1997-08-29 , ESC-9730

High performance, system-on-a-chip supports encode, decode, and communications functions.

Philips Semiconductors' TriMedia processor is enabling a new generation of low cost, high performance video telephony devices to be created. For example, TriMedia customers are developing videophones for use on existing analog lines that will retail for less than $500 yet provide good quality images with up to twelve frames per second and lower latency than existing devices. In addition, the TriMedia processor has the capacity to support special image filtering and echo cancellation algorithms to further improve image and audio quality. Currently fifteen consumer electronics vendors are working with this TriMedia technology to develop video telephony applications with products expected to be announced over the next few months.

Arthur van der Poel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Philips Semiconductors, said, "The TriMedia processor is ideal for video telephony. It provides the breakthrough that people have been waiting for as, at last, video telephony can be done at an acceptable quality over normal phone lines. In addition, as so much functionality is on just one chip to create a 'system-on-a-chip', the overall cost of making the videophones is much less than conventional designs."

"The versatility and FLEXibility of the TriMedia processor means that it is easy to add complementary services such as a web browser. Furthermore, a videophone based on a TriMedia processor can be designed to support easily both existing analog and higher performance digital networks, such as ISDN, as they become more widely available. When digital networks are used, the TriMedia processor can provide an even higher quality video performance."

A single TriMedia TM-1000 processor provides a complete processing environment for a videophone or videoconferencing device as well as supporting communications processing. Because a single TriMedia processor can achieve up to four billion operations per second, it dramatically reduces the latency typically associated with video telephony. Because the TriMedia processor runs a real-time operating system, it can also support additional functions in a videophone such as an Internet browser, or traditional screen phone services such as E-mail, and electronic banking.

The TriMedia chip can concurrently support video and audio encode, decode and communications processing. Because the processor is programmable, it can support multiple videophone algorithms allowing it to use both proprietary algorithms that may provide higher quality, or industry-standard algorithms that are widely used. The processor can negotiate the best algorithm at call set-up.

The TriMedia Product Group is developing off-the-shelf software modules to support videophone development, as well as working with independent software developers to provide software codecs and soft modems to video telephone developers.

The TriMedia processor achieves its exceptional performance and FLEXibility from a breakthrough in VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) software technology. Based on many man-years of development in Philips' world-renowned research labs, the TriMedia processor uses an innovative scheduling compiler that exploits the ability of a VLIW architecture to process multiple operations in each clock cycle and eliminates the need for expensive and complicated scheduling hardware. It does this by optimizing the software for parallel execution and scheduling operations during compilation. The result is a relatively low cost processor that can achieve up to four billion operations per second while running at only 100 MHz. The compiler and other software development tools make the TriMedia processor easy to program in C and C++, eliminating the need for tedious, time consuming programming and performance tuning in assembly or machine code.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs.

TriMedia is a trademark of Philips Electronics NV.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.