TI just unveiled their most advanced ARM Cortex-A9 processor yet in the 1.5Ghz Dual-Core ARM Cortex-A9 OMAP4440 processor and SoC platform. Performance improvements over their OMAP4430 includes:
– 1.25x increase in graphics performance
– 30% decrease in webpage load time
– 2x increase in 1080p video playback performance
– 50% increase in clock speeds, as fast as 1.5 GHz per ARM® Cortex™-A9 MPCore™
I’m hoping this means this processor is definitely fast enough for full 1080p h264 high profile at the highest bitrates in MKV containers. 30% faster web page loading times is important for Laptop, Desktop and Tablet form factors with large high resolution screens for this processor to be optimal choice for Chrome OS, Honeycombe Tablets and Google TV type devices.
TI’s Remi El-Ouazzane, vice president, OMAP platform business unit said following in their official press release:
We seized an opportunity to enhance the platform capabilities driving the OMAP4430 processor’s success today. As OMAP4430 processor-based products hit the market in first half 2011, we’re arming our customers with a huge performance boost via an easy migration to OMAP4440 processor for their next wave of exciting devices. The resulting user experiences will radically impact how consumers continue to integrate mobile technology into their daily lives.
OMAP4440 processor: Primed for upgraded mobile user experiences
The OMAP 4 platform is a highly-optimized system-on-chip (SOC) leveraging two ARM Cortex-A9 MPCore general-purpose processors, reaching speeds of 1.5 GHz per core, complemented by two ARM Cortex-M3 cores to power-efficiently offload time-critical and control tasks. High-performance multimedia capabilities are provided by programmable cores including a POWERVR™ 3D graphics engine, TI IVA 3 for high-definition/multi-standard video, TI image signal processor (ISP) for high-quality/high-megapixels imaging, TI low-power audio processor and TI digital signal processor (DSP) based on the TI C64x DSP for natural user interface and signal processing innovations optimized for mobile applications.
The OMAP 4 platform efficiently supports concurrent, high-performance processing and high-definition multimedia with dual, high-bandwidth memory channels. The platform is secured with TI M-Shield™ security, and delivers high performance within the small power budget of mobile devices by leveraging TI SmartReflex™ power and performance management technologies. As the second member of the OMAP 4 product family, the OMAP4440 processor’s upgraded features and benefits include:
| Feature* |
Benefit |
| Two ARM® Cortex™-A9 MPCores™ optimized to 1.5 GHz each |
50% increase in overall performance; 33% reduction in webpage load time |
| End-to-end graphics acceleration enhancement (triangles per second, fill rate and shaders) |
25% increase in overall graphics performance |
| Support for HDMI v1.4 3D modes |
Full 1080p HD S3D playback to 3D TV |
| 1080p60 video format support |
2x higher performance video playback |
| Support for up to two 12-megapixel cameras in parallel |
Higher stereoscopic resolution encode enabling stereo photography, which meets the same resolution previously experienced only with 2D photography |
| IVA 3 multimedia hardware accelerator |
Industry’s highest quality video playback at low bit rates |
| Complete pin-to-pin hardware and software compatibility |
Easy migration from the OMAP4430 processors |
*Comparative data is relative to the OMAP4430 processor’s performance
The OMAP4440 processor is uniquely positioned to support the widely anticipated mobile video teleconferencing experience. For example, successful mobile video teleconferencing requires a few key components directly addressed by the following OMAP4440 processor features:
| Mobile video teleconferencing component |
OMAP4440 processor-enabled feature |
| High-quality mobile video conferencing |
Improved video quality in low-light conditions; video stabilization |
| Chat software (i.e., Skype or Google Talk) |
Video codec support includes H.264, VP7, H.263, SVC, and more |
| Peer-to-peer (1 local user with one other user) chat functionality |
1080p mobile video conferencing |
| Multi-chat (1 local user with up to 4 other users) functionality |
720p resolution with stereo audio support |
| Cloud access for simultaneous application support (e.g., browsing the web while chatting or document sharing) |
Optimized symmetric multiprocessing architecture to deliver low latency and high bandwidth support |
Availability and pricing
The OMAP4440 applications processor will sample in first quarter 2011, with production expected by the second half of 2011. These products are intended for high-volume wireless OEMs and ODMs and are not available through distributors.
