Broadcom could help PC and DVD manufacturers sidestep the choice between two high-definition recording standards with a chip that can decode signals recorded in either format.

The chip company unveiled the BCM7411D chip, ahead of the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show where high-definition players and recorders based on the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD standards are expected to be showcased.

The chip supports the H.264 and VC-1 compression standards, both of which are used by Blu-Ray and HD DVD recording technology. It also supports video recorded in the high-definition MPEG-2 format. The company released a reference design with the BCM7411D and a companion chip that gives manufacturers a blueprint to build high-definition DVD players.

The company claims that by providing a single-chip high definition decoder that supports all three compression standards, manufacturers will be able to build media players that support both high definition optical discs as well as existing DVD video titles.

For developing Blu-ray and HD DVD media players using the BCM7411D chip, Broadcom also announced the release of the BCM97438 reference platform. The platform includes a reference board featuring the BCM7411D HD A/V decoder chip and the company?s BCM7038 dual-channel HD digital video system chip, as well as a software platform that offers OEMs a wide range of integration options.