MCUs are made for in-vehicle multimedia

Controller devices support the IDB1394 standard for in-vehicle multimedia networks, allowing automotive designers to realise high-quality rear-seat entertainment at a realistic price.

Two new controller devices from Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe support the IDB1394 standard for in-vehicle multimedia networks.

Sample shipments of the MB88388A and MB88389 will begin in December 2007.

The MB88388A implements Fujitsu proprietary SmartCodec, a video codec specified under the IDB1394 international standard for in-vehicle video transmission.

SmartCodec, which was developed by Fujitsu Laboratories, can transmit high-resolution video without perceptible lag.

It is the world's first chip to support car navigation imaging using the IDB1394 standard.

By combining it with the MB88389 device specifically for IDB1394-compliant audio, it is now possible to realise high-quality rear-seat entertainment at a realistic price.

IDB1394 is an international data networking standard for transmitting video, audio and other multimedia data over an in-vehicle network.

Various automobile manufacturers now view the standard as necessary to enable rear-seat entertainment systems that can play DVDs, show digital TV programming and offer access to the car navigation system.

As such, the standard is expected to come into widespread use.

Anticipating the future demand for rear-seat entertainment systems, Fujitsu and Fujitsu VLSI codeveloped the MB88388A navigation-imaging and video transmission controller, and the MB88389 audio transmission controller to support the IDB1394 standard.

The MB88388A includes the SmartCodec codec for video, which was developed by Fujitsu Laboratories and is used in the BT.601 Transport Over IEEE1394 standard.

This makes it possible to transmit video from DVD, digital TV, and car navigation sources at high resolution without perceptible lag.

Also, because IDB1394 can be configured as a multiplexing network, multiple video and audio streams, in addition to control signals, can be transmitted simultaneously over the same physical layer.

This means the car network can carry even more complex information over a single cable, thereby reducing wiring-harness complexity and weight.

The MB88389 controller can be integrated into the IDB1394 network for lower cost audio networking.

Fujitsu plans to expand its range of IDB1394-compliant offerings, in view of the growth types of in-vehicle content, and to accommodate multiple data transmissions from peripheral car security cameras, and further system cost reductions.

"We are pleased to see the first fully integrated IDB1394-compliant devices from Fujitsu", says Mark Spain, Director of the Automotive Business Unit of Microsoft Corporation.

"We support this standard and plan to utilise it for the Microsoft Auto platform designed to create advanced in-vehicle infotainment systems".

"As digital experiences grow, software and services are expected to converge in the car, requiring standard platforms and enabling technologies like those from Microsoft and Fujitsu".

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