TI unveils industry's first real-time JPEG 2000 HD solution on multicore DSP

NAB, LAS VEGAS, USA: Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) unveiled the industry's first implementation of the real-time HD JPEG 2000 codec on a multicore digital signal processor (DSP). Four TI TMS320C6678 multicore DSPs with JPEG 2000 codecs are available on TI's design network member, Advantech's, new DSPC-8681E half-length PCI express card, making it ideal for processing intensive, power efficient applications in industries such as broadcast and digital cinema. JPEG 2000 is an image compression codec offering significant flexibility and performance increases over previous versions.

With the JPEG 2000 codec running as a real-time application across four TI C6678 DSPs simultaneously, Advantech's low-cost DSPC-8681E video engine can support 2K/4K resolution video encoding/decoding at an extremely low power consumption of 54W. Because TI's C6678 DSP is entirely software based, switching codecs and parameters is seamless for developers, unlike on a FPGA. The flexibility of this new solution allows broadcast and digital cinema developers to more quickly and easily design applications than ever before. In addition, TI has reduced developers' costs by 50 percent, running the JPEG 2000 codec on Advantech's DSPC-8681 platform.

"TI's new codec implementations on Advantech's PCIe-based video engines offer equipment manufacturers the true flexibility that an all software methodology brings to video processing," said David Lin, director DSP solutions, Advantech. "This allows them to deploy leading edge hardware today with product lifecycles significantly extended by software, resulting in a lower total-cost-of-ownership and future-proofed solutions for their customers."

To further ease development, TI's C6678 multimedia solution includes a comprehensive portfolio of video codecs, including the real-time JPEG 2000 codec, which will be accessible through TI's website. TI's full portfolio of video codecs also includes the H.264, H.263, MPEG4, MPEG2, JPEG, VC1, Soren Spark encoders and decoders. With an all software approach TI will be able to quickly bring up additional codecs in the future such as AVC Intra and H.265 on the C6678 DSP.

TI's C6678 multimedia solution is ideal for applications in the video surveillance, medical and mission critical industries.