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This month:
TI Gives OMAP a Major UpgradeLast month TI announced “OMAP 2,” a major upgrade to its OMAP architecture. TI also announced two application processors based on this new architecture, the OMAP2410 and OMAP2420. (For more information on application processors and an overview of the competitive field, see the March 2003 edition of the DSP Insider.) Like its predecessor, OMAP 2 is based on a combination of a TMS320C55x DSP core and an ARM RISC core. Past this basic similarity, however, OMAP 2 is remarkably different from its predecessor. In one key change, OMAP 2 replaces the ARM9 found in existing chips with an ARM11 core. The ARM11 is significantly faster than the ARM9. For example, the ARM11 in the OMAP24xx will operate at 330 MHz, compared to 220 MHz for the ARM9 in the OMAP1710. (See the December 2003 DSP Insider for BDTI’s analysis of the OMAP1710.) In another key change, OMAP 2 adds ARM’s “vector floating-point unit,” which gives the fixed-point ARM core powerful floating-point capabilities. OMAP 2 also includes several new coprocessors. One of these is the PowerVR MBX 2D/3D co-processor that TI licensed from Imagination Technologies. According to TI, this coprocessor can deliver up to two million polygons per second—enough for a compelling 3D gaming experience on a mobile phone screen. TI is not the only company with an eye on enabling 3D gaming in mobile phones. For example, Samsung recently licensed the PowerVR MBX coprocessor for use in future application processors. Some OMAP 2-based chips, including the OMAP2420, will also contain a new video and imaging coprocessor. According to TI, the OMAP2420 will be able to perform MPEG-4 encoding at VGA (640x480) resolution at 30 frames per second. In comparison, Motorola claims its currently-available i.MX21 can perform 30 frame-per-second video encoding at CIF (352x288) resolution.
The first two OMAP 2 chips, the OMAP2410 and OMAP2420, are expected to
begin sampling by mid-2004. The OMAP2410 and OMAP2420 will be
available only to high-volume OEM customers and are not available as
part of TI’s broad-market “catalog” product line. No pricing has been
announced for these parts.
Atsana Unveils Unusual Media ProcessorLast month startup Atsana announced its second processor, the J2211. The J2211 targets cost- and power-sensitive video-processing applications, particularly “feature phones”—cellular handsets that incorporate multimedia functionality but do not use a full-featured OS like the Palm OS. The J2211’s price reflects its focus on relatively inexpensive phones: it is priced at $11.95 in 10,000-unit quantities. The J2211 is based on an ARM9 core, but much of its processing power comes from a collection of programmable coprocessors. The most notable of these coprocessors is an unusual array processor that contains 48 computational units. Each of these computational units consists of an 8-bit ALU and 4 kilobytes of data memory. The 48 computational units are controlled through single-instruction multiple-data techniques. Thanks to its array processor and other coprocessors, the J2211 has respectable speed for a low-cost, fully programmable processor. For example, Atsana claims the J2211 can decode MPEG-4 video at CIF (352x288) resolution at 30 frames per second—including deblocking, deringing, and color space conversion. Other processors capable of this level of performance are typically more expensive than the J2211, less flexible than the J2211, or both. Although the J2211 primarily targets products that don’t use a full-featured OS, it is sure to compete against some processors that primarily target these higher-end products. One of these likely competitors is the NeoMagic MiMagic 6, which also uses array computing techniques—see the July 2003 edition of the DSP Insider for details.
The J2211 is currently available in sample quantities; full production
is expected to begin in April 2004. Atsana has also announced the
J2215, which integrates the J2211 and 2 Mbytes of SDRAM in a
multi-chip package. The J2215 is expected to begin sampling by the
middle of the year.
BDTI Case Study
This Month: Crafting Successful Presentations and BriefingsTop-notch marketing presentations and press briefings are key to convincing prospective customers, partners, editors, and investors that a product is attractive and viable. Effective presentations combine clear, convincing technical information with a compelling marketing message—a difficult combination to achieve. And even accurate, convincing presentations can run into trouble if the presenter isn’t prepared for tough questions. The best way to ensure that a presentation is effective is to test it with a knowledgeable, critical, and responsive audience. A test audience can also help ensure that the content is correct, relevant, and appropriate for the intended audience. Just as important, a test audience can help presenters gauge the clarity, appeal, and impact of their pitch. After all, superb technical content serves no purpose if the audience loses interest a few minutes into the presentation. BDTI analysts can become your test audience and give you the feedback you need through BDTI’s “Sounding Board” service. BDTI’s analysts have hands-on experience with signal-processing technology and have spent years tracking the industry—and listening to hundreds of product pitches. This experience makes them a shrewd and skeptical audience with a unique combination of technical expertise and industry savvy. The Sounding Board service provides specific, detailed suggestions for achieving technical accuracy and clarity and for making the marketing message appealing to the target audience. In addition, the Sounding Board service often identifies product advantages that the presenter had overlooked. In one recent Sounding Board engagement, a reconfigurable-hardware vendor employed BDTI’s services to refine a key product presentation. BDTI’s analysts made detailed recommendations on how to position the product for maximum impact and how to tie the products’ features to concrete advantages for users. BDTI also helped the vendor create a more effective and engaging press release.
Sounding Board sessions are available at BDTI’s offices, via
conference call, and via Web conference. To learn how BDTI can help
you improve your presentations, contact Jeremy Giddings
(giddings@BDTI.com) or visit
http://www.BDTI.com/products/services_sounding.html.
Impulse Response, by Jeff Bier
Some Assembly RequiredBuying unassembled toys for your kids is always risky. Although the package may assure you of “Quick and Easy Assembly,” those of us who have had to put the darn things together know better. Having all the pieces is not the same thing as having, for example, a tricycle that actually works. Signal-processing applications are the same way. Even if you have all of the major IP blocks you need to build a complete application, you can’t assume that getting your product up and running is going to be simple. In fact, instead of being like my tricycle example, putting together a modern signal processing application is more like having to assemble a jet aircraft. Without instructions. These days, many signal-processing application developers prefer to use off-the-shelf software components for most of the application, and reserve expensive in-house development efforts for a few key features that will differentiate their product. This is a sensible strategy, but it has significant implications for the type of expertise required to pull the product together. By using off-the-shelf IP, companies are able to reduce the amount of engineering time devoted to implementing, optimizing, and testing software components. What system developers often fail to realize, however, is that they will still be faced with complex design and integration challenges, many of which are beyond the capabilities of typical DSP engineers. A key issue that will need to be addressed is how the various components will interact with each other. How will data be buffered? How will functions be synchronized? How will real-time constraints be met? How will signal fidelity be maintained? How will the system be tested? Whether these questions are hard or easy to answer depends to some extent on the quality of the available software components, and whether pieces from various vendors adhere to a consistent set of interoperability guidelines. Chip, IP, and tools vendors can help ease the process by providing additional infrastructure, such as reference designs. Even in the best case, however, putting together a complex system requires system architecture skills—and these are not the same thing as DSP programming skills.
As DSP systems become more complex and increasingly rely on
off-the-shelf software components, system developers must recognize
the subtle workload shift from low-level coding to high-level system
integration. Don’t underestimate just how hard it’s going to be to
put all those pieces together and get the darn thing running.
Sixth Edition of Buyer’s Guide to DSP Processors for 2004Buyer’s Guide for 2004 includes new benchmark results for ADI’s TigerSHARC and Blackfin processors and updated benchmarks for ADI’s SHARC, Motorola’s MSC8101 (StarCore), and TI’s ’C55x and ’C64. The report provides updated analysis of products in each processor family, including speeds, prices, power consumption, and peripherals. Other new features to this year’s edition include the introduction of the BDTImemMark2000™ , a single-number metric showing overall memory efficiency, innovative “radar” charts that summarize processor performance, a new layout, and new formatting. The 2004 Buyer’s Guide is 584 pages in 8.5 x 11 inch format, spiral bound for easy desk use. The first copy is $2,695, including shipping via FedEx to North American addresses (for international shipping, add $75). Additional copies are discounted substantially.
For previews of the report and more information, go to
http://www.BDTI.com/bg04.
Plan to Attend electronicaUSA/Embedded Systems Conference 2004Join BDTI at electronicaUSA/Embedded Systems Conference. This year’s event includes the Communications Design Conference, and BDTI will be presenting at both ESC and CDC. The panel discussion, Digital Video: Gold Mine or Money Pit? moderated by Jeff Bier on Monday, March 29 at 5:30 pm is sure to be one of the highlights of ESC. Come hear BDTI presentations on developing digital video software, selecting the right processor for your application, video compression technologies, and application processors for mobile multimedia.
The electronicaUSA/Embedded Systems Conference will take place March
29 to April 1 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more
information, go to http://www.bdti.com/bdti_whatsnew.html#esc.
InsideDSP Examines Digital VideoThe second issue of InsideDSP, the innovative series of special supplements to EE Times, will be published on March 29. Entitled Digital Video: Fast Forward to the Future, this issue of InsideDSP will explore the new wave of digital video technology and applications. The supplement will provide a unique mix of “big-picture” explorations of digital video technology and business trends, “lay of the land” guides to key technologies, and a “crash course” tutorial in video compression.
Attendees of electronicaUSA/Embedded Systems Conference 2004 should
make sure to pick up a copy at the show.
Call for Papers: GSPx 2004GTC is seeking proposals for papers to be delivered at the Global Signal Processing Expo and Conference 2004, to be held September 27-30, 2004 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The deadline for submitting abstracts is April 30, 2004.
The conference will bring together leading developers and design
engineers presenting over 700 peer-reviewed papers. In addition, over
150 of the industry’s leading embedded signal processing companies
will be featured at the trade show. More information, including the
GSPx call for papers, can be found on the event website at
http://www.gspx.com.
About BDTIBDTI is an independent source for digital signal processing technology analysis and optimized software development services. From rigorous technical analyses of processors for DSP, such as the Inside series of processor analyses, to highly regarded technology seminars, BDTI is the trusted independent source for reliable information on digital signal processing technology. As a software developer, BDTI is known for highly optimized implementations of signal processing algorithms and applications and for solutions to complex problems of integration, code size, and performance.
For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.BDTI.com.
As previously announced, a new newsletter, Inside DSP, published jointly by CMP Media’s EE Times and BDTI, will soon take the place of the DSP Insider. Both newsletters are free. If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you would like to receive the new Inside DSP newsletter regularly, register at http://www.BDTI.com/dspinsider.htm. If you do not wish to receive the new BDTI-CMP Inside DSP newsletter, send an email message to dspinsider@BDTI.com with the words “Remove me” in the subject line.
Previous issues of BDTI’s DSP Insider are archived and will
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