HOUSTON (Sept. 11, 1995) -- Texas Instruments announced today the development of a new digital signal processor (DSP) that will enable applications such as desktop videoconferencing, video phones, and 3-D virtual reality graphics for games, training and other uses that are affordable for office and home environments. The new TI DSP will perform more than 1.5 billion operations per second (BOPS) and will cost $82 in production quantities. This new DSP is also targeted to high-performance digital switching applications in equipment such as cellular telephone base stations.
The device, designated the TMS320C82, is the newest member of TI's TMS320C8x generation of high-performance digital signal processors. TI's latest DSP solution* integrates on the same silicon two advanced DSPs, a high-performance floating-point reduced instruction set computing (RISC) master processor, and enhanced on-chip memory capacity and transfer control.
With its streamlined architecture and high level of integration, the 'C82 offers the performance of more than six standard 16-bit DSPs in a wide range of DSP and imaging applications.
"What videoconferencing and 3-D graphics have needed to really take off in volume is a high-performance engine with a price tag under $100," said Rick Rinehart, TI's 'C8xprogram manager. "The 'C82 will be that engine. No other solution offers the bang for the buck of the 'C82."
The 'C82's high level of integration will help lower chip counts for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), saving them board space by replacing approximately 10 processing units and additional support devices with a single chip. Saving space also helps reduce manufacturing costs, lowering the price of finished goods to end users.
As a multipurpose DSP, the 'C82 is fully programmable, giving OEMs maximum flexibility for product differentiation, as well as the capability of introducing changes quickly. For fast development, system designers are able to use tools created for TI's TMS320C80, the flagship member of the 'C8x DSP family announced last year.
"Normally developers expect to pay a premium for flexibility," said Rinehart. "With the 'C82, flexibility comes free. We want OEMs to stretch the limits with this part -- not only so they can add features, but also so they can eliminate specialized components and minimize hardware redesign."
The 'C82's combination of low cost, high performance and full DSP programmability will benefit a variety of traditional DSP applications, such as digital switching equipment for cellular telephone base stations and other high-speed data communications. With 'C82-based designs, OEMs of cellular base stations will be able to fit more channel-switching circuitry in the same space, lowering the cost per channel for cellular providers.
"For the applications we've targeted, the 'C82 will deliver the same performance as our industry-leading 'C80 DSP," said Julie Gallagher, TI's 'C8x marketing manager. "Some applications will still need the full power of the four DSPs in the 'C80. But for many high-volume applications, the 'C82 will serve just as well, and keep the price of the finished product on the shelf much lower.
"For instance, we believe that the 'C82 will make it possible for OEMs to offer desktop videoconferencing systems for less than $500. And consumer game machines will be able to merge video with 3-D graphics, a capability that can only be found on workstations today. All in all, the 'C82 is a big step forward in affordable performance for multimedia systems and other types of DSP applications."
Sampling for TI's TMS320C82 DSP is planned for the second quarter of 1996, with volume production projected for the second half of 1996. Volume pricing is planned at $82 in quantities of 25,000. The TMS320C8x development tools are available today.
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*DSP Solution Definition: a digital signal processing solution is a combination of DSPs, mixed-signal and complementary ICs, development tools, system software and support. This allows customers to create new products faster and with lower system costs.
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