JVC LSI Enables High-speed Image Processing in HD Camcorders

[Casey Krugman]

This from JVC FYI



Yokohama, Japan, December 14, 2010 － JVC (Victor Company of Japan, Limited) announced today its development of the world’s first LSI for high-speed processing of Full High-Definition video and stills on one chip for HD camcorders.

The LSI enables shooting and recording Full HD, including both 2D and 3D images, and also ultra-high-resolution 4K2K images of approximately four times the resolution of Full HD. High-speed photography with high-speed processing also is possible. The LSI achieves low power consumption and enables lower system costs by incorporating all image-processing technologies for HD shooting, including camera-signal processing and video/still image codecs.

Consumers are increasingly demanding HD-level TVs, camcorders and other consumer electronics products, requiring manufacturers to offer products capable of rapidly processing extra-high-resolution images of the latest standards, including 4K2K. JVC’s LSI will advance this trend by introducing next-generation image-processing technologies for both professional and consumer camcorders.

JVC will exhibit a new consumer camcorder with the LSI at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 6 to 9.

Main Features

* High-speed processing of camera signals and video/still image codecs, including Full HD 2D/3D, 4K2K and high-speed photographs. In addition to 2.7 times faster processing than previous CPU, the new CPU supports various signal-processing technologies (see below) that have been fully revised for superior high-resolution image recording;
* Signal processing
o Camera-signal processing is 1.7 times faster than JVC’s previous technology, enabling 8.3-megapixel video at 60 frames per second;
o H.264 video processing is double JVC’s previous technology, enabling compression of 2.07-megapixel images at 60 frames per second;
o JPEG still-image processing is 5.5 times faster than JVC’s previous technology, enabling compression at up to 8.3-megapixel images at 60 frames per second;
* In addition to its image-signal processor, advanced image codecs and other image-processing technologies assembled into one chip, the LSI incorporates leading-edge 40nm process technology for high functionality, 40% reduction of power consumption and 50% reduction of system costs compared to previous LSIs. The result is a high-level LSI suited to a wide range of both consumer and professional products;
* All hardware and software is integrated into one platform, enabling products that incorporate this platform to be commercialized highly rapidly.

Main Technologies
1. The LSI achieves real-time 3D compression of separate Full HD images (1920 x 1080/60p) from right and left cameras using MPEG-4 MVC. The amount of data is double the conventional side-by-side 3D recording format, enabling high-resolution Full HD 3D images with one chip.

2. 4K2K images (3840 x 2160/60p) using an ultra-resolution camera system are supported.

3. High-speed camera-processing circuitry and a high-speed JPEG engine enable the simultaneous capture of Full HD video and 8.3 megapixel stills at 60 frames per second.

4. High-speed frame video capture for 3D recording at 300 frames per second based on high-speed video codec.

History of JVC LSIs for Camcorders
JVC leveraged its years of experience with signal-processing technology to develop its first high-resolution image-processing engine, the HD Gigabrid, in spring 2007. The engine was incorporated in the Everio GZ-HD7 camcorder with internal hard disk drive, the world’s first Full HD 1920×1080i camcorder for consumers, which began selling in March 2007. Thereafter, JVC achieved higher resolutions for newer products, such as the HD Gigabrid Duo and HD Gigabrid Premium, both of which have received critical acclaim.

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About JVC
JVC (Victor Company of Japan, Limited) is a leading international electronics company that has advanced audio and video technology and hardware. JVC engages in visual such as camcorder, high definition projector, audio and entertainment business. Headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, JVC was founded in 1927.

[David Knaggs]

Hi Casey.
What's an LSI?

Maybe I didn't read it closely enough, but I couldn't see it defined in that press release. I googled it and could only find "large scale integration". So, what's the precise definition of an LSI?

[Casey Krugman]

"Between 3,000 and 100,000 transistors on a chip" as far as i can tell.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Yep. It's a Large Scale Integrated Circuit. In other words... a big silicon chip with lots of features and functions. It will help designers create products that do more and cost less in a small package.

[Chris Hurd]

Fancy alternate name for DSP (digital signal processor). Thanks for posting this, Casey!

[John Vincent]

One key issue will be chip size. JVC has done very well with it's 1/3" GYU line up (I was an early adapter of the GYU 100), but I'd be very surprised if they stay that small.

Either way, it's obviously good news.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Yeah, the lines between "DSP" and LSI" are blurring in this area.

Texas Instruments pioneered the DSP chip, which was fully programmable and was designed to process audio and other signals. It was like a hybrid between a general purpose CPU and a chip programmed for a specific purpose. Until you ran out of horsepower, the functions were nearly limitless.

LSI is a more generic term for a "big chip". Technically, a CPU, a programmable DSP, and a highly application specific chip are all LSI.

In the case of a chip for processing signals in a camera or TV, the feature set is usually strictly defined. There are registers where you can customize things to some degree (for instance, selecting 50 Hz or 60 Hz, 2K or 1080, interlace or progressive, low, medium or high noise reduction), but the available functions are pretty well locked down. This is the most cost effective approach. A true, programmable DSP gives more flexibility, but isn't generally as efficient.

My guess is that this is a non-programmable DSP with an architecture optimized for camera applications, which is probably why they didn't call it a "DSP". "DSP" implies a more general, programmable design.

If you're not a product design engineer, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know. :)

[David Knaggs]

Thanks to everyone for clarifying this term for me. I've been familiar with terms such as FPGA (field-programmable gate array) and ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) for cameras, but it's the first time I'd come across LSI. Thanks again!

[Casey Krugman]

All i can say is, This years CES and NAB are going to be very interesting

[Rick Hill]

Originally Posted by David Knaggs

Thanks to everyone for clarifying this term for me. I've been familiar with terms such as FPGA (field-programmable gate array) and ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) for cameras, but it's the first time I'd come across LSI. Thanks again!

LSI is really old school. It was a popular term in the 70's! The next step after LSI was VLSI (very large scale integration) and next after that was ULSI (Ultra-large scale integration).

Today's chips eclipse even the largest chips conceived when these terms were coined. For example the largest FPGA's today have the equivalent of 50 billion transistors on a single chip. ULSI was to describe a chip with 1 million transistors.

Integrated circuit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yeah - old school.

Kind of funny to see the announcement using this term. In reality it is probably an all digital ASIC (FPGA's can't beat ASIC's in the power dept.- yet).

I have worked with ASICs/FPGA's for 15 years so I know a little about chips ;).

[Jon Fairhurst]

I had forgotten about the VLSI/ULSI thing. As I recall, those terms were really short lived.

Maybe they thought that ASIC was getting long in the tooth. LSI is so old, it's new again. :)

[Charles W. Hull]

Originally Posted by Rick Hill

LSI is really old school. It was a popular term in the 70's! The next step after LSI was VLSI (very large scale integration) and next after that was ULSI (Ultra-large scale integration).

Today's chips eclipse even the largest chips conceived when these terms were coined. For example the largest FPGA's today have the equivalent of 50 billion transistors on a single chip. ULSI was to describe a chip with 1 million transistors.

Integrated circuit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yeah - old school.

Kind of funny to see the announcement using this term. In reality it is probably an all digital ASIC (FPGA's can't beat ASIC's in the power dept.- yet).

I have worked with ASICs/FPGA's for 15 years so I know a little about chips ;).

These new chips tend to be "IP Cores". These are chips with a little bit of everything; the "IP" means different parts of the silicon are licensed. A typical chip combines a DSP function and an FPGA (or ASIC) function plus several specialty hard coded functions. These make for really powerful specialty processors. I agree, LSI seems like an old old term that has been given a Lazarus return.

[David Knaggs]

I received this in an email from JVC yesterday. It seems that the "new JVC-developed high-speed processor" is the LSI mentioned in the first post and applied to a 3D consumer HD camera. I wonder if this will catch on (with consumers)?:

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For immediate release

JVC Full HD 3D Consumer Camcorder Is World’s First


SYDNEY, 25 January 2011 – JVC today announced the world’s first consumer camcorder to offer 3D recording in Full HD, thanks to a new JVC-developed high-speed processor that can produce two simultaneous Full HD images.

The new GS-TD1 uses two camera lenses and two 3.32 megapixel CMOS sensors – one for each lens – to capture three-dimensional images much the same way that human eyes work. JVC’s new high-speed imaging engine simultaneously processes the two Full HD images – left and right images at 1920 x 1080i – within that single chip. The newly developed “LR Independent Format” makes the GS-TD1 the world’s first consumer-oriented camcorder capable of 3D shooting in Full HD. JVC’s new camcorder offers other shooting modes as well, including the widely used “Side-by-Side Format” for AVCHD (3D) and conventional AVCHD (2D) shooting.

The camcorder uses a JVC 3D Twin HD GT Lens that sets a new standard in high-resolution lenses with extra-low-dispersion glass for crisp, high-contrast images, as well as multiple aspherical lenses for fine image reproduction. The GS-TD1 also features round iris diaphragms that enable beautiful bokeh effect (background blurring) shooting of video and stills alike.

Additional highlights include 3D optical 5x zoom, Optical Axis Automatic Stabilization System for disparity control to give depth to 3D images, JVC’s BIPHONIC technology for dynamic 3D sound and Automatic Parallax Adjustment to optimize the 3D-video comfort zone.

There is nothing difficult about using the GS-TD1, which operates like other consumer-friendly camcorders from JVC. A 3.5” 3D touch panel LCD monitor displays 3D images without any need for 3D glasses, making it easy to check 3D images while shooting and watch 3D playback in the field.

JVC’s other new HD Everio with 3D capabilities is the GZ-HM960. Similar to other HD Everio models in size and features, the GZ-HM960 is distinguished by its 2D-to-3D output function, which turns any 2D footage into 3D. Output can be viewed without glasses on the camera’s 3.5-inch 3D LCD monitor, or by connecting the camcorder to an external 3D television. Bluetooth® wireless technology enables integration with other devices, such as smartphones, to synch images with Google Maps™.

The GS-TD1 and GZ-HM960 both use Everio MediaBrowser software (for Windows®) for full management, editing and sharing of content. In addition to full-fledged video and still image editing, files can be uploaded effortlessly to social media sites such as YouTube™ or Facebook. In the GS-TD1, the software allows 3D video to be shared on YouTube™.

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