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StarCore Delivers a New Architecture With Improved Multimedia Performance and System Features
Multimedia-Optimized Processor Cores and Subsystems
Target Advanced Wireless and Consumer Applications
AUSTIN, Texas—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Sept. 27, 2004—
StarCore, the world's fastest-growing provider of licensable
processor core technologies, announced today the availability of the
new StarCore(TM) SC2200 and SC2400 synthesizable digital signal
processor (DSP) cores. The cores, based on the StarCore V4
architecture announced earlier this year, are optimized for
multimedia, communications, and consumer applications. Both of these
SC2000-family processor cores can be licensed as part of subsystems
that integrate the core with system intellectual property (IP) blocks
such as memory interfaces, cache controllers, a memory protection
unit, and an AHB-compliant system bus interface.
The SC2000 features new instructions that accelerate video coding
(such as H.264 and MPEG-4) and reduce code size. For example, the
architectural efficiency of the SC2400 allows it to decode MPEG-4
video, while requiring one third fewer cycles than the StarCore SC1400
core. The improvement is even more relevant during video encoding,
which the SC2400 can perform in only half the cycles required by the
SC1400 when encoding for the H.264 standard, which results in higher
performance and lower power consumption.
New user and privileged modes and a memory protection unit enable
easier porting of real-time operating systems and the convergence of
several embedded applications on a single StarCore processor core.
System developers will be able to take advantage of this feature to
reduce the number of cores in a device, thus reducing cost, power
consumption, and design complexity. And because StarCore technology
offers backward binary code compatibility across all product families,
programmers and engineering managers can move swiftly to market
without the recoding effort that is required with other processors.
Market Opportunities
The SC2200 and SC2400 cores are scalable and synthesizable, making
them ideal for a broad spectrum of applications, including:
-- Wireless products with converging communication and multimedia
features, such as smart phones, mobile digital TV, and
connected personal entertainment devices
-- Consumer multimedia devices, such as digital still cameras and
solid-state camcorders
-- Consumer communication applications and products, such as
voice over IP (VoIP) and web tablets
"The enhanced instruction set is designed to closely couple the
architecture and compiler, enabling higher code density and even
better performance. This makes the new StarCore architecture a better
compiler target for Green Hills Software's MULTI(R) development
environment," stated Dan O'Dowd, founder and chief executive officer
of Green Hills Software.
"As a leading provider of multimedia solutions on DSP chips and
core platforms, we consider the enhanced performance and instruction
set of the SC2000 as the key enabler for real-time software
implementation of MPEG-4, H.264, and WMV9 algorithms in embedded
applications," says Ravishankar Ganesan, vice president of Multimedia
Business at Ittiam Systems.
"The innovative StarCore design, with its own memory protection
interface, user and supervisor mode, and dedicated memory protection
unit, when coupled with a multitasking RTOS such as RTXC Quadros,
gives developers greater freedom to design new converging applications
on a single processor core while protecting critical code and data
from being corrupted," stated Bill Dittmann, chief engineer at Quadros
Systems, Inc.
Products
The licensable SC2200 and SC2400 processor cores are available
immediately in synthesizable Verilog RTL in the following subsystem
configurations, which provide a range of performance and price
options:
-- SP2201 and SP2401 subsystems: For embedded applications,
featuring enhanced multimedia performance with on-chip
emulation, memory interfaces, DMA interface, AHB-compliant
system bus interface, clock control unit, and interrupt
control unit.
-- SP2202 and SP2402 subsystems: For advanced applications,
including all the features of the SP2201 and SP2401
subsystems, plus data and program cache controllers, a memory
protection unit, and a high-speed interface to connect
application-specific accelerators.
"Our product line was conceived with modularity and flexibility in
mind," said Alex Bedarida, vice president of marketing and sales at
StarCore. "The same Verilog RTL code can be easily synthesized for
integration into both low-power devices for mobile phones and
high-performance devices for consumer multimedia products. Depending
on the parameters chosen by the designer, the SC2200 can run at over
280 MHz in a low-power silicon process (90 nm WC process, 1.08 V, 110
degrees C). For higher performance devices, the SC2400 can run faster
than 450 MHz when implemented in a high-performance process (90 nm WC
process, 1.08 V, 110 degrees C)."
About StarCore
Based in Austin, Texas, StarCore is a leader in the development of
high-performance processor architectures, cores, and subsystems for
the communications and consumer electronics industries. For more
information on StarCore and its intellectual property and services,
visit the company's website at http://www.starcore-dsp.com.
Contact:
StarCore, Austin
Allen Hyman, 512-682-8558
Allen.Hyman@starcore-dsp.com
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