NTT Electronics Ships Two High-Performance MPEG-2 CODECs Using Tensilica’s Xtensa Cores

Update: Cadence Completes Acquisition of Tensilica (Apr 24, 2013)

New SOCs Address Unique Demands of Both High-Performance And High-Volume Image Processing Applications

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 12, 2003 – Tensilica® Inc., the leading supplier of configurable and extensible microprocessor cores, today announced that NTT Electronics Corp. (NEL) is now shipping two CODECs that integrate the Xtensa® microprocessor core. The new system-on-chip (SOC) devices bring advanced image processing capabilities to applications ranging from high-performance, high-definition television (HDTV) to low-cost interactive video communications systems. 

The NEL VASA (Versatile and Advanced Signal Processing Architecture) chip, the world's first single-chip MPEG-2 HDTV CODEC, integrates four Xtensa microprocessor cores. The second chip, code-named SuperENCIII, employs an Xtensa processor as a controller for MPEG-2 video encoding.

"Tensilica's Xtensa core removed the complexity typically associated with designing application-specific ICs, and allowed us to focus on our core competencies," said Dr.Kasai of NEL. "Tensilica's Xtensa cores helped us get the performance we needed for demanding image processing applications. With Tensilica's help, we were able to get these new products to market in record time."

"These new SOCs continue to prove the flexibility and broad applicability of the Xtensa core," said Bernie Rosenthal, senior vice president of marketing and sales at Tensilica. "Using Xtensa, NEL has delivered two CODECs that uniquely respond to the very different requirements of their target applications – high performance video applications, like HDTV, that require unprecedented image processing capabilities, and high volume consumer applications, like digital camcorders, that have stringent power, cost and size requirements."

About NEL's New CODECs
The NEL VASA chip delivers advanced image processing capabilities to HDTV video applications based on MPEG-2 standards.  The 60-million-transistor chip employs four Xtensa cores. By using several VASA chips, engineers will be able to design systems that process large video images surpassing HDTV, thus opening the door for applications in digital cinema, stereo 3D TV and multi-angle TV.  

The NEL SuperENCIII chip is targeted for use in a wide range of consumer communications systems, including camcorders and other mobile devices, where low cost, low power consumption and a small form factor are required.  The 30-million transistor chip uses an Xtensa core for encoding and features power consumption of less than 1.5 W. In addition to standard TV format (480I), the SuperENCIII chip can process high-quality video at 480/60P and 720/30P formats.

Both devices are designed using the CODEC technologies of NTT Cyber Space Labs, (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.). They are manufactured using a 0.13-micron CMOS process. 

About Xtensa
Licensed by over 50 of the industry's leading semiconductor and systems companies, Tensilica's patented Xtensa microprocessor technology enables designers to deliver a wide variety of optimized SoCs for applications ranging from low-cost, low-power consumer electronics devices to high performance, multi-processor communications systems. The Xtensa architecture provides a powerful, integrated hardware and software development environment with thousands of configuration options and an unlimited range of customer-specific extensions. Because these instructions are recognized as "native" by a complete set of software development tools, developers can simultaneously tune both application software and processor hardware to meet specific speed, power and feature goals.

About NTT Electronics
NEL was founded in June 1982.  Number of employees: 1,000 as of April 1, 2002. Annual sales: US $292 million in Fiscal year 2002. In order to amply meet the needs of the multimedia society in the 21st century, NEL is engaged in technological development covering a wide range of areas in both hardware and software, including optical devices, high performance electronics devices, media processing technology for audio/image data, and network technology, and ultra high speed optical transmission systems. NEL leads the way in meeting ever-changing global communication demands. For more information, visit  www.nel-world.com, www.nel.co.jp (Japanese).

About Tensilica
Tensilica was founded in July 1997 to address the growing need for optimized, application-specific microprocessor solutions in high-volume embedded applications. With a configurable and extensible microprocessor core called Xtensa, Tensilica is the only company that has automated and patented the time-consuming process of generating a customized microprocessor core along with a complete software development tool environment, producing new configurations in a matter of hours. For more information, visit www.tensilica.com.

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