Here's some more:
"MPEG Video Encoder Market Share
Most MPEG-1 encoders are used in VideoCD production houses to compress a
commercially released movie into MPEG-1 format. The movie is then transferred
to the VideoCD disc, which can hold a maximum of 144 minutes of video on a
single disc. There are also on-line video applications where video clips are used
in conjunction with text, animation, graphics, and sound to illustrate a point.
The VideoFLOW MPEG-1 encoder chipset from Array Microsystems is used
on their VideoONE boards. These board products are targeted toward market
segments like video editing, videoCD recording, video authoring, Internet video
communications, and video surveillance. Array also sells the VideoFLOW
chipsets to OEMs. Array is a privately held company that counts Samsung as a
major investor.
While hardware MPEG-1 encoders are still shipping, microprocessor speeds
have increased to the point where MPEG-1 encoding, as well as decoding, can
be done in software on a PC. Xing Technology has developed a software
MPEG-1 encoder.
In digital Direct Broadcast Satellite and digital Cable TV Systems, MPEG-2
video encoders are used at the system's headend to translate NTSC, PAL, or
SECAM video into MPEG-2 compressed digital video. The MPEG-2 encoder
must be able to perform its manipulations in real time, converting analog video
into compressed digital video before the digital signal is uplinked to a satellite or
broadcast onto a digital Cable TV system.
Since MPEG encoding video systems work by breaking a frame of video into
multiple blocks, most broadcast-quality MPEG-2 video encoders have multiple
MPEG-2 encoder chipsets for each video channel compression unit. Lower cost
systems for desktop PCs or workstations use only a single MPEG-2 encoder
chip. Consumer-quality MPEG-2 video encoders are used in MPEG-2 digital
video camcorders, video recorders, and multimedia PCs.
C-Cube Microsystems has one of the broadest product lines of MPEG
encoders. C-Cube offers the DVxpress family of single-chip MPEG-2 codecs
(encoder/decoder) for nonlinear editing, DVD authoring, and video server
applications. Matrox Electronic Systems has selected C-Cube silicon for their
digital video products. Their first DVxpress-MX based products will be
announced at NAB in April. The DVxpert family is targeted at digital video
broadcast and distribution applications. The C-Cube DiviCom subsidiary uses
DVxpert chips in their encoder products.
For use in the consumer PC, C-Cube introduced the DVxplore chip in
November 1998. This codec enables consumers to record, edit, author, and
store MPEG-2 video data on their PCs. C-Cube still provides MPEG-1 encoder
chip solutions as well. Their first MPEG-1 encoders were introduced in 1993.
They went on to introduce MPEG-2 encoders in 1995. In 1998, C-Cube
shipped 142,000 MPEG video encoders, a 50% increase over their 1997 unit
shipments. " |
