Video encoder, codec add MPEG 4 to the portfolio

Cirrus Logic's (www.cirrus.com) recently announced intentions to acquire Stream Machine (www.streammachine.com) leave Vweb as one of the few remaining stand-alone companies focused on multimedia encoding, decoding, and transcoding chips. The company supplements the video formats supported in previous-generation devices and adds audio support in its latest 304-bump-BGA-packaged, $28 (10,000) W2005 encoder and $30 (10,000) VW2010 codec (see "Video encoder slims down for spring," EDN, Jan 18, 2001, pg 20, Picture). The 1.8V VW2005's video encoder accepts ITU-R BT.656 digital video; filters the input; and compresses the video into MPEG 1, 2, or 4 lossy formats. The audio encoder accepts and compresses I²S digital audio into MPEG 1 layers 1 to 3, MPEG 2 layers 1 and 2, dual-channel AAC or consumer-grade AC-3, or G.7xx lossy formats.

The MPEG 2 video is MP@ML (Main Profile at Main Level), and the MPEG 4 video is Advanced Simple Profile at L3 (Level 3) (see "Industry standard or standstill?" EDN, July 5, 2001, pg 37). The VW2010, a feature superset of the VW2005, supports all of its little brother's encoding features and adds the ability to simultaneously decode compressed video, including MPEG 1, 2, and 4 Simple Profile, to ITU-R BT.656, and compressed audio, including 5.1-channel AC-3 support, to I²S, S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) or IEC-1937. The chips require less than 8 Mbytes of 32-bit SDRAM and will be available, along with PCI evaluation boards and WDM software drivers, for sampling by year-end.

Vweb, 1-408-615-1888, www.vwebcorp.com.