SAN JOSE, Calif. – SMSC has added graphics to the list of uses for the USB 3.0 interconnect, rolling out is ViewSpan controller to link a secondary monitor to a PC or notebook. The part is the last piece of the puzzle SMSC needs to create a future integrated USB 3.0 controller for a docking station or thin-client computer.
The new uses for USB 3.0 could help speed adoption of the interface which has suffered so far from lack of support in Windows and PC chip sets.
To date the 5 GHz maximum transfer rate of the USB 3.0 interconnect has mainly been applied to controllers linked to serial ATA enabling fast connections between PCs and home storage hubs. SMSC and others also have fielded USB 3.0 links to Gbit Ethernet and flash media devices.
SMSC (Hauppauge, N.Y.) uses one lossless and two lossy compression algorithms to enable USB 3.0 to carry the data needed to support an external display. The interconnect would not be suitable for a primary display because it lacks compression and BIOS standards.
Computer makers such as Acer, Asustek, LG, Toshiba an Samsung have supported secondary displays with the 480Mbit/s USB 2.0 standard for the past two years. They are expected to upgrade to USB 3.0 support soon, said a spokesman for SMSC.
“We believe the popularity of multiple display monitors in both the home and office will continue to rise and USB will connect a significant share of those displays,” said Brian O’Rourke, a principal analyst with market watcher In-Stat.
SMSC is sampling its ViewSpan controller now in versions for USB 2.0 and 3.0. The part is ready for production, but the company is not disclosing any pricing information. Competitor DisplayLink demoed a USB 3.0 graphics controller in January.
Sometime in 2012, SMSC aims to integrate its USB 3.0 display, Ethernet and flash-media controllers into one chip for use in a notebook dock or thin-client computer. Such a chip could "dramatically lower" the cost and pin count of today's docking stations that typically cost about $100 and use an 80-100 pin interface, the SMSC spokesman said.
It's been a long road to market adoption for USB 3.0 which some had hoped would take off in 2009.
Intel still does not support the interface in its chip sets, something that caused frustration among the technology's backers a year ago. Advanced Micro Devices is said to be sampling now the first PC chip set to support USB 3.0.
Two sources said Intel actually held up the release of version 1.0 of the USB 3.0 specification, delaying initial release of products originally expected to ship in 2009.
NEC, the main supplier of discrete USB 3.0 controllers, is said to be doubling its production of the parts now. The first hard drives and flash media readers to use USB 3.0 are said to be on their way to market.
Microsoft has not developed native Windows 7 drivers for USB 3.0 yet. Some sources say Microsoft may not support the interface with its own drivers until the next major release of Windows.
"I think in 2011 we will see native USB 3.0 chip sets in the market for tier one OEMs, and we expect 2012 will be a big year for its adoption because a significant percentage of systems will ship with USB 3.0 by then," said the SMSC spokesman.