Flexible world of mobile video

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Feb 13, 2003

Designers of camera embedded mobiles and other portable devices can now offer customers real-time video and audio at previously unattainable levels of quality using a novel mobile video processor.

Designers of camera embedded mobiles and other portable devices can now offer customers real time video and audio at previously unattainable levels of quality, following the launch of a mobile video processor by Sequoia.

According to Sequoia, the Alphamosaic Videocore VC01 delivers a solution that is not only highly efficient but also programmable.

By running image, video and audio processing algorithms directly in software users implement standard algorithms such as MPEG4 and MP3 as well as proprietary algorithms that can be used to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

The software based architecture ensures that VC01 based systems are easily upgraded to implement new functions, or to address the evolution of applicable standards.

The device interfaces directly to GSM/GPRS, CDMA2000, and W-CDMA based phone baseband chipsets via the VideoCore Multimedia Coprocessor Software framework.

Integrated peripherals make it possible to directly connect VC01 to CMOS cameras, TFT displays, CompactFlash, Memory Stick and communication chipsets.

The programmability of VideoCore enables a host of applications to be achieved by the one device, including two way video conferencing, camcorder (compress, store and send video clips), play and edit music, image manipulation, game play and midi ring tones.

VC01 supports a wide range of standards and functions for video compression (running video codecs such as MPEG-4, H.263, H.26L or proprietary codecs), audio compression (running audio codecs such as MP3, AAC or proprietary codecs), video processing (image sensor front-end processing, de-noising, de-blurring, digital still camera) and video analysis (FFT, DCT, motion estimation, segmentation, object recognition).

To support Videocore, Sequoia is offering software and hardware development systems.

Implemented in 0.13um technology, VC01 combines VideoCore, a core architecture tailored for processing video, with 8Mbit of on-chip memory and integrated peripherals to provide a single-chip solution for a wide range of video applications.

Measured power consumption is just 54mW when processing 30frame/s CIF (352 x 288) MPEG4 video encode and display.

Samples are available now.