Samsung Targets Industry Standard with MSP, a Second Generation Multi-Media Signal Processor; MSP brings real-time multiprocessing to the Windows 95 environment

Business Wire, August 19, 1996

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 19, 1996--Samsung Semiconductor today announced the introduction of MSP, a second generation Multi-Media Signal Processor targeted to PC OEMs and consumer electronics manufacturers.

Based on an open software programming model and industry leading performance, Samsung plans to manufacture MSP chips and aggressively pursue the multimedia market. Plans also call for Samsung to openly license the MSP architecture, establish multiple source manufacturing and proliferate MSP as an industry standard.

This single-chip device, based on Samsung's 0.5/0.35 um 3.3v CMOS technology, incorporates a real-time multimedia kernel from Microsoft Corp. and is integrated with all Windows(R) compatible media APIs including DirectX(TM). It has twice the number of multimedia instructions to provide added flexibility to applications designers. The Samsung MSP is positioned to increase the performance capabilities of all seven multimedia functions, including 2D and 3D graphics acceleration, audio, FAX/Modem, telephony, and video applications.

The MSP architecture features a unique dual-processor design which provides significant performance gains by off-loading the intensive math functions inherent in multimedia processing from the computer's main CPU onto the MSP processor. The MSP chip is powered by a Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) vector processor engine for digital signal processing.

It also has an on-board ARM7 32-bit RISC microcontroller for system management and real time scheduling of processing tasks. The new MSP is a second generation device and has the industry's only scaleable architecture for cost performance. It is twice as fast as the competition for integer processing and more than eight times faster for floating point calculations.

According to Dr. Cliff Reader, Associate Director of Strategic Marketing for Samsung, "As a result of our highly effective use of silicon in this design, we have been able to make the highest performance multimedia processor which offers not only the industry's best cost versus performance solution, but added functionality to boot."

"This new second generation Multi-Media Signal Processor is key for Samsung and further positions us as a technology leader," said Dr. Sang-Il Park, Executive Director, Samsung DSP Technology Center. "This leading edge multimedia technology combined with Samsung's world-class manufacturing will place us ahead of the pack."

Samsung's Multi-Media Signal Processor is an open architecture device with comprehensive software development tools featuring an open and friendly programming model based on a conventional 32-bit instruction set. It is flexible enough to be a standalone solution for a myriad of embedded and consumer applications or as a PC content compatible multimedia processor.

The new device is supported by Samsung's advanced process technologies and manufacturing experience. According to Yong Yao, Director, Technology Roadmap for the Microprocessor Report: "MSP will have a profound effect on the multimedia market. The MSP business model, tremendous floating point performance for 3D graphics, and openness of the MSP software architecture are key to its success. Samsung really took a longer view to this problem and as a result, is well positioned in both the PC and embedded consumer markets."

"Samsung's MSP architecture brings key technologies into the field of the `upside down PC,' in which multimedia functions take precedence over compute functions," said Martin Reynolds, Dataquest VP and Chief Analyst. "Such machines will ultimately become the center for entertainment and communications in the home, and represent the third wave of personal computers. The MSP architecture will also appear in digital consumer devices such as set-top boxes, DVD players and digital television sets, and Samsung's commitment to open software and hardware will ensure a broad range of support from many corners."

Hardware Features

The Samsung MSP consists of a very powerful DSP core and a customer specific memory and I/O subsystem. The DSP core includes a 32-bit RISC architecture ARM7 CPU running at 50 MHz and used for general processing functions such as system management and real-time scheduling. It also features a vector processor running at 100 MHz for signal processing operations and a shared cache subsystem. Also included is a fast 64-bit wide bus (FBUS) running at 100 MHz for interfacing with a myriad of internal FBUS peripherals, and a slower 32-bit wide bus (IOBUS) running at 50 MHZ to interface with a number of IOBUS peripherals.

The device is programmed to provide real-time MPEG1, MPEG2 decoding, real-time AC3 decoding, a real-time H.324 CODEC function. It can also do sound processing such as wavetable functions. The device also contains V.34 modem and V.17 FAX algorithms along with video processing and filtering as well as PC telephony functions (DSVD, Speakerphone, TAM, caller I.D., etc.). MSP can simultaneously run several of these functions in real-time.