Codec brings mobile video support to STMicro handset chip

There’s still no proof that most consumers are ready to pay for video on handsets, but the technology needed to support that application continues to roll. Earlier in “Mobile video: Participants follow multiple paths,” “Mobile video headlines at NAB 2005,” and “Desperate Housewives on the phone? TV via handsets” I covered the emerging mobile video trend. Carriers are trialing DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting – Handheld) technology, while Qualcomm is planning its own MediaFlo network. And the chips and software needed to run video on handsets continue to proliferate. Today, STMicroelectronics announced H.264 or MPEG-4 support for its Nomadik processor.

STMicro partnered with McubeWorks to offer the latter’s H.264 codec to the processor. The companies claim that an STn8810 Nomadik processor will yield 20 fps (frame-per-second) performance at quarter VGA resolution and that further optimization couple push performance nearer 30 fps rates. The decoder is compatible with Java and multiple mobile operating systems. The Nomadik family integrates an ARM processor along with hardware accelerators for multimedia applications.