In Brief:
- New media processor platform, the MAP1000? 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 3,000 million multiply and adds per second.
- MAP1000 offers advances in performance, developer productivity, product flexibility, and
system product cost.
Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) and Equator Technologies, Inc. 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.
New Processor Platform
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) 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 Hitachi and Equator.
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 in cooperation with
Equator Technologies 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.
"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," reflects John Setel O'Donnell,
president and co-founder of Equator Technologies. "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).
- Next generation DTVs and STBs.
New Processor Platform
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.
New Processor Platform
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: Simple and Complete
The MAP1000 and iMMediaTools 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 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
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 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 MMOSA 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.
New Processor 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. 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.
###
MAP1000, iMMedia Tools, Maui reference boards and iMMediaC are trademarks of Equator
Technologies, Inc.
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and other countries.
G2 System Architecture is a registered trademark of RealNetworks, Inc.
<About Hitachi, Ltd.>
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, 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*). 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 http://www.hitachi.co.jp. *At an exchange rate of 132 yen to the dollar.
<About Equator Technologies, Inc.>
Equator Technologies Inc. is a semiconductor systems company with offices in Austin,
Texas; Campbell, California; Seattle, Washington, and Tokyo, Japan. 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 http://www.equator.com.
|
