Renesas Technology is sampling a system on chip (SoC) claimed to deliver 1080p video at 30 frames per second. The SH-MobileHD1 clocks at 500MHz, has two dedicated audio DSPs with 5:1 support, includes an LCD controller, and works with cameras up to 15 megapixels, says Renesas.

(Click here for a larger view of Renesas's SH-MobileHD1)

According to Renesas, its new SH-MobileHD1, also known as the SH7370, is intended for mobile phones, video phones, and streaming media products. The chip, delivered in a 407-pin BGA (ball grid array) package measuring 11mm x 10mm, includes both a general-purpose application processor and a video processing unit, claimed to be “the first in the industry to deliver low-power full high definition.”

Renesas says the SH-MobileHD1 can decode or encode 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixel) video using “very few CPU MIPS,” and delivers up to 30fps (frames per second). Supporting the M.264/MPEG-4 AVC (advanced video coding) standard, the SoC also is compatible with YUV data from Japanese 1seg TV broadcasts, converting data to JPEG format with no degradation in image quality, the company says.

According to Renesas, the SH-MobileHD1 has an interface that supports direct connection to a 15-megapixel camera module, and the device can easily be adapted to provide HDMI output via a transmitter microchip. The device performs electronic zoom, can superimpose effects such as an on-screen display (OCD) or hardware cursor (HWC), and has an LCD controller that makes it suitable for multiple phones, the company adds.

Renesas also claims the SH-MobileHD1 is particularly talented when it comes to handling audio, thanks to two dedicated, 24-bit DSPs. It's said that one of the DSPs normally handles stereo audio processing, such as AAC (advanced audio coding) and Dolby Digital, while the other handles sonic enhancements such as equalization and sample rate conversion. In addition, the two DSPs in tandem can handle “heavy load” processing such as delivering 5:1 surround sound, according to the company.

Renesas did not provide a block diagram of the SH-MobileHD1 (SH7370), nor any word about prospective operating system support. However, as the company acknowledged, the 500MHz chip uses the company's SH-4A core — known to be compatible with Linux and Windows CE — and is a follow-on to the previously released, 400MHz SH7723 and the 266MHz SH7722. The latter SoC was also said to perform video encoding and decoding at up to 30fps, but only at VGA resolution.

Features and specifications listed by Renesas for the SH-MobileHD1 (SH7370) include the following:

• CPU core — SH4AL-DSP
  
• Power supply voltage:
  • Internal — 1.15V to 1.3V
    
  • External — 2.5V to 3.6V, or 1.65V to 1.95V

• Maximum operating frequency — 500MHz
  
• On-chip RAM — 4Kb ILRAM, 2Kb RSRAM
  
• On-chip SRAM — 512Mbits (64MB)
  
• Cache — 32Kb instruction/32 Kb data, separate, 4-way set associative
  
• On-chip peripheral functions:
  • Support functions for 15 megapixel camera
    
  • Video processing unit (H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG2)
    
  • MMU
    
  • SPU (24-bit dedicated audio DSP — 2)
    
  • LCD controller with 24-bit TFT color LCD panel support
    
  • Gamma correction function
    
  • Enlarged edge enhancement function

• Interfaces:
  • Dedicated interface (for connection to baseband processor, etc.)
    
  • Transport stream (TS) interface
    
  • HDMI transmitter chip interface
    
  • Video I/O (direct interface to camera module)
    
  • I2C bus interface
    
  • Clock-synchronous serial interface — 1 channel
    
  • Serial interface with FIFO — 1 channel
    
  • Asynchronous serial interface — 1 channel
    
  • Sound interface unit — 2 channels
    
  • SD memory card interface — 2 channels
    
  • High-speed serial interface (sub-LVDS)

• Package — 407-pin BGA (11mm x 10mm, 0.4mm pin pitch, 1.4 mm thick)

Availability

According to Renesas, the SH-MobileHD1 is sampling now, and costs $40.86 in quantities of 10,000.

 
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