POWERVR MSVDX CORE REDEFINES MULTI-STANDARD HD-VIDEO CAPABILITIES

SANTA CLARA, CA, Oct. 2, 2006 -- Imagination Technologies - the leader in mobile and embedded graphics technologies - is demonstrating its PowerVR MSVDX multi-standard high definition video decoder core at ARM Developers' Conference 2006 from October 3rd - 5th.

PowerVR MSVDX is a scalable multi-standard HD capable video decoder for use in a range of applications such as HDTV, HD-DVD / Blu-Ray, IPTV, STB, PVR and handheld multimedia. PowerVR MSVDX brings high-quality image decoding with the widest range of video standards to cost-sensitive, high volume consumer products.

The technology is being demonstrated in non-real time FPGA system decoding multiple HD video standards including H.264, MPEG-4 and MPEG-2.

PowerVR MSVDX, enables high definition video decode of SD and HD digital broadcasts with exceptional image quality. This high specification solution can decode multiple simultaneous HD streams on a single core, depending on clock speed and configuration.

Typical design approaches to multi-standard video decoders are inefficient in silicon utilisation where either a separate core is used for each standard, or a fully programmable engine is deployed, each with the usual inevitable overheads and inefficiencies. With PowerVR MSVDX a stream decoder identifies the video standard on input and reconfigures the highly flexible modules in the core accordingly. This 'adequately flexible' solution has huge benefits in reducing silicon area and power consumption while providing image quality that significantly exceeds traditional solutions.

PowerVR MSVDX supports up to 720p/1080i and may be configured to support single or dual HD streams, up to four SD streams or a combination of single HD and dual SD streams. The decoder supports a wide range of decode standards including: H.264, VC-1, WMV 8/9, DivX, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, and JPEG. PowerVR MSVDX can be configured with any subset of these standards, enabling effective management of codec royalty costs.

The PowerVR MSVDX IP core design is available as a VHDL coded soft macro with full documentation, Synopsys Design Compiler scripts and VHDL simulation test benches. The core is synthesizable and can target all key process geometries.

Says Tony King-Smith, VP marketing, Imagination Technologies: "PowerVR MSVDX performs video stream analysis and decode functions while placing minimal workload on the host processor - just frame buffer management and basic housekeeping. With the broadest range of supported standards, a small silicon area, and image scalability from HD down to QCIF with multi-stream simultaneous decode capabilities, MSVDX is the prime choice for high definition silicon devices.

PowerVR MSVDX is part of the PowerVR Visual IP family of cores which provide 2D/3D graphics and advanced display pipeline processing as well as video codecs. These can also be combined with Imagination's UCC (Universal Communications Core) family of multi-standard broadcast decoders to create complete DTV, Mobile TV and STB solutions.

PowerVR MSVDX is also suitable for handheld video devices, such as personal media players, where its advanced block and register level clock gating implementation and small silicon area ensure low power consumption. The design has been optimised to further reduce power by enhancing the ratio of the design that can benefit from register level clock gating.

Advanced error recovery is enhanced with dedicated hardware to increase resilience to errors on reception of a corrupted bit-stream. An extremely area-efficient micro-controller within the bit stream manager enables high-level error recovery, while low level detectors quickly trap error conditions.

PowerVR High Definition Imaging Technologies

Imagination Technologies provides a comprehensive range of image processing technologies including scalable display pipelines, TV Out, Image Enhancement and de-interlacing. PowerVR PDP composites multiple video planes giving PIP, graphic overlay, menus and cursors; PowerVR I2P offers either motion adaptive or motion compensated high quality de-interlacing; PowerVR TVE Digital TV Encoder offers world wide TV Out functionality, and the PowerVR IEP Image Enhancement Processor provides dynamic range expansion, skin colour control, luma and chroma transient improvement. The PowerVR SGX 2D /3D graphics core supports a wide range of sophisticated user interface applications for dynamic menu systems.

Imagination Technologies' UCC, a software defined radio platform which is dominant in digital radio implementations and highly-successful in mobile TV, makes a single television capable of receiving terrestrial, cable and even WLAN transmissions cost effective for television set manufacturers.

The META multi-threaded core enables an efficient system solution covering all the embedded processing requirements in a digital TV application. This includes the audio processing via the high performance DSP capability of META. The core also enables the TV's general-purpose functions, such as, user interface, protocol stack and operating system while binding the video and baseband IP into a complete TV SoC solution.

About Imagination Technologies

Imagination Technologies Group plc - a leader in SoC IP - develops, licenses and supplies market-leading graphics, video and display cores, real-time multi-threaded DSP/RISC processors and communication and broadcast technologies for the mobile, consumer, automotive and PC markets. It supplies licensable IP (Intellectual Property) supported by advanced development tools to leading semiconductor and consumer electronics companies worldwide. Imagination Technologies Group plc has its corporate headquarters in the United Kingdom and is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE:IMG). See: www.imgtec.com.

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