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Frank Eory
Streaming content from a mobile to the big TV is only of minor interest. Far ...
Nez
I think DIAL is just an easy to launch an app on mobile phone to control the TV. ...
MediaTek sets 2013 digital TV design agenda
Junko Yoshida
1/29/2013 2:01 AM EST
Faster boot time
The idea of DIAL is, of course, similar to Apple’s AirPlay, in which iOS content is seamlessly discovered and displayed on Apple TV. While Apple does this well among Apple-developed devices, DIAL is designed to help non-iOS device vendors--practically everyone else on earth--make that seamless connection possible on any DIAL-supported smart TVs, smartphones and other connected devices.
Other features promoted by MediaTek for new TVs in 2013 include faster boot time for Android TVs.
In general, it takes 25 seconds for today’s Android TV to boot up, according to MediaTek engineers. MediaTek is now offering TV vendors two new solutions--“warm boot” and “cold boot.” Under MediaTek’s cold boot feature, which leverages the software optimization of Android code, the boot up time becomes 12 seconds. Meanwhile, by creating a standby “suspend” mode in DRAM for MediaTek’s warm boot solution, the boot-up time will see a dramatic reduction to two seconds, according to the company.
While skeptics continue to debate the proliferation of ultra high-definition TVs (largely because of the high prices for TV sets and the lack of 4K x 2K content availability), Hsieh holds a much more pragmatic view on the issue.
MediaTek sees the emergence of UHDTV as an opportunity to push its SoCs that offer 4K x 2K frame rate conversions. Hsieh also recognizes an unmistakably strong desire among OEMs and ODMs in China to tout 4K x 2K TVs, as a part of their marketing programs. Further, Hsieh, citing the Netflix-Samsung UHDTV collaboration at the recent CES, predicted that “4K x 2K will happen very soon.”
The proliferation of higher CPU/GPU power--already well evidenced in smartphones--is also fast becoming a reality for smart TVs which crave to run more and more apps and better user interface, Hsieh explained. Although Hsieh mentioned during the interview that ARM’s GPU is getting better, his company appears to be sticking to Imagination Technologies’ GPU technologies for the time being. Imagination disclosed in middle of January that it signed a new license agreement with MediaTek for a multi-core member of Imagination's PowerVR SGX Series5XT graphics processor family. MediaTek is said to deploy the technology in SoC devices targeting the digital TV market.
Related stories:
The idea of DIAL is, of course, similar to Apple’s AirPlay, in which iOS content is seamlessly discovered and displayed on Apple TV. While Apple does this well among Apple-developed devices, DIAL is designed to help non-iOS device vendors--practically everyone else on earth--make that seamless connection possible on any DIAL-supported smart TVs, smartphones and other connected devices.
Other features promoted by MediaTek for new TVs in 2013 include faster boot time for Android TVs.
In general, it takes 25 seconds for today’s Android TV to boot up, according to MediaTek engineers. MediaTek is now offering TV vendors two new solutions--“warm boot” and “cold boot.” Under MediaTek’s cold boot feature, which leverages the software optimization of Android code, the boot up time becomes 12 seconds. Meanwhile, by creating a standby “suspend” mode in DRAM for MediaTek’s warm boot solution, the boot-up time will see a dramatic reduction to two seconds, according to the company.
While skeptics continue to debate the proliferation of ultra high-definition TVs (largely because of the high prices for TV sets and the lack of 4K x 2K content availability), Hsieh holds a much more pragmatic view on the issue.
MediaTek sees the emergence of UHDTV as an opportunity to push its SoCs that offer 4K x 2K frame rate conversions. Hsieh also recognizes an unmistakably strong desire among OEMs and ODMs in China to tout 4K x 2K TVs, as a part of their marketing programs. Further, Hsieh, citing the Netflix-Samsung UHDTV collaboration at the recent CES, predicted that “4K x 2K will happen very soon.”
The proliferation of higher CPU/GPU power--already well evidenced in smartphones--is also fast becoming a reality for smart TVs which crave to run more and more apps and better user interface, Hsieh explained. Although Hsieh mentioned during the interview that ARM’s GPU is getting better, his company appears to be sticking to Imagination Technologies’ GPU technologies for the time being. Imagination disclosed in middle of January that it signed a new license agreement with MediaTek for a multi-core member of Imagination's PowerVR SGX Series5XT graphics processor family. MediaTek is said to deploy the technology in SoC devices targeting the digital TV market.
Related stories:
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ChipConnoisseur
1/29/2013 6:43 AM EST
No VP9 support? Disappointing.
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junko.yoshida
1/29/2013 1:09 PM EST
Correct. With no VP6 blessing from the world's leading consumer chip company makes me skeptical of VP6 future.
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rick.merritt
1/29/2013 12:53 PM EST
DIAL doesn't sound compelling to me, but I can imagine someday we will get to easy and interesting ways to share related content on devices in proximity in the living room and the public square (with digital signage and handsets).
Meanwhile, it looks like Taiwan has its Broadcom in Mediatek.
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Bert22306
1/29/2013 9:33 PM EST
Thanks to MediaTek, we just might finally get some reasonable smart TVs. Most of what I read in this piece sounds great.
But I'm with Rick.
I don't so much dispute that some handheld gadget to TV content sharing is a good idea, for certain content. What I utterly fail to understand is the notion that TV manufacturers would capitulate to Apple or anyone else for a "discovery and launch" of Internet TV content.
As to DIAL per se, I suppose it's intent is to avoid having to use that short range 60 GHz "wireless HDMI" link, between handheld gadget and smart TV. So it allows the TV to initiate the same Internet sessions as the handheld, slaved to the handheld, but not by a simple uncompressed high capacity video/audio link. So the Internet strteams go directly to the TV from the broadband modem and WiFi (or other) internal network link.
Mostly to that, I say bah. Just design the smart TV smartly. Do that discovery from the TV. Use some imagination and creativity.
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Nez
1/31/2013 4:42 PM EST
I think DIAL is just an easy to launch an app on mobile phone to control the TV. The streaming is still from internet to TV directly, not from phone.
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cedricfau
1/30/2013 11:28 AM EST
Twonky already does what DIAL is expecting to do thanks to DNLA protocol ...
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chanj
1/31/2013 1:45 AM EST
Netflix-Samsung UHDTV collaboration might be a sign of better proliferation of UHDTV. A partnership between TV makers and movies production company will certainly give a strong push.
There is always a solution to get better resolution - interpolation. I'm sure various TV makers are looking into it if they aren't already using the technology to improve the picture quality.
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Bert22306
1/31/2013 3:53 PM EST
Interpolation would be required to get normal SDTV or HDTV content onto UHDTV sets, certainly. But I don't think this creates more "resolution." Because the information content has not changed. So you get a smooth-as-glass image, but no more actual detail.
There are algorithms to enhance such interpolated images, edges mainly, so perhaps that could be called enhanced resolution. Although it's manufactured, not real.
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Frank Eory
2/4/2013 11:31 AM EST
Streaming content from a mobile to the big TV is only of minor interest. Far more interesting would be the ability to stream content from my cable DVR to a tablet or smartphone.
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