Advanced video codecs tutorial, and more!

3/30/2006 7:36 PM EST

I'm packing my bags for the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, where I'll be program chair for the Consumer Video Design Seminar all day Thursday (April 6). One of the best aspects of the conference is that, amidst all the "latest developments" being discussed in the technical sessions, there's also ample opportunity to take a step back and provide tutorials on some of the most vital topics in digital video design.

"Video Compression: System Trade-offs with H.264, VC-1 and Other Advanced Codecs," is a perfect example of such a seminar, and we're doubly benefiting because we're also able to present the paper to you here now, as our featured how-to article on Video/Imaging DesignLine (see Video Codecs Tutorial). Written by Jeremiah Golston and Dr.Ajit Rao of Texas Instruments, this is a must-read for anyone developing DSP-based video processing using advanced codecs.

TI claims to be codec agnostic, but as this paper points out, there are distinct tradeoffs that occur with different codecs. We've also got seminars on choosing the right processor (presented by Jeff Bier, of Berkeley Design Technology), Reaping the benefits of SoCs for video applications, CAT5 Video Transmission Equalization, and more. See you in San Jose!