QNX Introduces Support for DaVinci(TM) Technology from Texas Instruments

QNX Introduces Support for DaVinci(TM) Technology from Texas Instruments

April 14, 2006

    HOUSTON and OTTAWA, Canada, April 14
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI)
(NYSE: TXN) and QNX Software Systems today announced their
collaboration to enhance the development of digital audio
and video applications for the embedded market, including
QNX's support for TI's DaVinci(TM) technology.  The
combination of TI's technology and the realtime performance
and reliability of the QNX(R) Neutrino(R) RTOS will enhance
the development and integration of digital audio and video
for embedded products in a variety of markets, including
automotive infotainment, consumer electronics, in-flight
entertainment, industrial automation, and medical
technology. 

    TI's DaVinci technology is the industry's first
platform to enable digital audio, video and multimedia
innovation without requiring extensive codec expertise. 
DaVinci technology-based products save developers time and
money by allowing them to build upon existing,
production-tested software components optimized for digital
audio, video and multimedia.

    To maximize the performance of media-rich applications
running on DaVinci technology-based TMS320DM644x
processors, QNX will support an interface layer between the
ARM and the DSP cores, based on TI's DSP/BIOS(TM) LINK
technology. QNX's multimedia solutions leverage the power
of the DSP and automatically pass along this performance
benefit to higher-level multimedia applications.  By
offloading complex media processing to the DSP, this
approach frees up the ARM core to perform other functions,
giving designers greater design flexibility and allowing
them to build more value-added features into their
DaVinci-based products.  The QNX design also promotes
maximum reliability. If an application fails on the ARM
core, the QNX Neutrino RTOS will automatically contain the
problem and the application can be automatically restarted,
without affecting other software.  This brings
automotive-grade reliability to consumer-class devices.

    "As video is increasingly added to fault-tolerant
systems, including medical devices, space stations,
automobiles, traffic and flight control, customers require
a simplified digital video solution combined with a
reliable operating system.  Together, TI's DaVinci
technology and the QNX Neutrino RTOS provide the
performance, reliability, and scalability that is exactly
what these markets need," said Huy Pham,
system-on-chip platform marketing, TI.

    "QNX offers the only fault-tolerant microkernel
RTOS for the embedded industry's most rugged computing
platforms, from the International Space Station to the
automobile," said Andrew Poliak, automotive segment
manager, QNX Software Systems.  "We are always looking
for opportunities to support hardware innovation that can
speed the emergence of new markets and technologies in the
embedded world, and we are proud to work together with TI
to accelerate the delivery of cutting-edge digital video
and multimedia applications."

    As part of this collaborative relationship, QNX will
release a board support package (BSP) designed to
accelerate development of embedded video applications based
on the DM644x. The BSP will be available in Q3 2006.

    About Texas Instruments

    Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real-world
signal processing requirements. In addition to
Semiconductors, the company's businesses include Sensors
& Controls, and Educational & Productivity
Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has
manufacturing, design, or sales operations in more than 25
countries.

    Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN.  More information is located
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .

    About QNX Software Systems 

    QNX Software Systems, a Harman International company
(NYSE: HAR), is the industry leader in realtime, embedded
OS technology.  The component-based architectures of the
QNX(R) Neutrino(R) RTOS and QNX Momentics(R) development
suite together provide the industry's most reliable and
scalable framework for building innovative,
high-performance embedded systems.  Global leaders such as
Cisco, DaimlerChrysler, General Electric, Lockheed Martin,
and Siemens depend on QNX technology for network routers,
medical instruments, vehicle telematics units, security and
defense systems, industrial robotics, and other mission- or
life-critical applications.  Founded in 1980, QNX Software
Systems is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, and distributes
products in over 100 countries worldwide.  Visit
http://www.qnx.com .

    TRADEMARKS

    DaVinci and DSP/BIOS are trademarks of Texas
Instruments. QNX and Neutrino are trademarks of QNX
Software Systems GmbH & Co. KG, registered in certain
jurisdictions and are used under license.  All other
trademarks and trade names belong to their respective
owners.

    For more information, please contact:

     Lisa Ferrara
     Texas Instruments
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Kellie Potucek
     GolinHarris
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Jennifer Barlow
     Schwartz Communications
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Paul Leroux
     QNX Software Systems
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

SOURCE  Texas Instruments Incorporated