New Processor Platform from Equator Technologies, Inc. and Hitachi, Ltd. Accelerates Development of Video, Multimedia and DTV Products
newsalert.com.
CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1998--
In Brief:
-- New media processor platform, the MAP1000(TM) moves core
functionality of set-top box, digital television, and imaging
products into software.
-- MAP1000 fully programmable in C. Replaces hard-wired MPEG and 3D
engines with a unified fully programmable CPU.
-- Advanced architecture moves beyond current media processors and
MPEG encoders and decoders. Fastest DSP at 3.2 billion multiply
and adds per second.
-- MAP1000 offers advances in performance, developer productivity,
product flexibility, and system product cost.
Equator Technologies, Inc. and Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) today announced the
MAP1000(TM), a new programmable media
processor platform for building a variety of digital media and imaging products, including
set-top boxes (STBs), image processors,
high-definition digital televisions (HDTVs), digital televisions (DTVs), video editors, and
printers/copiers.
The MAP1000 moves the core functionality of these products into high-level language
applications software. The MAP1000
replaces hard-wired imaging solutions, e.g. hard-wired MPEG in DTVs, with a
high-performance programmable engine for fully
software-based digital media and imaging without increased system cost or development
complexity.
The MAP1000 media engine is offered with a complete suite of development tools and
reference applications, providing
multimedia, video, and digital signal processing (DSP) system developers rapid time to
market.
Through a combination of advanced architecture and advanced compiler technology, the
MAP1000 moves DSP techniques from
audio bandwidth to video speeds, while simplifying DSP and image processing
development.
The MAP1000 architecture is designed to replace hard-wired multimedia engines as well
as conventional microprocessors by
integrating high-performance imaging into an advanced very-long instruction word
(VLIW) Central-Processing Unit (CPU).
The MAP1000 can process audio, video, communications and 3-dimensional graphics
concurrently. Full hardware performance is
available to developers writing standard ANSI C media applications via Equator's
advanced compiler technology.
The MAP1000 is the first fruit of a joint development between Equator and Hitachi.
Hitachi will manufacture the MAP1000
product line.
"We expect the MAP1000, which is a result of Hitachi's VLIW technology and
advanced semiconductor processes, to be utilized
over a broad range of multimedia related products. Hitachi, Ltd. in cooperation with
Equator Technologies, Inc. aims to make the
MAP1000 and its successive products global de facto standards in the area of
multimedia," states Toshiakira Ikeda, general
manager of the Strategic Business Development Division/Information Group of Hitachi,
Ltd.
"In this partnership, Hitachi provides cutting-edge technology and stable supply for
customers developing next generation
consumer and imaging applications. These products require lower development cost,
faster time to market, and order-of-magnitude
higher performance with continuous cost reductions," explains John Setel O'Donnell,
president and co-founder of Equator
Technologies, Inc.
"Advanced processor architecture driven by compiler technology is the key enabling
factor. The MAP1000 signals a revolutionary
new direction for imaging, video, audio, and consumer electronic products."
The combination of advanced, mature compiler technology and the
innovative MAP1000 processor architecture will greatly benefit
consumer electronic and high-end imaging applications such as:
-- image processing equipment used in medical applications, machine
vision and remote sensing,
-- video equipment used in video editing, surveillance products and
HDTV encoders,
-- high end color copiers and other office automation products,
-- wireless and wire-line communications servers (including cellular
base stations and multi-line DSL/modem servers), and
-- next generation DTVs and STBs.
The flexible nature of the MAP1000 enables innovative new media types, such as
Internet streaming media, to transfer to the
DTV. "We welcome the announcement of the MAP1000," states Phil Barrett, senior
vice president, media technology,
RealNetworks.
"Next generation multimedia consumer devices including DTVs will be based on
programmable high-performance media
processors such as the MAP1000. The Equator platform fits well with RealNetworks'
G2 System Architecture(R) which
anticipates this kind of device."
Medical imaging equipment benefits from the MAP1000's ability to process vast amounts
of pixel data using sophisticated
operations and high memory bandwidths. Next generation digital set-top boxes and
HDTV sets will benefit from the MAP1000's
ability to provide high definition video decoding and multiple digital SDTV channels
concurrently.
Technical Details: General Processor & DSP in One Solution
The MAP1000 is the first media engine that functions as both a general-purpose
processor (including virtual memory) and
imaging/DSP engine into a single CPU. With over twenty billion pixel operations per
second, the MAP1000 speeds past
hard-wired DSPs and hard-wired MPEG-2 encoders and decoders.
The MAP1000 can be used in conventional co-processor configurations, but with the
ability to be its own host processor; the
MAP1000 can modernize operating systems and eliminate complicated interprocessor
synchronization and the need for expensive
co-processors.
Advanced CPU and Data Transfer Engine Move Primary Functions to Software
At the heart of the MAP1000 is a powerful data transfer engine alongside a powerful
200MHz VLIW CPU that can perform 3.2
billion MAC 16-bit multiply/add operations, 1.6 billion 32-bit floating-point operations, and
20 billion pixel-level operations per
second. In general-purpose computation, the CPU issues 800 million instructions per
second with on-chip instruction and data
caches.
The data transfer engine allows total programmer control of I/O and DRAM transactions
for zero-wait overlapped operations at
peak DRAM efficiency.
The chip is fully supported by the Equator iMMediaC(TM) compiler, an advanced ANSI
C compiler optimized for imaging and
graphics applications. Unlike traditional DSPs, the MAP1000 is programmed exclusively
in C for high productivity development,
rapid porting of applications from other processors, and preservation of customer
development investments.
Traditional hard-wired media engines and DSPs have problems handling more than one
application, especially if data rates and
processing loads vary. The MAP1000 is architected from the ground up to provide
guaranteed reliable real-time response while
supporting flexible concurrent operations.
The design of the cache and register structure, data transfer engine, and operating
system scheduler all work together to provide
an efficient platform for multiple concurrent media functions.
Changes to the Device On the Fly
With the MAP1000, the flexibility of programmability in C allows engineers to customize
their products on the fly. The MAP1000
can support a wide range of operating systems and allow for ultimate flexibility in porting
to multiple end products.
System-On-A-Chip
The MAP1000 integrates an extensive multimedia I/O system including dual PCI, digital
video, audio, analog video, and network
interfaces on a chip. Equator's architecture is designed to make extending I/O
capabilities simple and efficient. The MAP1000 also
supports up to 64 megabytes of external SDRAM/SGRAM at speeds over 130MHz.
iMMediaTools(TM) -- Simple and Complete
The MAP1000 and iMMediaTools(TM) developer suite put the power of advanced
architecture the hands of every designer by
moving high-performance image processing into the simple and understandable realm of
software.
The iMMediaTools developer suite provides a complete environment for developing
media applications in concert with the
MAP1000. Developers can write their code entirely in C. Traditional processors require
performance-intensive code to be written
in assembly language.
By employing iMMediaTools with the MAP1000 and iMMediaC(TM) compiler from
Equator, designers no longer need to concern
themselves with the low-level details and drudgery required by assembly level
programming. This expands the application universe
as well as substantially decreases software development time and porting.
iMMediaTools also includes a collection of run time libraries and an instruction level
debugger. The libraries include: stdlib, a math
library; trsim, a high performance profiling simulator; and casim, a fully cycle accurate
simulator creating a virtual machine
environment.
Windows(R) NT Integrated RTOS:
Equator's reference platform fully integrates the processing power of the MAP1000 into
the Windows(R)NT environment,
offering a Win32-style API and simple interprocessor communication.
Microsoft's MMLITE real-time kernel, developed under the Talisman technology
initiative, has been extended by Equator for
building advanced imaging, multimedia, and communications products on the flexible,
productive Microsoft Windows NT platform.
Product Pricing & Availability:
The developer suite for the MAP1000 consists of the MAP1000 silicon processor,
iMMediaTools developer kit, iMMediaC VLIW
compiler, and reference board set named Maui(TM). The MAP1000 is available in a
399-pin BGA package. It is currently
sampling at 170MHz with production quantities to follow in 1999.
MAP1000 pricing is $600.00/1,000; high volume pricing will be under $200.00. Sample
pricing for the MAP1000 is at $750.00/1.
iMMediaTools pricing is $10,000/seat and the Maui reference board set is priced at
$6,333.00/set.
For additional product information, developers and OEMs should contact John Corbitt at
408/369-5275 or Ted Niday at
408/369-5428. Hitachi is planning to start MAP1000 sales in the second half of 1999.
About Equator Technologies, Inc.
Equator Technologies Inc. is a semiconductor systems company with offices in Austin,
Texas; Campbell; Seattle, and Tokyo.
Formed in 1996, Equator develops and sells semiconductors, applications and systems
software, and reference designs. Equator's
products are VLIW software-programmable media processor platforms. Visit Equator at
equator.com.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the world's leading global electronics
companies, with fiscal 1997 (ended March
31, 1998) consolidated sales of 8,417 billion ($63.8 billion(1)). The company
manufactures and markets a wide range of products,
including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial
equipment.
For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi's Web site at
hitachi.co.jp.
(1) At an exchange rate of 132 yen to the dollar.
Note to Editors: MAP1000, iMMedia Tools, Maui reference boards and iMMediaC are
trademarks of Equator Technologies, Inc.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. G2 System
Architecture is a registered trademark of
RealNetworks, Inc.
CONTACT: Accolades for Equator Technologies, Inc. (U.S./Europe)
Roberta Silverstein, 408/374-4384
grimsby@earthlink.net
Linda Lyon, 510/489-3409
lyoneprise@aol.com
or
Equator Japan K.K.
Yutaka Nakajima, +81-3-5354-7530
nakajima@equator.com
or
Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc.
James M. Rey, 650/244-7048
jim.rey@hsa.hitachi.com
or
Hitachi, Ltd. (Japan)
Masahiro Takahashi, +81-3-3258-2055
masahiro@cm.head.hitachi.co.jp
or
Hitachi Europe, Ltd.
Cliff Keys, +44-1628-585162
cliff.keys@hitachi-eu.com |
