Octasic Introduces New Multi-Core DSP Device for Video

Designed to address the exploding demand for high-definition (HD) video, Octasic’s new series is based on the second generation of its Opus DSP asynchronous architecture (Opus2). Leveraging the low power characteristics and efficiency of asynchronous technology, the OCT2224M allows more processing power to be packed into a lower cost device. An OCT2224M device can simultaneously support 2 channels of 1080p while consuming less than 3 watts of power. The same device can process hundreds of channels simultaneously, allowing for any combination of bit-rates and resolutions, from QCIF up to HD. This flexible device provides support for all popular video codecs including MPEG-2, H.263, MPEG-4, H.264, VC-1 and VP8.



“We have talked to many system designers who are facing a challenge to meet the incredible growth in demand for video delivery. They quickly recognize that the OCT2224M offers an ideal solution to provide a completely programmable product with the lowest power consumption and highest performance,” said James Awad, product manager at Octasic. “With three times more power efficiency than any other general-purpose DSP on the market today, our OCT2224M device allows designers to significantly increase system density and reduce overall system cost, without sacrificing any software flexibility or ease of programming.”



“The video communications space is going through a growth phase. Octasic has solved one of the key issues equipment designers face: delivering a fully programmable solution without exceeding their power budget,” said Rich Wawrzyniak, senior analyst at Semico Research Corp. “You can now build a high-capacity HD video conferencing MCU very quickly, and easily upgrade it as codec technologies improve or as new endpoint devices are supported.”



With Opus Studio, an integrated development environment, developers can program the OCT2224M devices in C programming language. A single hardware platform can be used to address a wide range of video applications, including video conferencing, telepresence, Internet video streaming and transcoding, mobile video streaming and content adaptation, IP video surveillance, and IPTV services. In addition to developing their own code, customers can draw on an extensive set of video library functions.



Features of the OCT2224M for media processing include:



1. 24 Opus2 DSP cores for transcoding multiple HD video streams on a single device

2. Simultaneous processing of video streams and synchronized audio

3. On-chip network header processing and packet routing

4. Video capture and display interfaces (BT.656 for SD and BT.1120 for HD)

5. Serial Rapid IO (SRIO), Gigabit Ethernet, PCI Express, DDR2, DDR3 interfaces

6. Fully software-programmable platform, which offers an easy migration path to Scalable Video Coding (H.264 SVC) and other codec enhancements

7. Optional ARM processor, which can be used for complete application hosting in end-point equipment



The associated software and tools provide:



1. Low latency transcoding with latency below 60 ms

2. Proprietary Bit Rate controller providing higher video quality at lower bitrates

3. Image quality enhancement algorithms

4. Packet Loss Concealment (PLC) algorithms

5. Crisp Image resizing through advanced filtering