| Q: |
What is RMI announcing?
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| A: |
We are announcing the RMI Alchemy™ Au1200™ processor, a low-power, high-performance embedded solution that enables designers to create portable video playback devices, such as Personal Media Players (PMP), that offer always-fresh content through simpler video transfers (no transcoding required), longer battery life and DVD-quality pictures. |
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| Q: |
What applications will the Au1200 processor serve?
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| A: |
The Au1200 processor enables designers to create portable video playback devices, such as Personal Media Players (PMPs), that offer always-fresh content through simpler video transfers (no transcoding required) longer battery life and DVD-quality pictures. Other potential applications include digital media adapters, auto video systems and web tablets. |
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| Q: |
What is the underlying technology?
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| A: |
The Au1200 processor is based on the industry standard MIPS32™ core. It is a single chip solution containing unified memory and built-in media acceleration hardware. The processor consumes less than 400mW of power at 400 MHz, which extends battery life and provides ample performance headroom. |
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| Q: |
What differentiates your product from other embedded solutions targeting PMPs?
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| A: |
The Au1200 processor is a low-power, high-performance, single-chip solution that can play source video content natively (does not require transcoding), does not require a DSP or DSP coding, enables a DVD-quality picture on a portable device, provides image scaling to larger displays without compromising picture quality and is secure (built-in decryption hardware for digital rights management). These benefits enable OEMs to speed product to market more quickly and potentially offer them at more affordable prices. |
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| Q: |
What is transcoding?
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| A: |
Transcoding is the process by which native video content is transformed (transcoded) from one codec to another so it can be read by a video playback device. Transcoding is the process that most PMPs require today in which native content must be taken from a source such as a PVR, transferred to a PC for transcoding to a recognizable codec, and then transferred to a media player device for playback. Many times this process takes as long as it does to view the content. For example, a two hour movie will take a customer two hours to transcode. PMPs powered by the Au1200 processor do not require transcoding. |
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| Q: |
What is D1 resolution?
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| A: |
D1 resolution refers to DVD-quality picture (720x480 screen resolution). |
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| Q: |
What is the benefit of being able to scale images to larger screens?
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| A: |
Image scaling means you can play content from a PMP based on the Au1200 processor on a larger screen without degrading the picture quality. Many PMPs on the market today will suffer poor image quality (such as pixilation) if the content is played back on a larger screen. |
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| Q: |
Which codecs does the Au1200 support?
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The Au1200 processor supports most industry standard codecs, including MPEG2,4, WMV9, H.263, and DivX. |
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| Q: |
How good is the audio quality?
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| A: |
The Au1200 processor provides CD-quality sound (16-bit). |
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| Q: |
Does your solution support encoding capabilities?
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The Au1200 processor offers still-image encoding capability (e.g. from a digital camera) at CIF and QCIF resolution. Video encoding requires use of a companion chip. |
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| Q: |
Why is DDR memory support significant?
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| A: |
DDR memory provides higher performance and a more affordable solution than SDRAM, which is what the competition uses. |
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| Q: |
Why doesn’t the Au1200 support the H.264 codec?
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| A: |
H.264 codec support is not currently supported by the Au1200 processor, but it will be supported in our next-generation solution. The Au1200 processor does support most other standard industry codecs, including MPEG2,4, WMV9, H.263, and DivX. |
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