Mentor Graphics Announces Nucleus Platform Media Player for Rapid Delivery of Multimedia Applications

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) today announced availability of the Nucleus® Platform Media Player, a multimedia application reference design which enables the rapid development of differentiated multimedia devices such as portable media players (PMP), personal navigation devices (PND), mobile internet devices (MID), mobile phones, digital picture frames and in-car entertainment systems. Based on the Nucleus Operating System (OS), a powerful user interface (UI) engine, and a full complement of development tools, this customizable reference platform accelerates multimedia product development while minimizing memory footprint and development costs.

“In the fiercely competitive multimedia markets, device manufacturers must stay focused on innovation to differentiate their products,” said Neil Henderson, general manager, Embedded Systems Division, Mentor Graphics. “Responding to the maturing multimedia market needs, Mentor’s single-vendor reference platform enables developers to more quickly implement core functionality, giving them more time to focus on delivering innovative and compelling multimedia devices.”

The Nucleus Platform Media Player reference design exploits Nucleus OS services such as kernel, USB, file system, database, and user interface (UI) to enable the efficient storage, retrieval, playback, browsing and transfer of multimedia content. A complementary suite of development tools – which includes a compiler, on-host simulation environment and on-target debugger – serves to accelerate the process of going from reference design to end product. A fully integrated drag and drop UI design environment ensures that the end product is not only functional but also visually appealing, enabling advanced interface designs – including 3D effects such as fading, twisting and zooming – to be created and tested within hours. The Nucleus Platform Media Player employs an OpenMAX™ compliant multimedia framework to facilitate the rapid integration of third party multimedia components such as codecs.

Mentor has partnered with leading software vendors to offer value-added capabilities on the Nucleus Platform Media Player.

VisualOn’s embedded multimedia software includes optimized video and audio codecs that deliver the highest quality and performance while minimizing power consumption for handsets and other portable devices. “We have worked with Mentor to integrate our codecs with the Nucleus Platform Media Player reference design so that customers can start working with industry standard video and audio formats out of the box,” said Sean Torsney, vice president of sales and marketing for VisualOn.

Arphic's multilingual text layout engine and efficient font formats enable devices to support a broad range of complex languages and scripts with minimal overhead.
“To meet diverse market needs, multimedia device manufacturers must be able to accommodate multilingual text requirements,” said Grace Yang, CEO of Arphic. “Our technology enables Nucleus Platform Media Player customers to minimize the effort required to meet this need.”

Arkamys specializes in the creation of software components that deliver enhanced, richer and more realistic audio playback. “We are pleased that Arkamys’ innovations in audio technology are available to customers of the Nucleus Platform Media Player,” noted Philippe Tour, CEO of Arkamys. “This collaboration affords device manufacturers a proven, off-the-shelf way to give consumers an audio experience that far exceeds the expectations set by standard sound playback technology.”

Mentor Graphics at Embedded Systems Conference in Boston
To find out how Mentor’s Nucleus embedded software solutions enable the delivery of innovative electronics products in less time and with lower cost, visit us at ESC Boston, Booth #400, Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA, October 26-30.

Availability and Pricing
For more information and pricing for Mentor Graphics embedded solutions, please call 1-800-547-3000 or e-mail embedded_info@mentor.com.
To learn more about Arkamys solutions, visit http://www.arkamys.com/home.php.
To learn more about Arphic solutions, visit http://www.arphic.net.
To learn more about VisualOn solutions, visit http://www.visualon.com/.

About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world’s most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $850 million and employs approximately 4,500 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.