Will new Atom CE5300 Media Processor chip power an Intel TV service?

The Atom CE5300 Media Processor, code-named Berryville, is the first 32nm CPU Intel has offered for set-top boxes and "smart" TVs. It includes two cores, updated graphics capabilities, and an H.264 B-picture encoder.

Intel says that it is steering the CE5300 toward pay TV providers for use in its set-top boxes, rather than trying to market it toward consumer manufacturers. (Previous Intel chips have powered Logitech's Revue Google TV box and Sony's Internet-enabled TVs.) The new chip is going to be featured in a gateway from hardware manufacturer Amino, which describes itself as an IPTV provider, though it may generally have a harder time making inroads against more established set-top chip makers.

Ironically, this is the same industry that Intel is rumored to be taking on if it pursues its own Internet TV service. Could the CE5300 be the centerpiece of Intel's own set-top box foray? Intel isn't saying, but I wouldn't be surprised if this winds up being the brains behind any device the company eventually releases.

[Via Intel]