Product category:
Communications ICs (Wired)
News Release from: IndigoVision | Subject: Mainstream codec
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 22 October 2001
Novel codec runs MPEG4 in hardware
IndigoVision has unveiled its Mainstream video technology, using the first MPEG4 codec developed for the semiconductor industry.
IndigoVision has unveiled its Mainstream video technology, using the first MPEG4 codec developed for the semiconductor industry Two years in development, the Mainstream codec is implemented entirely in hardware, setting it apart from announced software and hybrid software/hardware MPEG4 solutions
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 25 Nov 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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IndigoVision has developed an Amba (Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture) interface for its Mainstream MPEG-4 video codec.
The hardware implementation gives the codec unprecedented scalability bringing major benefits to systems ranging from low data rate, handheld devices to broadband, digital-TV set-tops.
The Mainstream codec (encoder/decoder) will be supplied as licensed technology for incorporation by manufacturers in SoC designs and multimedia chip products.
Commenting on the announcement, IndigoVision CEO Oliver Vellacott said, "Mainstream is the first practical, scaleable MPEG4 codec solution.
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It will have a major impact in the market for multimedia mobile phones and personal video recorders and provides IndigoVision with significant opportunities for growth".
The Mainstream hardware codec consumes half the power of RISC software-only solutions at low datarates, provides consistent excellent video quality, encodes and decodes video at all 3G datarates and can scale up to encode full-resolution digital TV for personal video recorders.
Most MPEG4 implementations demonstrated to date have relied on software running on high-specification RISC processors because the development time to demonstration video is shorter.
Such implementations provide variable quality video in network trials, can only handle video playback not encoding, and cannot handle video at the higher data rates supported by 3G and broadband networks.
The Mainstream video codec is available as a licensed design implemented in VHDL chip design language.
As well as the MPEG4 video encoder and decoder, the Mainstream technology includes video capture, video pre- and post-processing, video display, multichannel DMA and a bus-mastering controller.
IndigoVision has developed the design both as an FPGA and as an ASIC, which greatly reduces the time a licensee requires to integrate SoC designs.
A complete set of tools is available including development boards and bit-accurate software models.
Mainstream is fully compatible with IndigoVision's VideoBridge networked video software that delivers the compressed video and audio over IP networks.
MPEG4 is the multimedia standard selected by 2.5G and 3G mobile phone operators for recording and playing back video messages.
It is also at the heart of new multimedia streaming and recording technologies.
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