Renesas preps multi-format video codec hardware IP

Renesas Electronics Corp. has developed a multi-format video codec hardware IP product that supports low-delay processing for automotive information terminals that support High Definition Television (HDTV), mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and industrial equipment.

This new hardware IP features a minimum processing delay of 1 ms, support for encoding functions for VP8 video codecs, and HD (1920 × 1080) 60 fps (1080p60) performance. The product will be available for sampling in April 2013.

This hardware IP achieves codec processing in which the delay from the start of data input to the start of the corresponding output has a minimum of 1 ms.  This enables the development of systems that require that compressed video data be transmitted with low delay, such as wireless video transmission systems or high-quality video conferencing systems.

In addition to the earlier H.264 AVC, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 compression standards, a VP8 encoding function has been newly added to this hardware IP to strengthen support for internet content. The IP also supports full HD stereo 3D content with the H.264 MVC standard. The decoding functions support the same standards as earlier Renesas hardware IP, allowing the playback of a wide range of content types.

This new hardware IP achieves twice the encoding/decoding performance of the earlier Renesas products, namely full HD video at 60 fps (1080p60), with the same hardware scale and power consumption as the earlier hardware IP. Applications that require simultaneous encoding/decoding of multiple video streams, such as compressed transcoding or video chat, can be easily implemented with a single hardware IP.

With these features and capabilities set, the new hardware IP is well positioned to support automotive, mobile, and industrial equipment. Renesas also plans to release middleware products that conform to the OpenMAX IL that operates on general-purpose operating systems such as Linux, Android, and Windows Embedded Automotive.