Xilinx, Xentec roll out image compression cores

The DCT and IDCT core is said to enable high-speed hardware implementation of the forward and inverse discrete cosine transform functions in a Spartan-II device.

DCT and IDCT functions are the building blocks of the JPEG, MPEG and ITU-T H261 standards-based codecs that are used in many image-processing applications.

The DCT function is a key element in a compression system that splits still-image pixels into smaller data blocks. It calculates a value to represent each block that can be used to reduce the storage space required for the overall image. The IDCT function operates in reverse and reconstructs the image from compres sed data.

The DCT and IDCT function is a critical building block in Dolby AC-2 and AC-3, JPEG and MPEG compression systems, according to the companies.

The companies also announced an integrated JPEG codec core. JPEG is an image-compression technique for reducing image file sizes without a noticeable difference in image quality.

The Xentec X_JPEG codec core conforms to the ISO/IEC 10918-1 JPEG baseline specification and performs both compression and decompression functions.

The X_JPEG and X_DCT_IDCT cores are immediately available from Xentec for use in Xilinx FPGAs. The DCT and IDCT core is available for use in Spartan-II, Virtex-E and Virtex FPGAs and lists at $10,000 for the netlist version.

The JPEG codec is available for use in Virtex-E and Virtex FPGAs. It lists at $30,000 for the netlist version.

All Xentec products can be purchased directly from Xentec. The datasheets can be downloaded from the Xilinx IP Center at www.xilinx.com/ipcenter. Also visit www.xentec-inc.com.

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DSP core provider Bops Inc. has named Carl Schlachte chief executive officer. Schlachte joins the company from ARM Ltd., where he was most recently vice president of North American sales. Bops president Mark Bowles said Schlachte's "intimate knowledge of the customers, markets and business model of semiconductor intellectual property makes him the ideal candidate to lead Bops into the next phase of broad commercialization."

Schlachte, a 15-year semiconductor veteran, has held executive, sales and engineering positions at both ARM and Motorola. He spent 3-1/2 years at ARM, where he was vice president of sales for North America. He was among ARM's first U.S. employees and was responsible for establishing the company's sales presence in North America.

At Motorola, Schlachte was in the World Marketing Group and was a key member of the PowerPC team. He ho lds a B.S. in computer science from Clemson University (South Carolina). See www.bops.com.