New low-cost DaVinci processor spurs growth for portable, HD video applications

Driving the market growth for next-generation, portable, high-definition (HD) video products, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) announced the availability of a new DaVinci processor with ARM host control and complete development tools. At a price of less than $10, the new TMS320DM355 digital media processor provides HD video performance and double the battery life of today's HD products.

Tuned for applications such as digital cameras, IP video cameras, digital photo frames and video baby monitors, the DM355 processor consists of an integrated video processing subsystem, an MPEG-4-JPEG co-processor (MJCP), an ARM926EJ-S core and peripherals. The corresponding development tool, the DM355 Digital Video Evaluation Module (DVEVM), will help developers quickly and easily create low-cost portable, digital video devices with HD video capability.

“With this DaVinci offering, developers can add HD video functionality at a low price point and execute a quick launch of their product into the fast-growing HD market,” said John Dixon, DaVinci marketing manager, Texas Instruments. “The DM355 is tuned to provide the critical balance of price, performance and power for these aggressive markets in an effort to ensure our customers’ success.”

The processor is available in clock speeds of 216 MHz or 270 MHz, which allows for a scalable line of products. Likewise, developers can re-use intellectual property from the robust DaVinci technology portfolio (http://www.thedavincieffect.com/) or leverage IP from the vast open-source resources for ARM-based processing to speed them throughout the development process. Other applications that will benefit from implementing the DM355 include commercial products, such as medical imaging, ultra low-cost digital video recorders and portable test equipment.

Achieving HD Video in Portable Products
Optimized for HD video, the DM355 processor achieves its impressive performance by integrating a video/imaging coprocessor to achieve a sub-$10 price and enable ultra-low power consumption. The MJCP provides HD MPEG-4 SP encode or decode at 720p and 30 frames per second and JPEG encode or decode at 50 MegaPixels per second. The video processing subsystem, which is featured on all DaVinci devices, integrates a preview engine, histogram, resizer and on-screen display all in hardware. The MJCP provides the equivalent of 400 MHz of digital signal processing (DSP) to achieve HD video, while the video processing subsystem tasks equate to approximately 240 MHz of performance on a DSP. Combined, the MJCP and video processing subsystem provide the equivalent of up to 640 MHz of DSP processing performance, and up to 270MHz of ARM processing capabilities are still available for product differentiation. The DM355 also includes a carefully selected suite of peripherals, such as high speed USB 2.0 On-The-Go. The integrated 10-bit D-A converter and video encoder also saves developers up to $2 in the bill of materials, as well as the associated manufacturing and design costs compared to the use of discrete parts. Priced at less than $10, the DM355 processor is an even greater value because it includes the production-qualified HD MPEG-4 and JPEG codecs without the need to pay licensing fees or royalties to TI.

Longer Batter Life
Systems built with the DM355 will experience battery life that is up to twice the life of currently available portable HD systems. Depending on the application, the DM355 consumes approximately 400mW during HD MPEG-4 encoding and only 1mW of stand-by power. As an example, this means that consumers using DM355-based digital cameras in video mode can expect to record 80 minutes of HD video while using just two AA batteries.

Complete Hardware, Software, and Tools Solution
The DM355 processor and DVEVM take advantage of all the tools and support included in the DaVinci technology portfolio to help product developers save months of time. The application programming interfaces (APIs) common across DaVinci offerings also means that developers familiar with DaVinci technology or ARM development can quickly develop their products with virtually no learning curve.

When coupled with the DVEVM, available now for $495, developers are able to get started immediately with product development. The DVEVM helps them achieve the fastest possible time to market, with optimized MontaVista Linux, an uboot loader, and drivers for the complete peripheral set. Rounding out the DVEVM are the JPEG, MPEG-4 SP and G.711 codecs plus Video Input/Output, Audio In/Out, an external EMAC, USB 2.0 On-The-Go and JTAG for test. ORCAD schematics are also available at no charge.

Support for other operating systems, such as Windows CE, and additional system development needs are available from TI third parties (http://www.ti.com/3p), which are ramped and ready to support immediate development.

Texas Instruments