Texas Instruments (TI) has developed a low-level application programming interface (API) and a coding standard for its DaVinci DSPs and RISC/DSPs. The freely downloadable additions to its eXpressDSP toolset aim to simplify development of devices supporting multiple codecs, and make third-party codecs more interoperable, among other touted benefits.

The xDM (eXpress Digital Media) API provides a set of generic encode, decode, and control functions, so that applications can be written independently of codecs. This allows developers to switch codecs in any of the “VISA” classes (video, imaging, speech, and audio) without re-working their applications. An added benefit is said to be easier integration of multi-format support in the same application, TI said.

Another feature of xDM, acording to TI, is the ability to efficiently manage direct memory access (DMA) resources while maximizing codec performance, in order to reduce the system's application processor overhead.

TI describes xDM as an extension to its “widely deployed” eXpressDSP Algorithm Interoperability Standard (xDAIS). The company is offering several software development packages — the xDAIS Developer's Kit and a Multimedia Framework Products (MFP) package — which provide support for the new APIs and prior DSP-based multimedia standards. Additionally, these tools provide an updated version of the DaVinci Codec Engine and framework components, according to the company.

The xDAIS kit and MFP package target multimedia applications running on Windows CE- and Linux-based devices that incorporate TI's DaVinci-enabled SoCs (system-on-chip processors), such as the TMS320 family. Source code, example applications, and a comprehensive user guide are included. These tools are available for download here.

 
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