Collaboration Leads To Multimedia Reference Platform

Oct. 14, 2002
Two electronics industry giants, Royal Philips Electronics and Intel Corp., are collaborating on a digital multimedia reference platform. Their actions come in response to the emergence of new digital systems and solutions for home, mobile, and...

Two electronics industry giants, Royal Philips Electronics and Intel Corp., are collaborating on a digital multimedia reference platform. Their actions come in response to the emergence of new digital systems and solutions for home, mobile, and consumer automotive applications.

The Pronto++ Software & Systems Platform enables Philips and its OEMs to create next-generation interactive digital audio and video devices running on Intel's PXA250 microprocessor. The platform consists of reference hardware, a complete stack of enabling software, and multimedia services geared toward consumer simplicity and ease of use (see the figure).

"In a single device, consumers will have access to interactive digital content consisting of music, pictures, video, gaming, and other unique infotainment services," explains Peter Green, general manager of Intel's Extended Computing Division. "This will help expand the digital multimedia experience from the PC throughout the digital home."

Part of Intel's Personal Internet Client Architecture, the PXA250 microprocessor is based on Intel's low-power, high-performance XScale technology geared at creating building blocks for wireless, handheld, and consumer electronic market segments.

"Coupling Intel's strength in technology with Philips' leadership in home and audio/visual markets provides us with a significant opportunity to deliver more powerful and robust solutions to our customers," explains Matt Medeiros, CEO of Philips' Components Division.

The platform is available now. The first product using this platform was unveiled last month. Contact Ronald Brown at (408) 617-4393 or [email protected], or Mary Ninow at (916) 356-4870 or [email protected].

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.

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