TI's DSP-based digital media processors at the forefront of emerging high-definition videoconferencing.

Continuing to drive innovation in digital media applications, TI's TMS320DM642 DSP-based digital media processor provides the foundation required to bring high-definition (HD) video and audio to the videoconferencing market. High-definition videoconferencing--initially offering 1280 x 720 resolution--promises to address many of the issues that have created problems for users of previous generation videoconferencing technology, including reduced image resolution, poor sound quality, excessive set-up complexity and limited bandwidth and processing resources. High-definition videoconferencing systems, backed by the processing resources of TI's 720 MHz DM642 architecture, allows original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop and launch scalable systems to the market faster.

Enterprise-class videoconferencing is currently going through a critical evolutionary phase. With the introduction of high-definition television in the home, users have come to discover and enjoy the high-definition experience. As a consequence, they expect all video to offer the same high quality. Standard-definition (SD) MPEG-2 video quality will no longer satisfy users as it once did. The high-definition videoconferencing market is expected to grow to over $2 billion dollars by the year 2008, according to Andrew W. Davis, managing partner at Wainhouse Research.

"At the Interop show in May 2005 we demonstrated full-feature, high- definition multipoint conferencing for the first time based on the DM642. High-Definition videoconferencing is a reality," says David Holloway, chief executive officer, Codian. "As the HD resolution of 1280 x 720 at 30 frames per second becomes the new standard for videoconferencing, we will use our investment in the DM642 architecture to quickly and cost effectively deliver HD quality multipoint video, recording and streaming to our customers."

A combination of concurrent technological innovations makes it possible to bring high-definition video and audio to videoconferencing today. With rapid growth in the IP network deployments, limited bandwidth is no longer an issue. Additionally, with the proliferation of new video codecs such as H.264, bandwidth can be used more efficiently and cost-effectively.

TI's DM642 digital media processor provides an optimized platform for enterprise-class videoconferencing applications that scale easily from client endpoint devices to the multipoint control units/gateways using multiple DM642 devices that enable IP-based videoconferencing across several sites. Multiple DM642s can be seamlessly connected via the 66 MHz PCI bus interface for high-speed connectivity. The DM642 digital media processors have all the integrated I/O and streaming capabilities--including on-chip HD-capable video ports, glueless 10/100 Ethernet connectivity, multi-channel audio, and 66 MHz PCI connectivity--to develop true high-definition systems, and TI's extensive third-party network supplies the necessary software for compressing and decompressing both audio and video streams.

"TI's highly efficient DM642 processor optimized for digital media has enabled us to achieve real-time H.264 high-definition processing to offer the highest quality experience to users," says Ali Jerbi, general manager, UB Video. "Leveraging our existing production-class software investments, developers can integrate our codec implementation into their own systems seamlessly."

TI is committed to the high-definition videoconferencing market and will continue to provide the hardware and software support essential for driving new services and enhanced functionality. DM642 processors running at 720 MHz are shipping in volume production today, and TI plans future code-compatible devices that offer higher performance and additional system integration to continue to bring cost-effective and scalable high-definition systems to market.