Digital video processor breaks $10
by Robert Cravotta, Technical Editor -- EDN, November 17, 2006
Texas Instruments' DaVinci line of digital-video processors pushes down the cost for digital-media processors to as low as $9.95 with the introduction of four new TMS320DM643x devices. The application-specific processors target the requirements for automotive-vision, video-security, and video telephony applications. The TMS320DM643x devices consist of a C64x+ DSP core with up to 32 and 80 kbytes of program and data cache, respectively, and as much as 128 kbytes of on-chip L2 cache. Video-specific peripherals and acceleration blocks include a video-in port; as many as four DACs; and a video-processing subsystem with a CCD controller, a preview engine, a histogram module, video decoders, a resizer, and on-screen display support. External interfaces include a CANbus (controller-area-network-bus) interface and a choice of Ethernet, PCI, HPI (Host Port Interface), and TI’s VLYNQ interfaces.
Unlike the first available DaVinci devices, the DM6443 and DM6446, these devices have no second processor for general-purpose processing (see "Platform simplifies video," www.edn.com/article/CA6290794). DaVinci technology does not refer to a specific processor architecture or configuration of processing elements. Rather, it refers to processor devices that target digital-video applications. The DaVinci software and development infrastructure aims to bridge the differences between architectures and configurations through APIs (application-programming interfaces) so that developers can focus on the application code. How the development environment will abstract the architecture differences is unclear, because TI won't release the development tools until the second quarter of 2007. Texas Instruments will be offering μClinux from VirtualLogix for these devices instead of the MontaVista Linux that supports the dual-heterogenous core DM644x devices. Software development that directly targets the C64x+ DSP core is available through TI's Code Composer.
The devices are available for sampling now, and production will ramp up in the second quarter of 2007. The devices are pin-compatible and AEC-Q100 qualified. The smallest device, the DM6431, is available for $9.95 (10,000), and it can operate at rates as high as 300 MHz. The DM6433, DM6435, and DM6437 operate as fast as 600 MHz and are available with wider peripheral options for $16.35 to $22.95 (10,000)
