Subject: Ittiam in the news...

From FGATOR

PostID 407206 On Monday, June 13, 2005 (EST) at 11:04:23 AM

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Reference design supports multiple video, audio formats

by Pradeep Chakraborty, EDN Asia

9 June 2005

EDN

Ittiam Systems Ltd`s PMPR (portable media player and recorder), also known as MuV-PaMPR, is a form-factor reference design with near-production-ready hardware and software. Ittiam claims that these features reduce time to market from 18 months to three for OEMs and ODMs (original design manufacturers), according to Srini Rajam, Ittiam`s chief executive officer and chairman. Ittiam based the 140×95×28-mm, Linux-based PMPR reference design on a programmable Texas Instruments ( www.ti.com ) TMS320DM320 multimedia-processor platform with a customizable on-screen GUI for easy navigation and use. It runs on a 3600-mAhr, lithium-ion rechargeable battery that delivers four hours of continuous video.

The PMPR comprises several interfaces, including USB 2.0, an audio port for external speakers/headphones, and a video port for direct display on a television. A navigation switch and a fully functional infrared remote controller control the unit. It has a 3.5-in. QVGA LCD that plays MPEG2, XVID, MPEG4, H.264, DivX, and WMV videos at 30 frames/sec at D1 resolution, with MP3, AC3, AAC, WAV, and WMA audio in stereo. The PMPR has a photo viewer supporting JPEG and audio and can store all content in a built-in 1.8-in., 20-Gbyte hard-disk drive. The board measures 132×88.5 mm.

``It has the player technology, recorder technology, interfaces to the LCD, hard disk, and an efficient battery-management system,`` says Rajam. ``It plays a variety of media and records a variety of formats, and it has a lot of core technology inside.`` Rajam also notes that the device allows users to download content from either a PC or a digital camera, and it has an interface for connecting with the TV-output interface. ``The board was designed according to the casing, taking the heat-generation and thermal characteristics of the casing into account, which is unique for Indian form factors,`` he says. Ittiam uses a single DSP on which all of these applications can run.