Imagination's POWERVR VXD391 adds On2 VP6 and Real Video capabilities

Multi-stream video decoder IP ideal for applications from Internet to High Definition

April 27, 2010 -- Santa Clara, USA: Imagination Technologies, the leading multimedia chip technologies company, announces the latest member of its video decode IP core family, POWERVR VXD391. An ultra low power, high performance 1080p HD hardware video decoder IP core with multi-standard multi-stream capabilities, VXD391 now features the most extensive range of standards supported by a single video decoder, essential for accelerating all forms of video content found on the internet today, including Real Video 8/9, On2 VP6, and Sorenson Spark.

Says Tony King-Smith, VP marketing, Imagination: “With the addition of support for Real video codecs, VXD is now ideally suited for all regional markets, including the all important Chinese market. Adding On2 VP6 capability as well completes the extensive range of standards we support, configurable by customers as required, so that all popular applications from Flash™ players to YouTube™ can all be fully accelerated at any resolution up to HD at high speed with remarkably low power consumption.”

VXD391 provides full hardware acceleration support for all international broadcast standards including, MPEG-2, H.264, VC-1, AVS as well as optional support for other key video standards, as required for end customers’ applications, including Sorenson Spark, Real Video 8/9 and On2 VP6. VXD391 supports MPEG-4 and H.264 profiles to enable customers to create a DivX® format compliant solution.

Continues King-Smith: “As a leading supplier into the mobile phone, netbook, tablet and other consumer and automotive markets, we continue to extend the capabilities of our VXD decoder and VXE encoder IP cores demonstrating our leadership and commitment as a leading provider of video IP, ensuring that our customers are guaranteed the most comprehensive solution, and that consumers can enjoy unlimited video content anywhere, anytime.”

VXD391 is capable of decoding full high-definition H.264 L4.2 (1080P60) and can decode multiple streams simultaneously to fully meet Blu-ray and other multi stream decode requirements. The highly parallel architecture of all VXD cores enables a typical H.264 High profile HD stream to be decoded with a clock rate of just 70MHz.

Imagination’s HD video decoder family is already shipping in a wide range of markets including: netbooks, personal and in-car navigation, mobile phones and media players.

POWERVR video cores are targeted at a wide range of applications including mobile devices, 3DTV, HDTV, IDTV, set top box (STB), Blu-ray and media players and are supported by an extensive set of hardware drivers and growing ecosystem of partners providing support for the POWERVR video decode and encode family of IP cores.

POWERVR VXD 391 is available for licensing now.

Inside POWERVR VXD391

POWERVR VXD’s stream processing and IP core management is handled by Imagination’s META embedded processor for maximum flexibility. This performs all header decoding, allowing the VXD391 to cope with non-standard bit streams. The host CPU interacts with the META-based stream manager for error recovery and concealment options which include comprehensive error trapping and reporting so that customisable recovery and concealment strategies can be implemented that match the needs of each individual end-application, even when used in multi-stream decode environments. The META processor also controls and reconfigures the various hardware engines that deliver the VXD391’s ultra low power on a frame by frame basis.

VXD 391 supports all HD resolutions and can be configured on a time division multiplex basis to handle single, dual and multi-stream HD decoding. This allows functions such as stereoscopic 3D, picture-in picture and multi-picture menus for advanced EPG applications.

Imagination’s highly respected advanced power management techniques ensure that all POWERVR VXD cores have low power requirements enabling HD video to be consumed for hours at a time on power-constrained devices such as portable media players and mobile phones.

About Imagination Technologies

Imagination Technologies Group plc (LSE:IMG) – a global leader in multimedia and communication silicon technologies – creates and licenses market-leading processor cores for graphics, video, multi-threaded embedded processing/DSP and multi-standard communications applications. These silicon intellectual property (IP) solutions for systems-on-chip (SoC) are complemented by strong array of software tools and drivers as well as extensive developer and middleware ecosystems. Target markets include mobile phone, handheld multimedia, home consumer entertainment, mobile and low-power computing, and in-car electronics. Its licensees include many of the leading semiconductor and consumer electronics companies. Imagination has corporate headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales and R&D offices worldwide. See: www.imgtec.com.