RF Engines Ltd (RFEL) adds real time Image Processing of HD video to its range of IP cores and system design work

“Several of our existing customers have asked us to develop and implement designs for their projects,” explains John Summers, RFEL’s CEO. “Just as in the case of our existing area of expertise – high specification RF signal processing – there are standard off-the-shelf packages that can solve many problems. However, when the problem becomes more challenging, a high performance bespoke solution is needed, and that is where we come in.”

The needs of real-time, video Image Processing on FPGAs, perhaps from multiple image sources or simply at very high resolutions, demand efficient and sometimes novel use of the sophisticated functionality available in today’s programmable devices and tool chains. Where the physical resources are constrained by size or power limitations, for example in upgrades to existing products, there is also a need for innovation in the architecture of processing solutions and their implementation in FPGA devices. This innovation is something that RFEL has provided routinely in its world-class signal processing solutions.

There is considerable overlap between the capabilities and techniques used to produce RFEL’s existing portfolio of award-winning DSP cores and the computational needs of Image Processing. The company will leverage this overlap to provide fast time to market solutions that are already tested and verified, therefore reducing development risk. RFEL’s Image Processing solutions will be available as IP cores running on FPGAs in the same manner as their existing IP range. “Our engineers are extremely good at mapping algorithms into optimised architectures to fit onto FPGAs and deliver outstanding performance,” added Summers. “It’s not straightforward to determine which tradeoffs will give the best results, but as they do this every day, they achieve a quality of results that attracts customers from around the world who are seeking the most optimal solution to meet their system requirements.”

Full details on RFEL’s range of Image Processing cores will be made available later in 2011.