Chips: Genesis announces next-generation line-doubler chip - Genesis Microchip ImEngine gmVLX1 - Product Announcement

EDGE, On & About AT&T, Nov 2, 1998

Genesis Microchip announces its latest single-chip video processor -- a dramatic enhancement over the company's previous "DICE" series of de-interlacers. The new gmVLX1 integrated circuit (IC) utilizes Genesis Microchip's most advanced vertical/temporal filtering and scaling algorithms to convert interlaced (television-style) video for display on high-resolution, non-interlaced systems (e.g., digital displays).

Applications benefiting from this single-chip technology include DVD players, home theater gear, digital TV, PC-TV, projection systems, plasma displays, and scan doubling/quadrupling equipment. "Consumers will notice right away the clarity and crispness of the RGB output image," says Stephen J. Solari, Genesis Microchip's Chief Operating Officer. "They won't see the jaggy lines and other image artifacts typically produced by other line-doubling techniques." The ImEngine gmVLX1 uses inexpensive SGRAM memory and offers many advanced features such as superb real-time shrink, line doubling/tripling zoom, image sharpening and anti-aliasing filters, gamma correction, on-chip color space conversion, plus an "adaptive film mode" used to de-interlace video dubbed from a film source. Unlike other de-interlacing methods, which simply merge video fields or double interlaced odd/even lines, Genesis ICs utilize a highly sophisticated technique of vertical and temporal filtering to remove the visual artifacts commonly associated with inferior line-doubling techniques. This results in extraordinary video quality and an increase in the video's effective vertical and temporal resolution. The gmVLX1 will be available in November 1998. Volume pricing is $22 (US) in 10,000-piece quantities. Genesis Microchip designs, manufactures and markets the ImEngine series of highly integrated semiconductors for a variety of video and graphics applications. The company's revolutionary integrated circuits are designed into LCD monitors and other flat panel displays, projection systems, video workstation gear, home theater equipment and dozens of other applications. Customers include Apple Computer, Fujitsu, Hitachi, In Focus Systems, LG Electronics, Philips Multimedia, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, Siemens, Silicon Graphics Inc., Sony, Tatung, Texas Instruments and more than 180 other companies. Genesis Microchip Inc. -- an ISO9001-registered company -- is a global leader in imaging and digital video/graphics processing technologies. The company is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Canada, while its worldwide sales office is located in Mountain View, California. Their website URL is: http://www.genesis-microchip.com.