Tensilica Previews Next-Generation Audio Technology at Spring Processor Forum.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Tensilica(R), Inc., the only company to automate the design of optimized application-specific configurable processors for system-on-chip (SOC) design, will preview its next-generation audio technology at the Spring Processor Forum in San Jose, CA, Wednesday afternoon, May 18, 2005 (see http://www.in-stat.com/spf/05/ for more details). By leveraging Tensilica's Xtensa LX configurable processor technology, Tensilica's engineers are developing a turn-key audio solution with lower power, faster processing, and a full set of optimized audio encoders and decoders for popular standards such as AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) An audio compression technology that is part of the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 standards. AAC, especially MPEG-4 AAC, provides greater compression and better sound quality than MP3, which also came out of the MPEG standard. , MIDI, MP3, and WMA (Windows Media Audio) An audio compression method from Microsoft. Known originally as MSAudio, this proprietary format competes with the MP3 and AAC methods. WMA encodes rapidly and is known to be especially effective at low bit rates. . The next-generation audio engine will take advantage of Tensilica's Xtensa LX capability to selectively use specially designed dual-issue 64-bit instructions to significantly improve performance. Over 300 audio-specific instructions are being added to Tensilica's Xtensa LX configurable processor to optimize it for audio streams. Some of these instructions include: --Dual multiply/accumulate, each supporting 24x24 and 32x16 bits --Huffman encode/decode and bit stream support --Two special audio register files with multiple data types --Two-way SIMD (Single Instruction stream Multiple Data stream) A computer that performs one operation on multiple sets of data. It is typically used to add or multiply eight or more sets of numbers at the same time for multimedia encoding and rendering as well as scientific arithmetic and Boolean operations Tensilica's first-generation audio product, the Xtensa HiFi Audio Engine, has been designed into integrated circuit designs for several cellular phone handsets and other portable consumer devices. Robert Kennedy, Tensilica's senior software engineering manager, will deliver the presentation at this prestigious conference. Tensilica expects to make a formal announcement and have this second-generation audio engine available for customer shipment in the fall of this year. About Tensilica Tensilica was founded in July 1997 to address the growing need for optimized, application-specific microprocessor solutions in high-volume embedded applications. With a configurable and extensible microprocessor core called Xtensa, Tensilica is the only company that has automated and patented the time-consuming process of generating a customized microprocessor core along with a complete software development tool environment, producing new configurations in a matter of hours. For more information, visit www.tensilica.com. Editors' Notes: --Tensilica and Xtensa are registered trademarks belonging to Tensilica, Inc. All other company and product names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. --Tensilica's announced licensees include Agilent, ALPS, AMCC AMCC Applied Micro Circuits Corporation AMCC Air Mobility Control Center AMCC Ashore Mobile Contingency Communications AMCC Advanced Materials Commercialization Center AMCC allied movement coordination center (US DoD) (JNI (Java Native Interface) A programming interface (API) in Sun's Java Virtual Machine used for calling native platform elements such as GUI routines. RNI (Raw Native Interface) is the JNI counterpart in Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine. JNI - Java Native Interface Corporation), Astute Networks, ATI (ATI Technologies Inc., Markham Ontario, http://ati.amd.com) A leading manufacturer of graphics chips and display adapters. Founded in 1985 by K. Y. Ho, Benny Lau and Lee Lau, ATI chips and boards are widely used by OEMs. , Avision, Bay Microsystems, Berkeley Wireless Research Center, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Conexant Systems, Cypress, Crimson Microsystems, ETRI ETRI Electronics & Telecommunications Research Institute (Korea) ETRI Enhanced Threat Reduction Initiative ETRI Electronics Telecommunication Research Inc. , FUJIFILM Microdevices, Fujitsu Ltd., Hudson Soft, Hughes Network Systems Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HNS), is a provider of broadband satellite network products for businesses and consumers. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite Internet access services and IP-based networks with its original DirecPC service but which it now markets , Ikanos Communications, LG Electronics, Marvell, NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. Laboratories America, NEC Corporation, NetEffect, Neterion, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT), NVIDIA, Olympus Optical Co. Ltd., sci-worx, Seiko Epson, Solid State Systems, Sony, STMicroelectronics, Stretch, TranSwitch Corporation, and Victor Company of Japan (JVC). |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion