Mentor Graphics Delivers First Multimedia Platform for Hardware Emulation of 3D TV Products

This platform enables designers to develop and test their software against multiple 3D TV formats on their systems-on-chip (SoC) before silicon is available. The solution includes a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) and employs 3D TV analysis tools early in the development cycle—delivering verification at thousands of times faster than software simulation. The platform consists of the Veloce® family of emulators and the iSolveTM Multimedia product for HTDV and HDMI 3D applications, which provides a cost-effective and efficient solution, delivering a dynamic and accurate verification environment.

3D TV equipment is now widely available from several manufacturers, and 3D content is increasingly important for cinema and home applications. Additionally, over the next few years, the expectation is that 3D equipment will also expand from TV into mobile markets, where smartphones, hand-held game consoles, tablet PCs, notebook PCs and portable media players will become another big factor to drive 3D technology.

With the world’s largest processor vendors, consumer electronics, and PC OEMs supporting these standards, it is critical that there are solutions available to accurately and quickly verify their 3D-based SoC designs.

3D TV Multimedia Verification Platform
The Mentor® 3D TV Multimedia Verification platform is used as an essential part of the strategy for verifying 3D TV chips, where full software applications can be validated against a SoC prior to silicon being available, while analyzing several different 3D formats. Additionally, the platform provides direct visualizations of the 3D pictures and frames, rather than the limited signal-level displays of traditional simulation tools. This delivers a more effective and productive debug environment to develop new and leading-edge 3D TV products, without compromising delivery schedules.

“Mentor has led the way for many years in the accelerated verification of Digital TV designs, now including the first 3D TV emulation solution with our iSolve Multimedia product, which is successfully deployed at world-leading consumer electronics companies,” said Eric Selosse, vice president and general manager, Mentor Emulation Division. “With the addition of 3D, Mentor strengthens its position as the premier vendor for hardware emulation solutions for Digital TV applications.”

The Mentor 3D TV platform supports the latest HDMI and other digital TV standards, and includes state-of-the-art debug and analysis tools for video and audio content, automatic generators for data streaming, and remote access client software to support users in worldwide organizations.

The platform can be used with a traditional In-Circuit Emulation as well as a high-performance Transaction-Based Acceleration mode of operation. The ability to mix and match traditional ICE capabilities with high-performance Transaction-Based Acceleration facilitates the smooth transition from simulation centric use models to In-Circuit Emulation.