OMAP4 & SGX540

[roninja]

from the P-R

OMAP 4 platform highlights:
Mobile computing performance and advanced multimedia, with extra headroom and flexibility needed to address next-generation applications. The powerful combination of programmability and multi-core performance provides flexibility to support new and emerging applications and standards. The first members of the family are the OMAP4430 and OMAP4440, with features including:
Four powerful, high-performance processing engines:
General-purpose processing leveraging the dual-core Cortex-A9 MPCore, supporting SMP
Programmable multimedia engine based on TI's C64x DSP and power-efficient, multi-format hardware accelerators
POWERVR™ SGX540 graphics engine
Dedicated ISP
Full 1080p multi-standard HD record and playback
Digital SLR-like performance with 20 MP imaging
3D user interfaces supporting life-like graphics, intuitive touch screens, large local displays beyond WSXGA and HDMI compatible external displays
Industry-leading power management technology, delivering great multimedia performance while maximizing battery life:
10+ hours of 1080p HD video playback, 4+ hours of 1080p HD record
140+ hours of CD quality audio playback
Broadest support for leading mobile operating systems, and a comprehensive software suite that is tested for real world-uses cases, accelerating time to market. The OMAP 4 platform will support Linux variants such as the Android Mobile Platform and LiMo, as well as Symbian OS™ and Microsoft® Windows® Mobile. Additionally, software for the OMAP 4 platform is tested and validated up to the application level, dramatically reducing development time. Further easing the design process, the OMAP 4 platform includes:
Pre-integrated support for mobile connectivity, including TI's current and future combo WiLink™ Wi-Fi solutions, NaviLink™ GPS solutions, and BlueLink™ Bluetooth® solutions;
Pre-validated modem interface software to easily connect the OMAP 4 platform to any external modem;
New companion power and audio management solutions (TWL6030 and TWL6040) specifically designed to address the performance needs of the OMAP 4 platform; and
Broad portfolio of other hardware solutions optimized for the OMAP 4 platform, including: DLP® Pico projection technology, analog components and other complementary technologies.
Flexible, open platform for innovation, delivering stunning user experiences and breakthrough mobile computing performance. TI's commitment to open source software, development tools and a vast third party network has helped build a large worldwide community of OMAP mobile application developers. As a result of this commitment and robust development tools like the Zoom OMAP Mobile Development Platform, developers will be able to create exciting new user experiences that have yet to be imagined.
Availability
TI's OMAP 4 platform and development tools are expected to sample in the second half of 2009, with production expected by the second half of 2010. These products are intended for high-volume wireless OEMs and ODMs and are not available through distributors.

 

[Panajev2001a]

from the P-R

OMAP 4 platform highlights:
Mobile computing performance and advanced multimedia, with extra headroom and flexibility needed to address next-generation applications. The powerful combination of programmability and multi-core performance provides flexibility to support new and emerging applications and standards. The first members of the family are the OMAP4430 and OMAP4440, with features including:
Four powerful, high-performance processing engines:
General-purpose processing leveraging the dual-core Cortex-A9 MPCore, supporting SMP
Programmable multimedia engine based on TI's C64x DSP and power-efficient, multi-format hardware accelerators
POWERVR™ SGX540 graphics engine
Dedicated ISP
Full 1080p multi-standard HD record and playback
Digital SLR-like performance with 20 MP imaging
3D user interfaces supporting life-like graphics, intuitive touch screens, large local displays beyond WSXGA and HDMI compatible external displays
Industry-leading power management technology, delivering great multimedia performance while maximizing battery life:
10+ hours of 1080p HD video playback, 4+ hours of 1080p HD record
140+ hours of CD quality audio playback
Broadest support for leading mobile operating systems, and a comprehensive software suite that is tested for real world-uses cases, accelerating time to market. The OMAP 4 platform will support Linux variants such as the Android Mobile Platform and LiMo, as well as Symbian OS™ and Microsoft® Windows® Mobile. Additionally, software for the OMAP 4 platform is tested and validated up to the application level, dramatically reducing development time. Further easing the design process, the OMAP 4 platform includes:
Pre-integrated support for mobile connectivity, including TI's current and future combo WiLink™ Wi-Fi solutions, NaviLink™ GPS solutions, and BlueLink™ Bluetooth® solutions;
Pre-validated modem interface software to easily connect the OMAP 4 platform to any external modem;
New companion power and audio management solutions (TWL6030 and TWL6040) specifically designed to address the performance needs of the OMAP 4 platform; and
Broad portfolio of other hardware solutions optimized for the OMAP 4 platform, including: DLP® Pico projection technology, analog components and other complementary technologies.
Flexible, open platform for innovation, delivering stunning user experiences and breakthrough mobile computing performance. TI's commitment to open source software, development tools and a vast third party network has helped build a large worldwide community of OMAP mobile application developers. As a result of this commitment and robust development tools like the Zoom OMAP Mobile Development Platform, developers will be able to create exciting new user experiences that have yet to be imagined.
Availability
TI's OMAP 4 platform and development tools are expected to sample in the second half of 2009, with production expected by the second half of 2010. These products are intended for high-volume wireless OEMs and ODMs and are not available through distributors.

I wonder if a customized OMAP4 platform could fit PSP2's plans...

 

[Npl]

I think no-backwards compatibility would hurt the PSP2 ALOT. DS initially sold well because of a huge library of GBA-Games.
There must be one or more threads already speculating about the PSP2`s innards so I dont bring this up again here.

 

[rpg.314]

Boy, I'd a love a beagleboard built around these.

 

[Ailuros]

I wonder if a customized OMAP4 platform could fit PSP2's plans...

Bears the question why the bothered developing the SGX543 then.

24th November 2008:

Imagination Technologies Group plc (LSE: IMG; "Imagination") - a leader in System-on-Chip Intellectual Property ("SoC IP") - reports that it has signed a license agreement with a new partner, a major international consumer electronics company, for a high-performance forthcoming member of Imagination's POWERVR SGX graphics processor family.

http://www.imgtec.com/News/Release/index.asp?NewsID=412

8th January 2009:

Imagination Technologies the leader in semiconductor System-on-Chip Intellectual Property (SoC IP) announces POWERVR SGX543, the first graphics processor IP core based on Imagination’s extended POWERVR Series5XT architecture, which enables higher performance POWERVR SGX cores and multi-processor support.

http://www.imgtec.com/News/Release/index.asp?NewsID=428

I think no-backwards compatibility would hurt the PSP2 ALOT. DS initially sold well because of a huge library of GBA-Games.
There must be one or more threads already speculating about the PSP2`s innards so I dont bring this up again here.

Then SONY and NINTENDO are sitting in the same boat for next generation handhelds.

 

[Panajev2001a]

True, I forgot about the SGX543 .

 

[Mike11]

No VXD and VXE video cores?

"TI's OMAP 4 platform and development tools are expected to sample in the second half of 2009, with production expected by the second half of 2010."
Hm, I guess that means we can start buying smartphones with OMAP4 in H1/2011, two years from now (and OMAP3). That's earlier than I expected for a Cortex-A9 MPcore in smartphones (at least for a "generic" smartphone SoC like OMAP4).

 

[Simon F]

No VXD and VXE video cores?

IIRC, TI have their own video technology.

 

[rpg.314]

They use their own DSPs to decode audio and video. Though I prefer dedicated cores(ala tegra) for this sort of thing. DSPs though programmable, are unlikely to be of much use elsewhere.

 

[Laurent06]

They use their own DSPs to decode audio and video. Though I prefer dedicated cores(ala tegra) for this sort of thing. DSPs though programmable, are unlikely to be of much use elsewhere.

I don't think they only rely on their DSP to do encoding and decoding. Their IVA2/3 block is made of C64x+ plus some other (probably TI-made) IP to assist encoding and decoding. These IP are alas undocumented.

 

[Arun]

Right, TI's approach in OMAP3 is a pretty simple "massive DSP + classic off-core accelerators" approach. In OMAP4, that changes completely though and the C64x is really only useful for imaging and rare video standards I think... (plus custom functionality the OEM might want to waste some time on)

 

[rpg.314]

Well, I looked at the beagleboard docs and they say that all av encode decode is handled by the c64x dsp. I dunno what is inside it. It _could_ have some dedicated logic as well. But they call everything there as a dsp.

 

[Laurent06]

Well, I looked at the beagleboard docs and they say that all av encode decode is handled by the c64x dsp. I dunno what is inside it. It _could_ have some dedicated logic as well. But they call everything there as a dsp.

That's probably because the dedicated IP are not publicly documented. If you spend some time on TI site, you'll quickly find some hints these IP exist

EDIT: Here is a document that provides some of the hints I was mentioning http://www.ti.com/litv/pdf/sprufa3b
Note the presence of "Video Hardware Accelerator" in the diagrams. The memory mapping is also given in table 1-16. But there's no further information.

 

[Wishmaster]

According to the documentation regarding omap4 chipset it is capable of delivering 1080p encode at 30 fps in h.264 high profile at 20mbps:smile:.
That is really impressive and with that dual core cortex A9 chipset it has all the power needed for delivering great, truly great multimedia experience and finally wm (lets hope wm7 at least) should work smooth and fast without any hiccups no matter what application you'll be using.

But the deadline is killing me it seems that we will see it in device at the earliest in 2011 probably at MWC 2011...

 

[silent_guy]

According to the documentation regarding omap4 chipset it is capable of delivering 1080p encode at 30 fps in h.264 high profile at 20mbps:smile:.
That is really impressive and with that dual core cortex A9 chipset it has all the power needed for delivering great, truly great multimedia experience and finally wm (lets hope wm7 at least) should work smooth and fast without any hiccups no matter what application you'll be using.

If the full power (in both sense of the word) of those dual A9's is required to play video, you're portable multi-media experience won't be all that great, I'm afraid.

 

[Wishmaster]

If the full power (in both sense of the word) of those dual A9's is required to play video, you're portable multi-media experience won't be all that great, I'm afraid.

According to that document all multimedia playback is handled by dedicated DSP so even if it needs slight CPU or NEON boost it is still impressive for something designed to be used in MID-like devices.
Besides TI already has very good video accelerators so I think that this one won't disappoint.

 

[Mike11]

According to the documentation regarding omap4 chipset it is capable of delivering 1080p encode at 30 fps in h.264 high profile at 20mbps:smile:.
That is really impressive and with that dual core cortex A9 chipset it has all the power needed for delivering great, truly great multimedia experience and finally wm (lets hope wm7 at least) should work smooth and fast without any hiccups no matter what application you'll be using.

Not bad if done by TI's DSP, even IMG's VXE280 can't encode in H.264 High Profile.

 

[Fruitfrenzy]

Not bad if done by TI's DSP, even IMG's VXE280 can't encode in H.264 High Profile.

The VXE280 maybe can't but it would appear that the VXE360 can.
http://www.imgtec.com/News/Release/index.asp?NewsID=440

 

[Arun]

Yup, what probably indicates most that OMAP4 isn't VXD-based though is that the data sheets indicate the 'typical bitrate' supported is 20Mbps, while even VXD 370 supports 40Mbps. Of course the IP core is slightly configurable so it doesn't exclude the possibility completely, but I'd still bet on it not being the case.

BTW, as I think I said before, OMAP4 isn't DSP-based for video. C64x is mostly there to, errr, err... I guess waste die space (and probably imaging and whatever random stuff the OEM wants to do). It's much more fixed-function centric...

 

[Mike11]

The VXE280 maybe can't but it would appear that the VXE360 can.
http://www.imgtec.com/News/Release/index.asp?NewsID=440

Ups, didn't see the announcement from last week. Too bad the VXE core won't be used in any smartphone in the near future. OMAP3 and Snapdragon don't use it and Samsung (iPhone chip manufacturer) only has a SGX and VXD license as far as I know.

But I'm really looking forward to HD recording for smartphones and I'm glad OMAP4 will support that. I would prefer 1080p video recording for my smartphone over 12MP photos anytime