August 6, 2012, Seoul – STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company providing a wide range of electronic applications, has launched the world's first high-speed active-protocol bidirectional converter family, Mystique. This product enables the management and conversion of audio and video signals between DP and HDMI. DisplayPort (DP) and HDMI are the most widely used digital display interface technologies in computers and consumer electronics.

Mystique is the most outstanding, cutting-edge audio/video converter system-on-chip to date. It features a proprietary method for bidirectionally converting HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 formats, enabling seamless connectivity between various devices such as Blu-ray players, game consoles, docking stations, laptops, tablets, digital display boards, and Thunderbolt devices. Furthermore, this converter family provides the ultimate multimedia experience by supporting the latest ultra-high-definition 4Kx2K displays (4096x2160p is four times that of full HD) and 7.1 channel surround sound.

The Mystique converter processes DP 1.2 (High Bit Rate 2) with an input/output transmission speed of 5.4 Gbps per lane, which is sufficient for the signal transmission of 2 pairs of data for Full HD 120Hz TVs. Therefore, during product design, not only cable and component costs but also routing space can be minimized. OEMs can extensively expand connectivity solutions across existing and new product lines by developing external dongles and docking stations that support both enterprise, mobile, and home HDMI and DP standards.

Amir Sheikholeslami, General Manager of the DP and Monitor business unit, stated, “ST has led the development and establishment of the DP high-definition video interface standard, and the newly launched Mystique family will serve as a foundation for continuously expanding the range of DP-based products,” adding, “These ‘connected’ products will enable seamless connectivity on next-generation ultra-high-definition displays, allowing users to experience better products.”

ST has proven its track record by providing optimal compatibility and reference standards to all major graphics board and test equipment manufacturers, and this advanced DP technology formed the basis for the development of Mystique. The new DP 1.2 standard enables data support and multi-stream transmission with bandwidths of up to 21.6 Gbps for “daisy-chained” and “tile” display monitor applications using only a single cable. It also provides the best radio frequency immunity for mobile devices. Market analysis firm In-Stat ( www.in-stat.com ) forecasts that shipments of source devices for external DP interfaces will reach 400 million units in 2014.

Mystique's Skill Features:
• Dual-mode DisplayPort 1.2/HDMI 1.4 compatible transmitter and receiver
• RGB and YUV video formats supporting up to 16-bit/color
• High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) 1.3 with on-chip key and HDCP repeater capability
• Automatic equalizer filtering (Adaptive equalization) and pre-emphasis for long-distance cable support
• Reduces magnetic field interference using spread-spectrum communication
• Built-in DisplayPort (eDP) certification support
• Supports 4Kx2K / 3D FHD 120Hz video; conversion between sequential frame format and stacked top-down format
• Supports up to 7.1CH audio and high-bitrate audio between 32kHz and 192kHz
• Optimized for low-power operation

The Mystique product family includes the STDP2600, a converter that converts HDMI 1.4 to dual-mode DisplayPort (DP++); the STDP2650, a converter that converts DisplayPort 1.2 to HDMI 1.4; and the STDP2690, a converter that converts DisplayPort 1.2 to dual-mode DisplayPort (DP++). Samples are currently available, and these products are targeted at large-scale OEMs and OEM manufacturers. For more detailed information, please contact ST Korea at 02-3489-0114.