TI OMAP4440 Processor Debuts: 1.5GHz Dualcore, 3D 1080p And More

Texas Instruments has announced its latest mobile processor, the TI OMAP4440, a SoC packaging a pair of 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore CPUs along with two ARM Cortex-M3 cores to power-efficiently offload time-critical and control tasks. Coupled with the POWERVR 3D graphics engine, that provides a quoted 1.25x increase in graphics performance (including 2x faster HD video playback, with support for 1080p60 and 3D stereoscopic 1080p) and a 30-percent cut in webpage loading times.

There's also support for 1080p video conferencing and gesture recognition, along with two 12-megapixel cameras operating in parallel. The latter will mean that devices based on the OMAP4440 – which could include smartphones or tablets – will be able to record Full HD 3D video. TI is betting big on video teleconferencing, with 720p HD video support for multi-chat with up to four other users, and native support for H.264, VP7, H.263, SVC and other formats.

TI expect the OMAP4440 to begin sampling in Q1 2011, with volume production in the second half of the year. It's pin-to-pin compatible with the company's OMAP4430, itself set to show up in commercial products in the first half of 2011 (and powering the TI Blaze developer tablet), offering a straightforward way for manufacturers to significantly boost performance.

Press Release:

TI's OMAP4440 processor boasts new upgrades, raises the bar for mobile design

Mobile video teleconferencing, stereoscopic-3D and gesture recognition capabilities gain from OMAP™ 4 technology upgrades, including speeds of 1.5 GHz per CPU core

DALLAS (Dec. 8, 2010) – Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:TXN) today announced that the OMAP4440 applications processor enhancements deliver impressive performance improvements beyond the OMAP4430 processor, including a 1.25x increase in graphics performance, a 30 percent decrease in webpage load time, a 2x increase in 1080p video playback performance and clock speeds as fast as 1.5 GHz per ARM® Cortex™-A9 MPCore™. These marked performance advantages, along with other feature enhancements, reaffirm the OMAP™ 4 platform's ability to drive today's most coveted Smartphone and tablet user experiences, such as 1080p stereoscopic 3D (S3D), 1080p video conferencing and gesture recognition. For OMAP4440 processor details, visit: www.ti.com/omap4440.

"The increased performance given by the OMAP4440 applications processor illustrates TI's ability to push mobile computing possibilities with the right processor architecture enveloped in the right platform, " said Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president, OMAP platform business unit, TI. "We seized an opportunity to enhance the platform capabilities driving the OMAP4430 processor's success today. As OMAP4430 processor-based products hit the market in first half 2011, we're arming our customers with a huge performance boost via an easy migration to OMAP4440 processor for their next wave of exciting devices. The resulting user experiences will radically impact how consumers continue to integrate mobile technology into their daily lives."

OMAP4440 processor: Primed for upgraded mobile user experiences

The OMAP 4 platform is a highly-optimized system-on-chip (SOC) leveraging two ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore general-purpose processors, reaching speeds of 1.5 GHz per core, complemented by two ARM Cortex-M3 cores to power-efficiently offload time-critical and control tasks. High-performance multimedia capabilities are provided by programmable cores including a POWERVR™ 3D graphics engine, TI IVA 3 for high-definition/multi-standard video, TI image signal processor (ISP) for high-quality/high-megapixels imaging, TI low-power audio processor and TI digital signal processor (DSP) based on the TI C64x DSP for natural user interface and signal processing innovations optimized for mobile applications.

The OMAP 4 platform efficiently supports concurrent, high-performance processing and high-definition multimedia with dual, high-bandwidth memory channels. The platform is secured with TI M-Shield™ security, and delivers high performance within the small power budget of mobile devices by leveraging TI SmartReflex™ power and performance management technologies. As the second member of the OMAP 4 product family, the OMAP4440 processor's upgraded features and benefits include:

Feature*

Benefit

Two ARM® Cortex™-A9 MPCores™ optimized to 1.5 GHz each

50% increase in overall performance; 33% reduction in webpage load time

End-to-end graphics acceleration enhancement (triangles per second, fill rate and shaders)

25% increase in overall graphics performance

Support for HDMI v1.4 3D modes

Full 1080p HD S3D playback to 3D TV

1080p60 video format support

2x higher performance video playback

Support for up to two 12-megapixel cameras in parallel

Higher stereoscopic resolution encode enabling stereo photography, which meets the same resolution previously experienced only with 2D photography

IVA 3 multimedia hardware accelerator

Industry's highest quality video playback at low bit rates

Complete pin-to-pin hardware and software compatibility

Easy migration from the OMAP4430 processors

*Comparative data is relative to the OMAP4430 processor's performance

The OMAP4440 processor is uniquely positioned to support the widely anticipated mobile video teleconferencing experience. For example, successful mobile video teleconferencing requires a few key components directly addressed by the following OMAP4440 processor features:

Mobile video teleconferencing component

OMAP4440 processor-enabled feature

High-quality mobile video conferencing

Improved video quality in low-light conditions; video stabilization

Chat software (i.e., Skype or Google Talk)

Video codec support includes H.264, VP7, H.263, SVC, and more

Peer-to-peer (1 local user with one other user) chat functionality

1080p mobile video conferencing

Multi-chat (1 local user with up to 4 other users) functionality

720p resolution with stereo audio support

Cloud access for simultaneous application support (e.g., browsing the web while chatting or document sharing)

Optimized symmetric multiprocessing architecture to deliver low latency and high bandwidth support

Availability and pricing

The OMAP4440 applications processor will sample in first quarter 2011, with production expected by the second half of 2011. These products are intended for high-volume wireless OEMs and ODMs and are not available through distributors.