TI's Latest DaVinci Processor Drives Growth of Portable Digital Video Applications

TI's Latest DaVinci Processor Drives Growth of Portable Digital Video Applications

January 16, 2007

Optimizations Include Reduced Cost and Dual Power Modes for
Portable Video Applications


    HOUSTON, Jan. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to
fuel the digital video revolution, Texas Instruments (NYSE:
TXN) (TI) today announced the sampling of the TMS320DM6441
system-on-chip (SoC) based on DaVinci(TM) technology. 
Additional DaVinci software and development tools for the
DM6441 make it possible to deliver high-quality video
combined with power saving modes for portable audio and
video applications, including portable media players
(PMPs), consumer video security devices, medical devices,
data terminals, IP netcams, automotive/in-flight
entertainment systems and other digital audio and video
applications.  For more information, see
http://www.ti.com/dm6441pr .  

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20.jpg )

    "TI has brought together the optimal blend of
performance, flexibility, and power efficiency for portable
media players," said Henri Crohas, founder and chief
executive officer, ARCHOS.  "The DM644x device easily
supports multiple video formats, which has given ARCHOS the
base technology to develop and launch three devices of our
latest Generation 4: the ARCHOS 404, the ARCHOS 504 and the
ARCHOS 604."

    The DM6441 is a dual-core SoC that consists of an
ARM9(R) and TMS320C64x+(TM) digital signal processor (DSP)
core plus video/imaging co-processors.  By offering this
device, TI expands the possibilities of DaVinci technology
for those seeking video performance of H.264, MPEG 2, MPEG
4 or VC-1, among others, at 30 frames per second combined
with power efficient optimizations for a whole new realm of
consumer applications.  The DM6441 provides the key
peripherals required for today's portable media
applications, including Ethernet, MMC and SD card
interfaces, ATA hard disk drive interface, USB 2.0 and
multiple UARTs, while offering developers the programmable
flexibility and customization they need to design
cost-effective portable entertainment products. 
Furthermore, the power optimization of the device makes it
possible for developers to implement power over Ethernet,
which is suitable for many video security systems.  

    "By releasing an SoC with specific power
management capabilities to the broad market, TI is further
driving the adoption of digital video technology into an
increasingly wide array of consumer portable audio and
video applications," said Greg Mar, SoC platform
marketing manager, TI.  "Building on DaVinci
technology, we are able to provide the optimized
application software developers need to design
cost-effective, power-efficient digital video products and
bring them to market quickly."

    Optimized Power Savings 

    The advanced power saving capabilities of the DM6441
make it ideal for portable audio and video applications. 
With dual power modes the DM6441 can run at full speed (513
MHz DSP and 256 MHz ARM) at 1.2 V or in power-reduced mode
(405 MHz DSP and 202 MHz ARM) at 1.05 V.  The dual power
modes allow the reduction of power consumption during
operations, such as audio-only playback, when the full
capabilities of the DSP are not required.  Additional clock
gating capabilities provide a mechanism for turning off
peripherals that are not in use.  Isolating the power
domains of the DSP and ARM cores has made it possible to
power down the DSP core individually during non-video
operations.  The combination of dual power mode, clock
gating and isolated power domains can yield overall power
savings up to 35 percent over the previously released
TMS320DM6443 and TMS320DM6446 devices.  

    Developers can begin product design with the Digital
Video Evaluation Module (DVEVM, TMDXEVM6446), which is
available today.  The DVEVM includes proven design modules
for additional power savings with TI's analog devices and
microcontrollers.  The DM6441 can also be paired with TI's
ultra low-power microcontroller, the MSP430, which offers
an exceptional standby current under one microamp and
power-manages the DM6441 in its most efficient sleep/halt
mode to further reduce average current consumption.

    Exceptional Efficiency through Enhanced Software

    Software plays a major role in enabling developers to
achieve the best performance, quality and power efficiency
from SoC silicon.  The DM6441 device's software application
programming interface and multimedia framework manages
control of power to maximize battery life for portable
devices with minimal effort from developers.  The increased
power efficiency of the DM6441 has also made it possible for
TI to expand the variety of codecs available off-the-shelf
for portable devices, including VC-1 and H.264.  TI has
also introduced availability of the industry-standard
uClibc library, making the DM6441 TI's first device to
bring uClibc to the broad market.  uClibc reduces product
development costs by shrinking application footprints,
leading to faster boot times, the need for less external
memory and improved reliability through reduced system
complexity.

    The DM6441 is pin-for-pin and software compatible with
the DM6443 and DM6446 devices, enabling engineers to
leverage the extensive infrastructure of development tools
available through the DaVinci ecosystem and TI's
third-party partners.  These tools include the
aforementioned DVEVM and the Digital Video Software
Development Kit (DVSDK, TMDSSDK6446-L), the latter of which
allows system developers to integrate discrete software
modules and combine them into a single executable file
while avoiding tedious manual integration.  Together, these
tools save months of development time, enabling developers
to quickly design and bring to market compact, quality and
competitively priced portable media applications.

    Software and Development Tools Spur Development

    To deliver the most advanced solutions for PMP
manufacturers, TI is working with third party developers
including ATEME, Ingenient and Ittiam, to offer the market
reference designs for PMPs.  The reference designs leverage
TI's complete suite of production-ready digital media
software, including MPEG-2 MP, H.264 MP and AC3. 
Information on the codec combinations available from TI is
at http://www.ti.com/digitalmediasoftware .  
 
    Pricing and Availability

    The DM6441 for portable audio and video applications is
sampling now and it is $24.95 each in quantities of 10,000. 
For more information about the DM6441 and DaVinci
technology, please visit http://www.thedavincieffect.com . 

  
    About Texas Instruments

    Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements.  In addition to
Semiconductor, the company includes the Education
Technology business.  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 .

    Trademarks

    DaVinci and TMS320C64x+ are trademarks of Texas
Instruments.  All other trademarks and registered
trademarks are property of their respective owners.






    For more information, please contact:

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

     Sarah Bodenman	
     GolinHarris	
     Tel:   [phone]	
     Email: [e-mail]  


SOURCE  Texas Instruments Incorporated