Renesas Technology Enhances Terrestrial Digital Broadcast Capable Product Lineup in SH-Mobile Application Processor Series

Two new models comprising a version incorporating image quality improving functions and a small-package version, providing terrestrial digital broadcast capable mobile phone solutions

Tokyo — Renesas Technology Corp. today announced two new models augmenting the terrestrial digital broadcast capable product lineup in the SH-Mobile Series of mobile phone application processors: the SH-MobileL3V2 (product name: SH7362) featuring enhanced image quality improvement functions and lower power consumption, and the small-package SH-MobileUL (product name: SH7363), offering excellent cost performance, for popular mobile phone models. Sample shipments will begin in October 2007 in Japan.

These two new models are functionally enhanced or specialized versions of Renesas Technology’s current SH-Mobile L3V (product name: SH7354), and offer the following features.

1. Common Features

   1. High-performance, low-power-consumption multi-CODEC video processing IP

      Both models incorporate a VPU (Video Processing Unit) high-performance video processing IP that supports the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (referred to below as H.264) moving image compression standard used in Japanese ISDB-T terrestrial digital broadcasting, and achieves 30 fps (frame per second) encoding and decoding performance at VGA definition. This IP supports MPEG-4 encoding/decoding and VC-1 decoding as well as H.264, enabling these products to handle various moving image applications such as video mail, video phones, and video clips. In addition, these application processors can support digital broadcasting systems used outside Japan, such as DVB-H in Europe and DMB in South Korea.

   2. High-performance 266 MHz SH4AL-DSP CPU core

      These new models incorporate an SH4AL-DSP CPU core that achieves high processing performance of 478 MIPS (million instructions per second) at a maximum operating frequency of 266 MHz, enabling high-speed processing of various applications.

2. SH-MobileL3V2 Features

   The SH-MobileL3V2 offers lower power consumption together with enhanced functionality through the provision of image quality improvement functions.

   1. On-chip image quality improvement functions providing versatile, high-quality video display

      Image quality improvement functions comprising a gamma correction function and enlargement edge enhancement function have been newly incorporated. The gamma correction function includes three kind of correction – a. histogram extension type gamma correction, b. screen brightness correspondence type gamma correction, and c. adaptive type chroma correction – and allows adjustment of image quality for individual TV scenes, enabling clear, high-quality video display to be achieved. The enlargement edge enhancement function prevents fuzziness when a QVGA-size image is enlarged to VGA or WVGA size by performing enhancement and inter-dot compensation in edge areas, and noise elimination by means of a filter. These functions enable versatile, high-quality video display to be achieved, and allow high-quality terrestrial digital broadcasts to be viewed on a mobile phone.

   2. On-chip hardware dedicated audio DSP contributing to lower power consumption

      A hardware 24-bit dedicated audio DSP is included for audio processing, providing ample power to handle audio processing using AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), MP3, or a similar compression system. Also, while processing of the aacPlus audio compression system used for terrestrial digital broadcast has previously required CPU processing capacity of approximately 50 MHz, the use of a dedicated audio DSP enables to eliminate the need of CPU processing. Processing by means of dedicated hardware results in lower current consumption than with the previous product, enabling TV viewing time to be extended.

3. SH-MobileUL Features

   With an optimized set of peripheral functions specialized for terrestrial digital broadcast applications, and the use of a small 8 mm x 8 mm package, the SH-MobileUL offers excellent cost performance in terms of functions and price. The use of a small package has enabled the mounting area to be reduced by approximately 30% or more compared with the previous Renesas Technology product. The SH-MobileUL is ideal for use in popular mobile phone models with terrestrial digital broadcast capability, and will contribute to the achievement of lower mobile phone prices.

Product Background

The market has recently witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of mobile phones and other portable information devices supporting terrestrial digital broadcasting. Renesas Technology led the world with the release of the SH-Mobile Series of dedicated microprocessors for application processing in mobile phone systems, and has contributed to the advancement of multimedia applications for mobile phones. Renesas was also quick to release SH-Mobile Series products for terrestrial digital broadcast capable mobile phones, and these are currently used in many mobile phone systems. Now, with the popularity of terrestrial digital broadcast capable mobile phones increasing at an accelerating rate, market needs include the implementation of lower-priced mobile phone systems as well as high-added-value products offering higher-quality viewing.

In response to these needs, Renesas Technology has now, based on the company’s current SH-MobileL3V, developed the SH-MobileL3V2 incorporating impressive image quality improvement functions, and the SH-MobileUL featuring compact size and excellent cost performance through optimization of functions necessary for terrestrial digital broadcast capability.