14 DAY TRIAL // The market for portable media applications is getting increasingly interesting, especially since NVIDIA's low-power Tegra chip can be used to power both smartphones and new portable multimedia devices. On that note, Texas Instruments has just announced the introduction of a fresh, high-performance single-chip solution that can enable a better multimedia experience. The chip maker unveiled today that its OMAP3530 applications processor can now reach speeds of up to 720MHz.
According to the chip designer, the OMAP3530 processor can enable multimedia devices to access databases, spreadsheets, presentations, e-mail, audio and video attachments faster than before, consequently delivering a better Internet experience on multimedia products. The processor is based on the ARM Cortex A8-core, running at 720MHz and coupled with a 520MHz TMS320C64x+ DSP.
Among the highlights of the 720MHz OMAP3530 processor, the chip maker mentioned the capability of 720MHz ARM Cortex-A8 core to deliver 1400 Dhrystone million instructions per second (MIPS), while the 520MHz C64x+ DSP is said to have been designed to provide more headroom to optimize quality audio and video codecs and custom IP. In addition, the processor also comes with a POWERVR SGX subsystem, which enables 3D graphics acceleration to support display and gaming effects, according to the chip maker.
The single-chip solution has been built to support a number of various computer devices, including Point-of-Sale (POS) devices, web tablets and single board computers. The chip can be paired with the OMAP3503, OMAP3515 and OMAP3525, also designed by Texas Instruments. This will provide device manufacturers with the ability to run operating systems such as Windows Embedded CE or a flavor of Linux.
According to the chip maker, the OMAP3530 is available in multiple package size options, alongside the OMAP3530 EVM, directly through the company's website, where you can also find more details on the chip's technical specifications.