VIA Labs Inc Releases Two New USB 3.0 Host Controllers

Taiwan-based VIA Labs, Inc. has announced availability of two new USB 3.0 host controllers — The four-port VIA VL805 and the two-port VIA VL806.  These new USB 3.0 host controllers in PCI Express form factor allow utilization of multiple Super Speed USB devices simultaneously for transfer rates up to 5 Gbps.  The VL805 and VL806 both retain backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 and 1.1 devices.

These next generation single chip host controllers include improved performance enhancements, seamless interoperability, and cross compatibility.  The VL805 and VL806 also feature support for USB Battery Charging and “Charging Downstream Port”; which enables both rapid charging and fast data sync with compatible devices.  The VL805 and VL806 both comply with the Universal Serial Bus 3.0 specification and Intel’s eXtensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) 1.0 specification, and add native inbox driver support for Windows8.  The VL805 and VL806 are also USB-IF certified.

Terrance Shih, Product Manager at VIA Labs, Inc. states “The VIA VL805 host controller is a feature-rich product that offers many tangible enhancements over previous generation devices including higher throughput, charging capabilities, and support for the USB Debug Port.  With the smallest package design and native support in Windows8, the VL805 and VL806 provide easy and cost-effective ways for motherboard and embedded system manufacturers to bring additional USB 3.0 to their product lines.”

 KEY FEATURES

• Compliant to Universal Serial Bus 3.0 Specification  Revision 1.0
• Compliant to Universal Serial Bus 2.0 Specification
• Compliant to eXtensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) Specification Revision 1.0
• Support Legacy USB Function
• In-house USB PHY employs advanced CMOS process to reduce  power consumption
• Compliant with PCI Express Base Specification 2.0
• Support Battery Charging 1.2 Specification including DCP and CDP modes
• Firmware update option includes BIOS integration
• Support USB debug mode
• Software:

• Driver Support for Windows 8,7, Vista, and XP
• USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP)
• Support various Linux kernels

The VIA VL805 and VIA VL806 are currently shipping.  The VIA press release can be viewed here, VIA VL805 product page here.  and VIA VL806 product page here.