Media processor upgrades navigation devices

3DLabs has demonstrated what next-generation portable navigation and location aware devices could look like running on the recently announced DMS-02 media processor.

3DLabs has demonstrated what next-generation portable navigation and location aware devices could look like running on the recently announced DMS-02 media processor.

Working closely with Tele Atlas, a leading global provider of digital maps and dynamic content for navigation and location based solutions, 3DLabs demonstrated how the navigation experience can be enhanced by providing high fidelity 3D detail and texture to create life-like renderings of the locations people wish to find, navigate and experience.

At the same event 3DLabs announced its collaboration with Nordnav to bring low-cost, high-quality software based GPS solutions to market that utilise the architecture and low-power floating-point performance of the DMS-02 media processor to accelerate acquisition times, enhance tracking accuracy and reduce costs.

"With a DMS-02 based PNAV product, users of location aware devices will be able to experience a rich 3D environment that reflects the reality they can see, including landmarks, landscapes, points-of- interest and individual buildings", said Tim Lewis, Director Sales and Marketing at 3DLabs.

"Combine 3D and software GPS with the DMS-02's media processing capabilities and you have a complete platform for enabling feature rich navigation products with extended battery life".

"The market is evolving to more realistically represent the world as we know it", said Jack Reinelt, Managing Director Europe, Tele Atlas.

"Enriched maps that offer more visual information to make navigation easier and enhance location based services will replace flat maps and Tele Atlas are at the forefront of reflecting this reality, complete with 3D landmarks and other data".

"Enhanced 3D visualisation will make maps even more attractive, informative and interesting with a range of consumer applications".

"By leveraging the floating-point processing capabilities of the 3DLabs DMS-02 media processor, our E5000 software GPS provides fast time to first fix and gives users continuous tracking and advanced navigation filtering even in the most challenging environments".

Said Mattias Astrom, CEO of Nordnav.

"Software based GPS provides significant advantages with lower cost, smaller footprint and the ability for users to continuously upgrade the GPS performance and the 3DLabs architecture provides an ideal platform for our software".

Based on a fully programmable array of floating-point processors the DMS-02 is the first handheld media processor capable of HD 720p H.264 video playback and fully exploits the parallel nature of traditional video, image, audio, 2D/3D graphics and signal processing while having the flexibility to adapt to emerging standards and applications such as software GPS, software defined radio, digital media broadcast and physics processing for game engines.

The DMS-02 incorporates 24 floating-point processing elements, dual ARM 926EJ cores, multilevel caches, three bidirectional video stream ports, 32 or 64bit mobile memory for up to 1.6Gbyte of bandwidth and peripheral interfaces to LCDs, CMOS sensors, IDE disks, USB OTG, Flash memory and audio DACs.

The device is OS independent with first software development kits supporting embedded Linux 2.6.

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