Date: 13/12/2010

TI upgrades OMAP processor for mobile phone design

Texas Instruments' enhanced OMAP4440 applications processor deliver 1.25x increase in graphics performance, a 30 percent decrease in webpage load time, a 2x increase in 1080p video playback performance compared to OMAP4430 and clock speeds as fast as 1.5 GHz per ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore. The enhancements enable this OMAP processor to address applications such as smartphone and tablets, 1080p stereoscopic 3D (S3D), 1080p video conferencing and gesture recognition.

"The increased performance given by the OMAP4440 applications processor illustrates TI's ability to push mobile computing possibilities with the right processor architecture enveloped in the right platform," said Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president, OMAP platform business unit, TI. "We seized an opportunity to enhance the platform capabilities driving the OMAP4430 processor's success today. As OMAP4430 processor-based products hit the market in first half 2011, we're arming our customers with a huge performance boost via an easy migration to OMAP4440 processor for their next wave of exciting devices. The resulting user experiences will radically impact how consumers continue to integrate mobile technology into their daily lives."

The OMAP 4 platform packs two ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore general-purpose processors, two ARM Cortex-M3 cores, POWERVR 3D graphics engine, TI IVA 3 for high-definition/multi-standard video, TI image signal processor (ISP), TI low-power audio processor and TI digital signal processor (DSP) based on the TI C64x DSP.

The other features include:

Support for HDMI v1.4 3D modes
Full 1080p HD S3D playback to 3D TV
1080p60 video format support
Support for up to two 12-megapixel cameras in parallel
Support stereo photography
IVA 3 multimedia hardware accelerator
Complete pin-to-pin hardware and software compatible with OMAP4430 processors
Support mobile video teleconferencing experience.
Video codec support includes H.264, VP7, H.263, SVC, and more
Peer-to-peer (1 local user with one other user) and Multi-chat (1 local user with up to 4 other users) functionality
720p resolution with stereo audio support
Cloud access for simultaneous application support (e.g., browsing the web while chatting or document sharing)
Optimized symmetric multiprocessing architecture to deliver low latency and high bandwidth support

Availability and pricing: The OMAP4440 applications processor will sample in first quarter 2011, with production expected by the second half of 2011. These products are intended for high-volume wireless OEMs and ODMs and are not available through distributors.

Editorial Product Rating: *** (High value)