Product category:
Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: NEC Electronics (Europe) | Subject: Emma3
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 19 January 2007
Dual-core processor runs HD sound and
graphics
The latest Emma series incorporates in a single chip all the functions necessary to process high definition images, sounds and graphics in HD DVD players.
NEC Electronics has introduced its newest generation of its renowned Emma series of high performance system LSI chips for digital consumer applications The Emma3 series is optimised for systems such as HD DVD players and recorders that handle the processing of next generation DVD content
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 22 Jan 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The latest Emma series incorporates in a single chip all the functions necessary to process high definition images, sounds and graphics in HD DVD players.
It can process compression formats such as MPEG2, H.264, and VC-1, and offers powerful support for high-level applications by way of two built-in CPUs.
Emma3 is already used successfully in HD DVD players sold by Toshiba Corporation such as the HD-XA2 and HD-A2 in North America, the HD-XA2 and HD- XF2 in Japan, as well as other players designed for Europe and Australia.
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NEC Electronics has focused on steadily expanding its offerings in the digital consumer arena, with a particular emphasis on audio-visual systems such as DVD recorders, digital televisions, and set top boxes.
As a result, the company is now a leading force in the industry.
The company shipped over 3 million back-end processing chips for DVD recorders in 2005 and has acquired a greater than 20% share of the global market.
During the same period, NEC Electronics also shipped over 24 million front-end processing chips for DVD recorders and held more than 30% of the global market.
NEC Electronics' Emma series, based on digital image and sound compression technology, is the company's flagship series of digital AV devices.
To date, over 20 types of Emma products have been delivered to 50 companies in 12 different countries, with shipments totalling 30 million units.
However, the increasing popularity of image and sound content based on compression formats such as H.264 and VC-1 in HD DVD systems has generated demand for a new Emma series to handle these evolving technologies.
NEC Electronics designed its Emma3 series with these needs in mind, and incorporated the following features.
New high definition video formats such as H.264 and VC-1 that support high image quality, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD audio decoders for superior sound quality, stream processing, and HD graphics processing are all included on a single chip, greatly reducing the number of components needed to build an HD DVD player.
Two CPUs - a 64bit VR5500 application processor capable of speeds up to 654DMIPS, and a 32bit MIPS32 CPU capable of up to 457DMIPS - enable high performance functions such as browsers and data streaming required of next generation DVD systems.
Optimisation for stream processing used in digital broadcast recording, and multichannel stream input and output, allow easy development of HD DVD recorders.
A common platform for playback and recording make it easier to share software for these functions.
The Emma3 series is compatible with NEC Electronics' platformOViA framework, which enables development using Linux and helps shorten development times through the efficient reuse of software.
NEC Electronics believes the Emma3 series will be instrumental in the development of next generation DVD systems.
The company will actively promote sales of its new line, and continue to develop and expand the series to meet the growing demand from customers and the evolving needs of manufacturers.
Samples of the Emma3 devices are available now, priced at US $200.
Volume production is scheduled to commence in April 2007, and reach approximately 300,000 units per month.
Pricing and availability are subject to change.
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