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LOL--TI's OMAP Platform Revolutionizes Next Generation Wireless Appliances

Texas Instruments' Building Broadband Series
from the March 19, 2001 issue of Broadband Week

Perhaps no technology has taken the world by force over the past few years as wireless technology. Digital voice services for wireless devices have allowed consumers unprecedented connectivity and access to information.

Now, the next generation of wireless devices will extend wireless connectivity even further by delivering broadband data streams into wireless handset appliances--anytime, anywhere. Known as 2.5 and 3G wireless technology, this new level of wireless connectivity promises bandwidth up to and exceeding 2 MB per second. These new devices will allow consumers to enjoy instant access to streaming multimedia audio and video, web browsing, location-based services, gaming and mobile-commerce applications.

Dataquest estimates that the number of digital handsets will more than double by 2003, from 400 million in 2001 to 865 million in 2003, spurred by 2.5 and 3G broadband developments.

One of the technology drivers that enables advanced realtime applications in 2.5 and 3G technology is high performance, low power digital signal processors (DSP). Recent advancements in DSP technology by Texas Instruments not only extends the battery life of these next generation wireless devices, but also enhances the performance and quality of more complex content. These applications include multimedia content, interactive gaming, location-based services and mobile e-commerce.

OMAP Investment Program

The OMAP Investment Program is designed to accelerate the creation of DSP-based software applications for advanced, next-generation mobile devices.

"Wireless will be the catalyst for applications that deliver high-speed services to users in real-time, whenever they want it, wherever they are," said Tom Engibous, chairman, president and chief executive officer of TI. "We need to accommodate applications that encompass the human ability to dream and innovate."

The OMAP Investment Program is prepared to invest up to $100 million over the next 12 to 18 months to help software developers accelerate the creation and deployment of next generation, DSP-based wireless applications.

"Adding mobility is the next major step in the Internet's evolution, and it enables entirely new applications," Engibous said. "The wireless Internet will combine real-time signal-processing technologies, such as streaming video and audio, location-based services, speech recognition, mobile e-commerce and security into single applications."



The OMAP architecture is at the heart of TI's wireless solution. The OMAP architecure delivers enhanced performance while using only one quarter the power required by alternative RISC-based solutions for 2.5 and 3G wireless applications, enabling feature rich wireless devices with longer battery life. TI's OMAP architecture and tools support provides software developers with easy access to real-time DSP functionality without requiring DSP programming expertise.

The key DSP component of TI's OMAP architecture is the TMS320C55x DSP. It provides superior multimedia performance (more than five times the performance of the leading DSP on the market - TI's TMS320C54x DSP) while delivering the lowest system-level power consumption. A TI-enhanced ARM core contains an added LCD frame buffer to run command control functions and user interface applications.

By leveraging this dual-core approach for wireless applications, software code can be optimized to deliver the best possible system performance and lowest power consumption, critical in wireless devices. The TI-enhanced ARM microcontroller is well-suited for control-type code and processing for the man-machine interface. The C55x DSP is best suited for signal processing multimedia applications, such as MPEG4 video, speech recognition and audio playback. TI's OMAP architecture optimally combines these two processors, maximizing the benefits of each.

But the microcontroller cannot provide the signal processing power necessary for real-time applications without sapping the battery supply. A RISC processing alone would display video in fits and starts while a consumer was issuing voice commands using a 3G phone.

By coupling a DSP with a RISC processor in parallel, the OMAP architecture gives OEMs access to DSP capabilities while providing command control functions for which RISC processors are best suited.

Wireless Networking Tools

Two new wireless networking technologies--Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11--will help shape future wireless networks. As home and office networking continues to gain momentum, wireless networking will be increasingly significant as consumers and business users find that with IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth they can avoid the hassle of wiring their homes and offices by using these "no wires" networks. Bluetooth will be used for enabling personal area networks while IEEE 802.11 will be used for local area networking.

TI has built a high-performance Bluetooth chipset at economic price points. In turn, manufacturers of Bluetooth devices will allow consumers to communicate via mobile phones, computers and PDAs over short-range wireless connections.

TI also is building chipsets for IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN technology, improving system performance and affordability. The higher performance technology will allow for multimedia-rich, in-home applications, such as high definition digital TV and streaming.



The OMAP processor software includes a DSP/BIOS Bridge that allows programmers to use standard operating systems to address the dual processors as a single unit. Because the OMAP architecture is open, third-party developers and independent software vendors can create applications for many OEMs that use OMAP architecture.

The DSP/BIOS Bridge API is abstracted from the high-level application developers by a set of DLL and drivers that is provided in the development toolkit. That allows developers to work seamlessly with the DSP functionality in TI's OMAP architecture as they would work with traditional RISC-only processors.

Recently, TI has announced a number of key OMAP collaborations. Microsoft Corp. is collaborating with TI to support Windows Media Audio, Video and digital rights management technology on TI's DSP-based processors. For instance, Windows Media Video 8 delivers near-VHS-quality video at rates as low as 250 Kbps and near-DVD-quality video at rates as low as 500 Kpbs.

Earlier this year, TI announced a similar arrangement with Real Networks. Consumers who own TI OMAP-based wireless Internet appliances will be able to watch breaking news and sports highlights, listen to music, and receive breaking entertainment news and weather updates via RealNetworks streaming formats.

The future

More than 60 percent of all digital wireless phones in the world have TI's DSP-based digital baseband and analog baseband technologies. Nokia, Ericsson, Handspring and Sony have endorsed next generation solutions using the OMAP architecture. TI's OMAP architecture and development program will allows OEMs to provide consumers with media-rich experiences using 2.5G and 3G technology.

http://www.broadbandweek.com/ti_series/articles/0319_nextgen.htm