Super-Resolution ASSP Sharpens Full HD Image and Video Quality

Based on the company’s unique single-frame super-resolution technology, the new ASSP achieves crisp images in HD TV broadcasts by boosting 720 x 480-pixel standard definition (SD) image data. It is also capable of supporting one billion colors (30-bits color depths), which enhances color vividness and accuracy of display. The rapid development of today’s high-performance digital audio/visual (AV) devices, such as mobile phones and digital TVs, has left consumers with the challenge of how to view low-resolution images on their new high-definition electronic products. For example, 1920 x 1080-pixel HD televisions have six times the resolution compared to the 720 x 480-pixel SD image data, which results in blurred images.

Although many image-enhancement technologies have been developed to process low-resolution image data into full HD images, designers, using traditional solutions need large-capacity external memory devices and high-performance compute engines, and face other challenges to achieve real-time processing for vivid moving images. To solve these problems, NEC Electronics and NEC Central Research Laboratories jointly developed a new technology that enables very high-resolution processing with just one frame of image data. In November 2008, NEC Electronics announced the first super-resolution ASSP (part number uPD9245GJ) for HD image processing, which has been gaining popularity in the market. To address the demand for full HD image processing, the company now offers the new uPD9280GM super-resolution ASSP.

NEC Electronics expects this new ASSP will help to better archive valuable images, data and memories previously recorded with only low-resolution technology in various applications, from security camera and automotive backup camera to medical endoscope. The company plans to continue developing super-resolution system-on-chips (SoCs), by leveraging its super-resolution IP cores that can be embedded into ASICs or other ASSP products, such as NEC Electronics’ Enhanced Multimedia Architecture (EMMA™) and image-signal processors for mobile phones, the Camera Engine series. With this wide range of products, the company intends to continue to enhance the super-resolution lineup and plans to reach sales revenue of 10 billion yen in 2010.