ARM chip converts video to 3D on the fly
By Jonathan Angel
2010-01-11
Article Rating: / 1
| Rate This Article: |
Add This Article To: |
|
|
Quartics Inc. used last week's CES (Consumer Electronics Show) to show off a VPU (video processing unit) claimed to improve video quality on the fly and do real-time conversion to 3D. The Windows-ready QV1721 targets netbooks, laptops, and other PCs, and includes an on-chip ARM926EJ processor, the company says.Quartics' QV1721 competes with other video acceleration solutions such as Nvidia's recently confirmed Ion 2 and Broadcom's BCM70015. Like these products, it's said to work with Intel's recently released "Pine Trail" Atom N450, D410, and D510, taking the burden of video decoding off the CPU and supporting" all the industry standard video codecs such as H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2 ... up to full 1080p HD resolution."
 However, the QV1721 chip (right), said to be produced using a 130nm production process, goes further than the Nvidia and Broadcom devices by including an onboard ARM926EJ application processor and a transport stream multiplexer/demultiplexer. As a result, claims Quartics, the device can up-sample SD video to look like HD video, adding detail on the fly. The process reportedly works not only on video already stored on disk, but also for video streamed from online sources such as YouTube (below) and with videoconferencing.
Video enhancement provided by the QV1721
(standard image on left; processed image on right)
Source: Quartics
(Click to enlarge)
OUR VERDICT:
3D doesn't excite us, but what's not to like about real-time video enhancement? |
In addition, promises Quartics, the chip can also process 2D video so that it looks like 3D, using DDD's TriDef 3D software. The technology, already adopted by Acer, will operate with a variety of 3D technologies, such as either passive polarized or active shutter glasses, the company promises.
Quartics did not specify the QV1721's power consumption, but promised that complete solutions using the chip will be available with TDPs of under ten watts and offer "extended battery life." The chip includes proprietary algorithms for noise reduction, color correction and enhancement, image sharpening, deinterlacing, denoising, and scaling, the company adds.
Availability
According to Quartics, the QV1721 currently supports only Windows XP and Windows 7, but a Laptop blog entry by Dana Wollman, here, claims that Google's Linux-based Chrome OS will also be supported in future. The blog offers a positive first impression of the Quartics technology.
For a review of the Acer Aspire 5738DG laptop, which already uses the DDD TriDef technology (though apparently not with the Quartics VPU), see PC, here, and Laptop, here.
For further information on the QV1721, said to be available now for an unannounced price in "volume production quantities," see the Quartics website here.
Related Stories:
FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper. |
|
|
|
news feed
