Product category:
Intellectual Property Cores
News Release from: MIPS Technologies
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 11 March 2004
Big camera names using MIPS-based
technology
When you choose your next digital still or video camera, chances are that it relies on the industry-standard MIPS architecture.
When you choose your next digital still or video camera, chances are that it relies on the industry-standard MIPS architecture to enhance the user experience with what many consider "must-have" features, such as DVD-quality full-motion video, high-quality audio and ultrafast image processing MIPS Technologies, which enables many of the world's most popular digital consumer and business applications, announced today that leading consumer companies, such as Canon, Fujifilm, JVC, Pentax and Samsung, are currently shipping MIPS-based digital camera models to retail stores within the United States, Japan and Europe
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 23 Feb 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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New from MIPS Technologies, the MIPS32 4KSc smart card core is a high-performance, synthesisable embedded 32bit processor core for ultra-low-power advanced smart card applications.
TSMC delivers hard core processors for MIPS fans
MIPS Technologies has announced the availability of "hard core" versions of its MIPS32 4Kc and 4Km 32bit processor cores.
These devices expand the growing reach of the MIPS architecture into the fast-growing market for mobile consumer applications, which require high performance processors to enable next-generation features while meeting the demanding operating requirements of battery powered devices.
"Digital cameras and camcorders are among the top five largest application segments in today's digital consumer market, with 46 million digital cameras sold worldwide during 2003", said Allen Leibovitch, Manager in IDC's semiconductor practice.
"Using high performance processors, MIPS Technologies and its partners are helping expand this market by enabling OEMs to offer cameras with richer functionality at the right cost points".
Further reading
64bit soft core has integral floating-point unit
In response to customer demand for a 64bit synthesisable processor core with floating point, MIPS Technologies has introduced the MIPS64 5Kf core.
Boosted performance for 32bit soft core
MIPS Technologies has launched its next generation 32bit, high-performance, low-power core, the MIPS32 4KE family.
MIPS cores join Synopsis IP library
More than 25,000 design engineers who use the Synopsys DesignWare IP library to jump-start their designs will soon have access to the MIPS Technologies highly configurable MIPS32 4KE family of synthes
"Camera manufacturers are using our cores in a variety of different ways within these new models", explained Jack Browne, Vice President of Worldwide Sales at MIPS Technologies.
"In each case, they choose our technology because we provide the high performance needed to deliver exciting user experiences at the low power consumption levels that portable devices require".
Companies such as AMD, Philips Semiconductors, NEC, Sunplus of Taiwan, Toshiba and Zoran Corp, have been at the forefront of MIPS Technologies licensees driving MIPS-based products into mobile consumer applications including smart cards, wireless media tablets, robotic toys and portable game devices.
With the highest performing synthesisable 32bit product line in the industry today, the MIPS architecture provides design engineers the horsepower necessary to enable digital cameras with enhanced image processing and enlargement, zero delay digital zoom and natural colour reproduction while balancing the overall system and controlling power, I/O and file management.
At the same time, power-saving innovations in MIPS-based implementations maximise camera battery life.
Furthermore, designers can get to market quickly at lower cost points by accessing the wide range of optimised software, tools and IP available for the industry-standard MIPS32 and MIPS64 architectures.
Current digital still (DSC) and video camera (DVC) models that use the MIPS architecture include: the Canon EOS 10D (digital SLR camera), EOS Digital Rebel (digital SLR camera) and Optura 300 digital video camcorder; the Fujifilm FinePix F700 (digital still camera), FinePix S5000 Zoom (digital still camera) and FinePix S7000 Zoom (digital still camera); the JVC GR-HD1 (high-definition digital video camera); a new (as yet unnamed) model from Pentax; and the Samsung Digimax 370 and 430 digital cameras.
"Our DSC chip solution offers 4 million pixels to enable some of the highest resolutions possible in a highly integrated, cost-effective SoC", said Yarn-Chen Chen, President of Sunplus Technology.
"Leveraging the processor's performance, the SPCA536 product allows JPEG for digital still cameras and MPEG4 technology to be used as a digital video and PC-based camera".
"Toshiba's MIPS-Based TX System RISC family has won many ASSP and custom designs in the DSC and DVC market segments.
Our 32 and 64bit MIPS RISC processors feature exceptionally low-power consumption.
With the state of the art embedded flash and embedded DRAM technology, SIP (system in package) technology, and a wide range of TX System RISC processors integrating various types of intellectual property, Toshiba provides architecture technology suitable for functions required for DSC and DVC applications", said Shardul Kazi, Vice President of the TX-RISC Business Unit at TAEC.
Zoran's MIPS-based camera on a chip (Coach) 6 and 7 products leverage the high-performance attributes of the MIPS architecture to combine excellent image quality and a feature set that allows manufacturers to differentiate their cameras and reduce the bill of materials (BOM) cost.
The Coach 6 family supports up to 16Mpixel sensors, and the newly introduced Coach 7 family supports DVD-quality video with compression technology that offers 30 frames per second using MPEG4.
(Updated by CR, May 2007).
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