Renesas is sampling a multimedia application processor aimed at portable media players, video-VoIP devices, and TV-enabled navigation systems. The SH-MobileR SH7722 integrates a 266MHz SH4AL-DSP core with hardware terrestrial digital broadcast (DVB-T) codecs. It comes with a Linux BSP, and Linux DVB-T middleware is also available.

(Click for larger view of SH-MobileR example applications)

Renesas says the SH7722 offers significantly better multimedia performance than previous SH-Mobile designs — which have already been successfully deployed in DVB-T-enabled mobile devices, according to the company.

The SH-7722 is available initially with a 266MHz version of Renesas's SH4AL-DSP core. The company launched the core in 2004, in an SH-Mobile3 design said to offer enough processor oomph for Linux, while retaining backwards compatibility.

Renesas says the SH-7722 can deliver 478 MIPS (million instructions per second) in Dhrystone v2.1 benchmark tests. And, it can smoothly display TV-like movies at compressed bitrates up to 8Mbps, according to the company.

Multimedia processing is facilitated by an onboard graphics processing unit (GPU) said to use very little power, while offering hardware acceleration for H.263, MPEG-4, and H.264 compression and decompression.

The SH-MobileR block diagram
(Click to enlarge)
Additional touted features include:

• Camera interface supporting modules up to 5 megapixel resolution
• Hardware image scaling, rotation, color conversion, and blending
• JPEG hardware accelerator for fast capture and display
• On-chip 24-bit TFT color LCD controller
• 2D graphics accelerator
• Video output interface that supports NTSC and PAL TVs
• 64-bit wide bus/external SDRAM interface
• On-chip USB 2.0 function (high-speed compatible)
• 4Gbit NAND/AND flash memory interface, with 4-symbol ECC (error correction code) capability
• SD memory card and SDIO interface, with optional CPRM (content protection for recordable media) function

Linux options

The SH-7722 comes with open-source tools and device drivers. Additionally, a variety of middleware is available from Renesas, while a number of Renesas partners are working to pre-qualify additional middleware, the company says.

Middleware offerings available from Renesas for the SH-7722 include:

• H.264
• MPEG-4
• MP3
• AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
• G.7xx series speech codecs and echo cancellation algorithms
• DRM (digital rights management) middleware

Brian Davis, director of business development, stated, “The SH-MobileR multimedia application processor builds on the experience Renesas has gained producing chips now used in many mobile phones that support terrestrial digital TV broadcasting.”

Availability

The SH-MobileR SH7722 appears to be sampling now, in a 21mm-square 449-pin BGA package. The sample price is roughly $25 (sample part number R8A77220C 266 BGV).

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