Quicklogic and Apical join to enhance the mobile display multimedia experience

When implemented in QuickLogic's patented ViaLink-enabled programmable fabric, the VEE PSB greatly improves viewability, while reducing backlight power in mobile device displays by over 50%. The iridix core has been shipping for several years in Japanese digital still cameras (DSCs), providing the consumer with an exceptional viewing experience and the DSC manufacturers with differentiating branding opportunities.

Apical has provided QuickLogic an exclusive licence for implementing the iridix core in silicon for the mobile market. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to extend our leadership in mobile platform design by addressing industry challenges in getting the most out of multimedia display technology, said Dr. Tim Saxe, QuickLogic's CTO and Senior Engineering Executive. Using Apical's proven technology in our VEE PSB enables our customers to meet the rising consumer demand for a high-quality mobile image and video viewing experience.

By incorporating our iridix technology into its offering of Proven System Blocks, QuickLogic enables OEMs and ODMs to adopt our innovative display enhancement technology rapidly and easily, within a system which has been fully purposed for integration into a mobile device, explains Michael Tusch, CEO, Apical Limited. QuickLogic's CSSP platforms offer a compelling and unique approach for the portable market by producing solutions that combine flexibility with enhanced functionality in a timely and cost effective method, which is difficult to achieve by other technologies today. This is why Apical is partnering with QuickLogic to bring combined solutions for the portable market.

The two companies are exploring additional opportunities to incorporate Apical IP into future QuickLogic solution platforms.

Apical's patented iridix technology improves the viewability of images and video displayed on mobile device LCD displays by optimally adapting the image content to the display dynamic range. Based on nearly a decade of scientific research, the iridix algorithms implement a model of human perception, resulting in a displayed image that retains colour and vitality even in bright viewing conditions. In addition to delivering a visual experience closer to that of a large, bright flat-panel display, it also allows a mobile device to operate with significantly reduced backlighting to extend battery life. To further improve display quality, the iridix technology has been supplemented by additional image and video enhancement blocks such as dithering, hue rotation, colour correction, and non-linear sharpness filtering, among others.

Additionally, QuickLogic's programmable fabric is used to adapt the VEE-enabled solution platforms to the multitude of application, baseband processors, and display technologies commonly used in the mobile market. Furthermore, the autonomous nature of the VEE PSB eliminates the need for complex software algorithms to run on the host processor, lending itself to nearly zero design effort on the part of the OEM/ODM.

The VEE PSB with iridix technology is available now on QuickLogic's PolarPro family of programmable solution platforms, and will be integrated as a hard logic implementation in the next generation of the company's ArcticLink solution platform family, with sampling expected in Q3 2008.