Broadcom Corp. announced a new digital-to-analog system-on-a-chip to help transition analog cable customers to digital broadcasting.

The new DTA chip—the BCM3545, successor to the BCM3543—is already in use and paves the way for the expanded network capacity needed to provide additional HD content while delivering digital-quality video and audio service to existing analog cable customers, Broadcom said.

The company said adapter chips like this one will help cable operators with their obligation to carry, in some cases, SD, HD and analog versions of a single channel.

Designed with 65 nanometer technology, the chip boasts lower power consumption and higher CPU and memory performance for fast channel changes than larger designs, Broadcom said.