Horizon Semiconductors
Horizon Semiconductors is a major technology innovator and provider of highly integrated silicon solutions that enable the secured delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment, serving the Consumer Electronics, Broadband Communication and home entertainment markets. Horizon provides the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art, System-On-a-Chip and software solutions to manufacturers of set-top box equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products.
Logo
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Technology
Using unique, proprietary technologies and design methodologies, Horizon designs, develops & supplies complete System-on-a-Chip (SoC) solutions and related hardware & software applications. Horizon’s diverse product portfolio includes solutions for digital cable, satellite and IPTV set-top box (STB), Digital Television (DTV) DVD, HD-DVD & Blu-Ray players and recorders, Digital Video Recorder (DVR), and Home Media Centers.
Horizon’s innovative rich IP portfolio which includes coding techniques, proprietary algorithms and VLSI architectures have enabled the company to develop a diverse product portfolio, supporting leading compression standards and a wide range of advanced technologies. Horizon’s SoC families offer both single and dual channel HD decoders as well as transcoding/encoding solutions, all operating in real-time and at resolutions up to 1080/60p (1920x1080, 60 frames/sec).
Horizon's SoCs are designed with the highest level of integration, embedding a variety of leading edge technologies including support for compression standards such as: H.264 (AVC), VC-1 (SMPTE 421M), MPEG-4 and MPEG-2, superior display processing, high definition 2D/3D graphics acceleration, multi-channel multi-format audio processing, application CPU, multi-stream high bandwidth transport processing, adaptive noise reduction pre-processing, and a wide variety of advanced connectivity and peripherals. All of Horizon’s SoCs are designed in accordance with world-leading secure processor architectures, enabling complete content protection in compliance with numerous Conditional access and Digital Rights Management schemes.
Horizon believes that one of its key competitive advantages is its broad base of core technologies encompassing the complete design space from systems to silicon. Horizon has developed and continues to build on the following technology foundations:
- Proprietary communications systems algorithms and protocols
- Advanced DSP hardware architectures
- System-on-a-chip design methodologies development for both standard cell and full-custom integrated circuit design
- Proprietary Simulations & Verification tools
- High-performance radio frequency, analog and mixed-signal circuit design using industry-standard CMOS processes
- High-performance custom microprocessor architectures and circuit designs
- Extensive software reference platforms to enable complete system-level solutions
Products
Horizon focuses on delivering semiconductor solutions for communications to the home, enterprise and mobile markets. Horizon’s diverse product portfolio includes:
- Single-chip cable, satellite or IPTV advanced set top box supporting analog front-end, dual channel HD playback, 2D and 3D graphics, advanced display processing and video format conversion for uploading media content to portable players and cell phones
- Single-chip Blu-Ray / HD-DVD / universal (combined) player and recorder providing highest levels of visual experience for consumers
- A variety of application specific SoC products including a high quality stand-alone transcoder IC, as well as a professional 1080/60p encoder IC.
Cable, Satellite & IPTV Set Top Box
Horizon provides industry’s most advanced fully integrated single chip solutions for high definition cable, Satellite & IPTV Set-Top Boxes, DVRs and Home Media Centers.
Hz3120 and Hz4120: Native 1080/60p High Definition Dual Channel Decoder / Transcoder SoC for next generation Cable, Satellite, & IPTV Set-Top boxes.
Hz3220 and Hz4220: Native 1080/60p High Definition Dual Channel Decoder SoC for next-generation Cable, Satellite & IPTV set-top boxes.
Hz4010: Native 1080/60p High Definition Transcoder for next-generation Cable, Satellite & IPTV Set-Top boxes, media players, iVDRs and location-free TV.
HD-DVD & Blu-Ray
Hz4010: Native 1080/60p High Definition Transcoder for next-generation Cable, Satellite & IPTV Set-Top boxes, media players, iVDRs and location-free TV.
Hz7120: Native 1080/60p High Definition Dual Channel Decoder/Transcoder SoC for next generation universal HD-DVD & BluRay media players and recorders.
Hz7220: Native 1080/60p High Definition Dual Channel Decoder SoC for the next generation of universal HD-DVD & BluRay media players and recorders.
Markets
Horizon aims to acquire a significant market share in the digital set-top box, digital TV, video recorder, Blu-Ray, HD-DVD and universal players/recorders and home media center markets.
Manufacturing
Horizon manufactures products using standard CMOS process techniques. The standard nature of these processes permits the company to engage independent silicon foundries to fabricate Horizon’s integrated circuits. By subcontracting its manufacturing requirements, Horizon is able to focus its resources on design and test applications where Horizon has greater competitive advantages. This strategy also eliminates the high cost of owning and operating a semiconductor wafer fabrication facility.
Horizon products are currently fabricated with 90 nanometer & 65 nanometer, six, seven & eight layer metal structures. Horizon’s engineering team continuously evaluates the benefits, on a product-by-product basis, of migrating to smaller geometry process technologies.
Horizon's key silicon foundry is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation in Taiwan. Horizon's assembly and testing is conducted by several key subcontractors around the world.
History
Horizon was founded in 2003 by Amir Morad, Ms.C. and Leonid Yavits, Ms.C. with the vision of enabling broadband communication and advanced home entertainment by leveraging their combined 24 years of communications IC experience obtained at VisionTech, in the military communications industry, and at the Technion in the academic research community.