gbps Over 10 Meters of Cable, Enabling Emerging LCD Monitor Market

August 3, 1998 -- National Semiconductor Corporation? today announced its LDI (LVDS Display Interface) chip set for flat panel monitors. Flat panel monitors are emerging to replace CRT monitors for PCs, workstations and CRT televisions at home. The DS90C387 and DS90CF388 LDI chips are based on National?s LVDS (low voltage differential signaling) technology, which uses true differential transmission to reduce electromagnetic interference, while maintaining a high throughput of 5.38 gigabits per second (Gbps). The chip set is the industry?s first SVGA (single pixel) and UXGA (dual pixel) resolution digital link to the flat panel monitor over 10 meters of cable.

National?s LDI chip set offers enhanced features such as low overhead DC balancing (one bit per channel) and pre-emphasis which eliminate problems like inter-symbol interference distortion and open the eye pattern for long cable drives. National?s proven LVDS technology provides the ideal combination of high-speed, reduced noise and low power.

The LDI chip set is compatible with either single or dual pixel function and can operate with National?s existing notebook-market-standard FPD-Link devices, enabling easy upgrades. The chip set is designed to sit between the GUI display controller on the desktop and the timing control ASIC on the LCD. The devices are able to support a wide range of resolutions such as SVGA (800 X 600), XGA (1024 X 768), SXGA (1280 X 1024), UXGA (1600 X 1200), HDTV and beyond.

?Nearly a dozen of the biggest names in the electronics world are implementing LCD technology into their applications and our highly advanced LDI chips were designed specifically to support their performance requirements,? said Dave Handorf, vice president of National?s interface division. ?Quite simply, our chip set is a state-of-the-art solution which enables a variety of displays found in the next generation of information age devices.?

Key Benefits and Features
The DS90C387 (programmable transmitter) and DS90CF388 (falling edge receiver) utilize a 345mV swing to reduce noise levels, which are big concern for both host and display manufacturers. In addition, the deskew feature in the receiver, allows for cost-effective cabling choices which reduce system cost. The chip set supports LCD timing controllers and can be used as a 3-volt dual pixel configuration performing at 224 MHz. This attribute supports high-bandwidth data transfer and ensures screen reliability for ultimate performance.

Price and Availability
The LDI chip set will be sampling in late summer. The DS90C387 is $10.75 in quantities of 1,000, and the DS90CF388 is $11.25 each in quantities of 1,000. The devices are housed in a low-profile 100-lead TQFP package. For more information, please visit National?s website at www.national.com and type LVDS in the quick search box on National?s home page.

National Semiconductor Corporation produces system-on-a-chip silicon solutions for the information highway, based on its leadership in analog and mixed signal technologies. National is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and focuses on the communications, personal systems and consumer markets. National has annual sales of approximately $2.5 billion and 13,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.

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