Dsp Video

[AireTamStorm]

I've heard that the DSP can crunch an MPEG-4 720p video stream. Even though this will be downscaled to the Pandora's native resolution, I wonder if the DSP can handle h.264 at 720p as well. A good portion of my encoded video is in this format, due to smaller size and better quality. I know h.264 is an intensive codec, so I'm wondering if the DSP can handle it.

If not, I'd assume that a combination of the Cortex-A8 + the DSP would be able to somehow pull it off, although, the Cortex is far less suited for those kind of calculations.

Thoughts?

Update:
CyruzDraxs Provided a link to a beagle board demonstrating the Cortex doing h.264 playback at 720p resolution.
QUOTE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/koenkooi/2692388640/


HD Resolutions and the Pandora LCD
Note, that while the Pandora will decode the videos at this resolution (eliminating the need to transcode many file types) it will only display at 800x480, probably letter boxed. It will still look about as crystal clear as it gets due to the high dot pitch and size of the Pandora display, so worry not. Your videos will look awesome.

HDTV Output
There is also no current known way to get HD outputs from the Pandora to a TV. It has been discussed, one of the possible solutions being a USB Video Card Dongle with VGA, Component or HDMI outputs to do so.

 

[atomicthumbs]

I think that the IVA2+ handles video decoding.

 

[icurafu]

I was refering to a VC-1 demonstration. This is a good alternative to h.264.

Just reading this...

http://focus.ti.com/pdfs/wtbu/ti_omap3430.pdf

Which quotes hardware support as "MPEG4, H.264, Windows Media Video, RealVideo, H.263 etc."

So there is hardware support. Not sure if it will do 720P.

 

[AireTamStorm]

Hardware support likely means h.264 up to all supported resolutions.

VC-1... I'd much prefer h.264 to that codec.

In any case, this means that most of my media will not require any transcoding whatsoever to play back on the Pandora. Impressive!

 

[quadomatic]

I was refering to a VC-1 demonstration. This is a good alternative to h.264.

Just reading this...

http://focus.ti.com/pdfs/wtbu/ti_omap3430.pdf

Which quotes hardware support as "MPEG4, H.264, Windows Media Video, RealVideo, H.263 etc."

So there is hardware support. Not sure if it will do 720P.



Not like 720p would do us any good anyways...it'd take up loads of space too. Anywhere between 4 and 8 GB.

As long as it support H.264, we're fine.

 

[icurafu]

It would be good coupled with a HDTV USB dongle.

 

[AireTamStorm]

USB isn't a great bus for display adapters.

It looks like they only talk about MPEG-2 at HD resolutions.... I guess it all depends on how the software supports it, as I couldn't find a clear answer.

A 30 Minute 720p video takes up around 300MB for most of my stuff. Not great encodes, of course.

 

[icurafu]

What do you mean display adaptor? A HDTV dongle is obviously something that takes waves from the air via an arial and sends it throught computer to be displayed via the typical graphics adaptor.

Anyway, my HDTV USB dongle does 1080P flawlessly on ym PC.

 

[AireTamStorm]

The huge amount of video bandwidth over the USB bus? Even if the USB dongle does all the decoding itself... I don't know that there is enough main bus bandwidth to hand off raw 1080p video to the display.

In the states, HDTV Dongle = ATSC = Hot and Power Hungry. As usual this country is filled with nonconformists.

 

[donny662]

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/P...TV+HD+Stick.htm

 

[AireTamStorm]

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/P...TV+HD+Stick.htm



I'm not saying that they do not exist, or that it is impossible. I'm simply pointing out that this is a mobile device that doesn't have the same wide system bus as a desktop or laptop computer. Raw video eats bandwidth alive.

 

[icurafu]

It would send it via MPEG2. Unless the US uses a different format.

 

[AireTamStorm]

Many US broadcasts are 1080i, and yes I see many USB tuners would send MPEG2 usually. Possible, and on the Pandora's nice screen, I'd assume very vivid and sharp as well.

 

[icurafu]

Could indead be sexy. I've got a couple of these at home, so I'll test them anyway.

 

[hessiess]

so it can play h264, what about ogg/theora.
the dsp can play mp3, what about FLAC or vorbis?

720P HD scaled down to 800-480 would look better than a stand def picture simply because its not interlaced. 1080i would require deinterlacing which nearly always introduces visual artifacts. because the screen is small you could discard one feild, which leves you with 540 pixles vertical res and 1920 horizontal, this would then have to be down sampled to 800*480. though that would be throughing away so much information that it would be questionable Werther its actually worthwhile.

 

[adsharma23]

what about 720p output to a external display
don't know how that would be outputted seeing as we only have s video and composite video output
that would be the only reason i would use 720p though i would have to still convert my 1080p movies

 

[daemonaholic]

The huge amount of video bandwidth over the USB bus? Even if the USB dongle does all the decoding itself... I don't know that there is enough main bus bandwidth to hand off raw 1080p video to the display.

All HD transmissions are transmitted in a standard MPEG-2 transport stream. The Transport stream contains A/52 (AC-3) encoded audio data (ATSC/DVB) or AAC (ISDB/DVB) and MPEG-2 video data (ATSC/ISDB/DVB). The only odd one of the bunch is DMB (China/Korea), which uses it's own odd melange of codecs.

In the states, HDTV Dongle = ATSC = Hot and Power Hungry. As usual this country is filled with nonconformists.

There's never really been a clear winner in the television standards department. NTSC had a large number of nations, as did PAL. SECAM was the odd one no one cared to acknowledge most of the time and they still held their own against NTSC and PAL.

At least this time around around, the data being transmitted is pretty much the same and there isn't a huge variation between DVB/ATSC/ISDB, just small little tweaks here and there (mostly related to the sponsoring nations politics - US/Canada:ATSC, EUVB, Japan:ISDB).

 

[CyruzDraxs]

Just so everyone knows; The Pandora's processor can playback 720p encoded in h.264 quite well, as was demonstrated by Koen Kool at LugRadio Live in the UK when they played a 720p encode of Big Buck Bunny.

Here's a shot of the show on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/koenkooi/2692388640/

 

[Clad]

SECAM was the odd one no one cared to acknowledge most of the time and they still held their own against NTSC and PAL.

Err, SECAM is the standard around here. I have quite a few SECAM consoles, even though the more recent one are PAL only (thus displaying in black & white on my older TV).

Thanksfully, HDTV standards are getting us rid of those formats, everything is 60hz now. The only issue left is that interlaced business. (720i ? 1080i ? What's the point of having those standards ?!)

 

[PolloLoco]

what about 720p output to a external display
don't know how that would be outputted seeing as we only have s video and composite video output
that would be the only reason i would use 720p though i would have to still convert my 1080p movies

That's exactly my thought. I would hope one of the possible accessories would be a cradle or dongle that connects to USB - and provides HDMI output.

I know it's not likely - but that would be awesome.