Multimedia IP leader Imagination Technologies enters the HEVC arena with a focus on image quality and multi-standard capability

First PowerVR Series5 multi-standard video cores provide highly-scalable solution for 4K Ultra HD

London, UK – 20 June 2013 – Imagination Technologies (IMG.L), a leading multimedia, processor, communications and cloud technologies company, announces that it is driving adoption of the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard with its PowerVR Series5 HEVC-enabled encoder and decoder families. For HEVC, the new PowerVR D5500 decoder core is based on a new architecture designed for the higher resolutions, frame rates and bitrates of 4K Ultra HD while optimizing silicon area and bandwidth usage. With full multi-standard decode, class-leading performance, ultra-low power consumption, industry-leading colour fidelity, enhanced colour depth and easy extendibility up to eight cores, this new generation of the world’s leading video IP family provides a fully scalable and future-proof video solution.

For 4K and higher resolutions, HEVC (ISO/IEC 23008-2 MPEG-H Part 2 / ITU-T H.265) video compression technology is designed to deliver comparable video quality to content encoded in the current H.264/AVC standard, at approximately half the bitrate. HEVC targets next-generation Ultra HD television (UHDTV) displays and content capture systems that feature progressive scan, fast frame rates and high resolution displays.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has recognised that 8-bit colour depths are not enough to satisfy consumer demand for the highest possible quality; therefore the ITU Recommendation ITU-R BT.2020 mandates the use of at least 10 bits for UHDTV systems. To support this, the PowerVR D5500 decoder enables increased colour depth with up to 10 bits of precision, and has increased colour resolution to 4:4:4 (or 4:2:2) to further enhance colour rendition. PowerVR video cores already lead the industry in low power, including the ability to decode H.264HP 1080P30 video in around 10mW (28nm). The D5500 is intended to set a new standard for low-power HEVC decoding.

Says Chris Longstaff, senior business development manager, Imagination: “The 4K TV experience is coming, and Imagination is ready. Available today in high-end TVs, we will see more 4K enabled products as content increasingly becomes available. This will be driven by next-generation cameras with 4K capture capability, as well as new and traditional broadcast mechanisms. Our customers need to build support for HEVC into their silicon today, and we are making it easy for them to do that by providing the industry’s first complete IP cores with 10-bit colour depth support throughout.”

Part of Imagination’s Series5 family, the PowerVR D5500 is a multi-standard, multi-stream video decoder with a multi-core architecture that allows performance to be easily scaled for high resolution or high frame rate applications up to full HEVC level 5.0 using mainstream silicon processes at ultra-low power consumption. This unprecedented level of performance enables 4K resolution content to be decoded up to H.265 L5.0 4Kx2K @ 60fps. In addition to HEVC/H.265, the PowerVR D5500 video decoder supports all major video standards including H.264 HP, H.264 MP, H.264 BP, H.264 MVC, VC-1, VP8/WebM, H.263, RMVB (Real Video), MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVS, VP6 and JPEG. This multi-standard capability provides a level of area flexibility and power efficiency that other solutions cannot approach.

The new PowerVR D5500 video decoder is available now for licensing. For information about PowerVR Series5 video encoder availability, please contact your local sales office.

About Imagination Technologies

Imagination Technologies - a global leader in multimedia, processor, communication and cloud technologies - creates and licenses market-leading processor solutions including graphics, video, vision, CPU and embedded processing, multi-standard communications, cross-platform V.VoIP and VoLTE, and cloud connectivity. These silicon and software intellectual property (IP) solutions for systems-on-chip (SoC) are complemented by an extensive portfolio of software, tools and ecosystems. Target markets include mobile phone, connected home consumer, mobile and tablet computing, in-car electronics, networking, telecoms, health, smart energy and connected sensors. Imagination’s licensees include many of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, network operators and OEM/ODMs. Corporate headquarters are located in the United Kingdom, with sales and R&D offices worldwide. See: www.imgtec.com.