Texas Instruments Developer Conference 2002
As much as I've come to appreciate August weather in Texas, I was unable to get a travel budget that would take me across the Atlantic to attend the Texas Instruments Developer Conference last week. Nonetheless, I've been tracking the press announcements, a couple of which caught my attention and warrant some follow-up. I've included them in this write-up, so don't stop after the first one. One announcement deals with TI's Web site, another discloses a new OMAP product, and the final announcement concerns the implications of a third-party package, LabVIEW.
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ChipCenter's Paul Schreier says . . . |
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TI Drives the Standard for Customer Care During the Design Process
Innovative Online Tools and Site Upgrades Revolutionize Digital Signal Processing Support
Houston, TX--August 6, 2002--Recognizing the role accessible, multi-dimensional customer support has in accelerating the DSP design process, Texas Instruments Inc. announced from the TI Developer Conference that it is setting a new standard for the level of customer care DSP developers should expect from providers. Scott Roller, TI's DSP Internet strategy manager, presented TI's approach to customer support during his Access TI presentation at the conference, which highlighted the activities TI is pursuing in an effort to put the customer first.
"As developers confront shrinking design cycles and increasingly complex designs, we want to ensure they can tap into TI's signal-processing expertise and broad network of TI DSP developers as quickly and easily as possible," Roller said. "We continue to invest in our portfolio of online resources and are adding new applications, such as the discussion groups and KnowledgeBase, all the time. These improvements in online capabilities complement our product information center and field application engineers, who dedicate themselves to helping customers with the most complex questions."
The Web has become an integral part of the design process and is simply the fastest way for customers to access 24/7 support. One way TI has demonstrated their commitment to this effort is the launch of the new and improved DSP Developers' Village, a portal to all TI products and services related to DSPs, which has been designed to map to the way developers think and navigate to make the wealth of TI resources even more accessible. This upgrade includes the addition of new content supporting TI's new OMAP5910 processor, and it is the first in a series of upcoming Web innovations, content, and new tools that will enable a new level of operating efficiency for DSP designers.
DSP Developers' Village is uniquely positioned to maximize the strength of TI's DSP developer network by providing a forum for customers to tap into the unmatched depth and breadth of TI's technical information. New and updated features customers will now see on the site include:
- At-a-glance DSP product tree that provides consolidated information on each of TI's platforms, including a product overview, supporting devices, development tools, software, and third parties
- Quick Datasheets that provide one-click navigation from any point in the site to datasheets, pricing, availability and samples for all devices
- Multimedia tutorials to give customers guidance on how to get started with different TI devices, tools, and software
- New and Featured sections that highlight relevant technical resources, events, and special offerings
- Simplified, more intuitive navigation that reflects the way developers approach seeking information on DSP technology.
"The emphasis TI is placing on providing strong customer support and developing new and innovative support tools and programs, such as discussion groups, can prove to be a key differentiator in the DSP market space," said Will Strauss, president, Forward Concepts. "Though engineers may not have focused on their suppliers' support offerings in the past, the shrinking design cycles mean they will want more effective support services to ensure smooth and timely development."
Over the last year, TI has launched a number of other support tools, which are in addition to the traditional resources available to customers through the product information center and field applications engineers. New online tools include:
- Discussion Groups—Linking the DSP design community through an easy-to-use, online tool, TI introduced five online discussion groups that allow designers to tap directly into the wealth of expertise shared by more than 50,000 TI DSP developers, more than 500 third parties and thousands of universities that know and use TI products. See www.dspvillage.ti.com/discussi.
- E-Store—The E-Store simplifies placement of product and documentation orders for customers, and it currently features more than 50 products, including those of TI's third parties, and makes products such as TI's DSP starter kits available to customers the day they are announced. See www.dspvillage.ti.com/tiestore1. Customers can also order a free copy of The Essential Guide to Getting Started with DSP CD that includes a 90-day trial of Code Composer Studio. See www.dspvillage.ti.com/ordercd3.
- Getting Started—This Web site walks engineers new to digital signal processing through the selection process and provides introductory DSP content, including multimedia tutorials. See www.dspvillage.ti.com/gettingstartedc.
- DSP KnowledgeBase—The DSP KnowledgeBase provides engineers with access to a library of technical information, such as users guides, datasheets, white papers and application notes. See www.ti.com/sc/dspkbaseb.
For more information on TI's renewed emphasis on support, see www.dspvillage.ti.com/launch2.
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Navigating Extensive Content
Let's start with TI's revamped Web site. In general, one big criticism of vendor Web sites is a lack of compelling information. Well, TI is struggling with just the opposite problem: too much content, and finding a way to make it more accessible to the engineer who needs immediate answers. The latest release of the DSP Village Web site reflects TI's latest efforts towards that goal.
DSP Internet strategy manager Scott Roller explains that his firm did considerable customer research to find out what they want on such a Web site and how they would like to access that info. He remarks that this upgrade to the Web site is known internally as Version 3; the first version was the initial Web site a couple of years ago, and Ver 2 reflected the addition of lots of content and considerable back-end work such as establishing data structures. Now, with "Ver 3" the new focus is on the user interface along with the addition of some new content and features as outlined in the press release. For example, one new feature consists of multimedia tutorials, which have proven their value because an engineer can comprehend a complex topic in a few minutes after watching somebody explain something rather than spending an hour or two pouring over a white paper.
As you'd expect, the Web site is a continual work in progress. In the near future you can look for a "My TI" sign-on page that lets you customize the site such as by personalizing home pages and creating folders for projects. Also expect shortly to see an enhanced Third-Party Catalog with better searching and browsing.
Things the company is looking at for incorporation into what we might expect as "Ver 4" could be Live Help, perhaps a Programming Tips section, and a Search Results page that gives additional information so you could better determine if a hit is of any use to you without the need to look at the page or opening a PDF. In the future, you might also be able to track the status of a support case rather than assume that somebody is working on it. Finally, Roller has revealed that his staff is working on an Expert System for more detailed selection of content rather than just a raw search engine.
What you still won't find on the TI Web site is competitive info. But finding one vendor talking about another is a rarity, and probably wisely so. Thus you'll have to continue to rely on third parties such as ChipCenter to give you the cross-vendor picture.
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TI's New Dual-Core Processor Brings Real-Time DSP Performance and Lower Power Consumption to RISC Developers
The OMAP5910 part delivers integration efficiencies through an optimized interprocessor communication mechanism.
Houston, TX--August 5, 2002--Giving RISC-based developers the benefits of the real-time performance and power efficiency required for next-generation multimedia-enhanced applications, Texas Instruments unveiled the dual-core OMAP5910 embedded processor. The OMAP5910 delivers the best of both worlds by combining in a single device the real-time processing capabilities and low power consumption of TI's TMS320C55x DSP core, the flexibility and scalability of a TI-enhanced ARM925 microprocessor, and ease of use through an optimized interprocessor communication mechanism.
"The unique combination of both performance and power efficiency that TI has delivered to the wireless markets with previous OMAP processors will now be readily available to designers of a wide range of applications with the OMAP5910," said Will Strauss, president, Forward Concepts. "TI's dual-core OMAP5910 processors allow OEMs and application developers to easily deliver new real-time applications that will be rich with innovative features."
The OMAP5910 is the newest addition to the widely adopted family of OMAP processors, which has garnered strong momentum in the 2.5G/3G handset and PDA markets. The OMAP5910 extends the inherent advantages of the OMAP platform to new consumer, business, and industrial applications such as digital media, biometrics, location-based services, enhanced gaming, and telematics.
Familiar Development Environment Speeds Design Cycle
The OMAP5910 enables embedded developers to program using familiar development environments by supporting leading operating systems such as Accelerated Technology NucleusPLUS, Microsoft Windows CE.net, Linux, Wind River VxWorks, and TI's DSP/BIOS real-time scalable kernel. This familiar development environment makes it possible for designers to deliver innovative products to the market faster, using familiar tools, a standard application programming interface (API), and a seamless interface to the DSP through an optimized interprocessor communication mechanism. The built-in interprocessor communication mechanism eliminates the need for developers to program the RISC and DSP independently, greatly reducing programming time and complexity.
The Right Processor for the Right Task Delivers Optimal Performance
TI's OMAP5910 addresses the fundamental challenges facing designers, optimizing the performance of both real-time processing-intensive tasks and control functions. When a RISC processor performs both tasks, the performance of each is compromised. However, by combining an ARM RISC processor (suited to orchestrating command and control) with a DSP (ideal for computation-intensive signal processing tasks), the system performance can be optimized, with specific tasks performed by the most appropriate device.
"PhatNoise chose the OMAP5910 because it is the ideal combination of hardware architecture and software infrastructure for our next-generation car audio systems," said Dannie Lau, co-founder and executive vice president of business and new product development, PhatNoise, Inc. "The integration of the C55x DSP and ARM925 microprocessor allows us to partition the right task to the right processor. From this, we get the real-time, high-performance processing power required by our systems, as well as the additional headroom to add innovative new features to our products."
The single-chip OMAP5910 also delivers system-on-a-chip functionality with unparalleled peripherals including 192 Kbytes RAM, USB 1.1 host and client, MMC/SD card interface, multichannel buffered serial ports, real-time clock, GPIO and UARTs, LCD interface, SPI, uWire, and i²s.
Extensive Support Fosters Faster Time-to-Market
TI has established a worldwide network of independent OMAP Technology Centers (OTCs) that enhances TI's already extensive training and development support capabilities for the OMAP platform. The current OTCs include BSQUARE Corp, DSPecialists, Delphi Communication Systems Inc., Logic Product Development, Stellcom Inc., and Productivity Systems Inc.
In addition, designers can draw on the tools and resources of 400 third parties developing applications for TI's TMS320C5000 DSP platform, and a number of leading software developers from TI's extensive OMAP Developer Network to quickly deliver multimedia-rich applications and services to the market. The OMAP platform is also supported by easy-to-use eXpressDSP software and development tools, including the Code Composer Studio for OMAP integrated development environment and a complete portfolio of eXpressDSP-compliant algorithms from TI's third-party network.
TI Provides the Tools to Get Started Today
Developers and device manufacturers can quickly create applications for multiple market segments using the Innovator Development Kit for the OMAP platform. Supporting multiple operating systems for flexibility and cost efficiency, the Innovator Development Kit is a handheld, battery-operated development platform to help developers get started today. Fully integrated development environments and board support packages (BSPs) for the Innovator Development Kit are scheduled to be available before the end of 2002 for Accelerated Technology NucleusPLUS, Microsoft Windows CE .net, Linux, and Wind River VxWorks.
The OMAP5910 is available today in sample quantities, and production devices are scheduled to be available beginning in the first quarter of 2003. eXpressDSP, evaluation modules, and other development tools are available immediately from TI. See www.omap.com/rd/omaptools.
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Expanding OMAP Markets
The second release of interest concerns the OMAP 5910, which reflects a move to expand that family of parts into new market segments. At its inception, the OMAP family was intended for 2.5 and 3G applications, as indicated by the acronym Open Multimedia Applications Platform.
What caught my attention was the fact that this chip combines a C55x with an ARM925, both running at 150 MHz, while an earlier processor, the OMAP1510, also features an ARM9 (running at 175 MHz max.) and a C55x (200 MHz max.). So, other than the frequencies of the processors, what are the differences between the 1510 and the 5910?
Despite prodding and posing the question several ways, I was unable to get many specifics. TI spokespersons repeatedly stated that the chips are targeted at different markets and that the chip architectures reflect that fact. DSP media relations program manager Cindy Kim added that the 1510 has been available only to a few hand-picked customers and was sold strictly into the 2.5/3G space, and that TI was until now unwilling to sell the part outside that space. Now, she adds, TI is making the silicon, software, and support in the OMAP program widely available to the mass market.
Returning to my original question as to the differences, she would say only that the devices have a different mix of on-chip peripherals, but declined to offer any detail. When I asked the obvious question that I'm sure many astute readers would immediately pose—Both have basically the same cores, so is this a different chip, or is it really the same thing?—Kim responded emphatically that it is a new device, and that TI has made some modifications to make the chip more attractive for the new target markets. What those modifications are, serious customers will have to dig out for themselves.
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National Instruments Expands Role of LabVIEW for DSP System Design and Test
Leading Measurement Software to Integrate with Texas Instruments Code Composer Studio
Houston, TX--August 6, 2002--National Instruments announced at the Texas Instruments Developer Conference that it will integrate its LabVIEW graphical measurement software with TI Code Composer Studio development tools. Working together, these two industry-leading software packages significantly cut development time for TI-based DSP systems.
"With the integration of LabVIEW and Code Composer Studio, TI customers can soon take full advantage of the benefits of virtual instrumentation," said John Schanzenbach, TI Software Development Tools Platform Manager. "Using LabVIEW intuitive graphical programming and seamless integration with measurement I/O, TI DSP customers can verify their product designs much earlier in the design process."
LabVIEW integration with Code Composer Studio solves the traditional complexity of developing tests for DSP systems, which typically delays design validation until after product prototypes are built. Engineers can use LabVIEW during the design modeling phase to create tests that identify design flaws before prototype construction. This vastly reduces the time it takes to ship robust products to market, which is vital for designers of digital media players, wireless LAN systems, optical networking systems, motor controls, household appliances, and other products that incorporate DSP chips.
By integrating measurements earlier in the design flow, LabVIEW becomes an even more powerful and useful design tool for measurement and validation, said John Graff, NI Vice President of Marketing. "Design engineers have long used LabVIEW to create powerful virtual instruments that perform a wide range of measurement and automation tasks throughout the design process," said Graff. "With the integration of LabVIEW and Code Composer Studio, TI DSP customers will more easily improve, debug, and rework designs, ultimately speeding product development time."
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Software Titans Converge
The third announcement wasn't actually distributed by TI, but instead came out of one of the company's third-party partners, National Instruments. NI is trying to move its flagship product, LabVIEW, into more and more aspects of engineering design. Here NI is positioning LabVIEW, running in conjunction with Code Composer Studio, as a tool for the design-modeling phase of a DSP-based project, a tool that can create tests that identify design flaws before prototype construction.
What's particularly interesting is that a similar capability has existed for some time by combining Code Composer Studio with products from The MathWorks Inc., specifically MATLAB and SimuLink. MATLAB started out as an analytic software package, helping engineers perform advanced mathematical calculations. Over the years, The MathWorks has added to that core package more and more functions through add-on modules and products as well as third-party involvement. A big step came a few years ago when the developer added GUI capabilities to MATLAB, and another big step was the introduction of SimuLink, which gives designers a block-diagram programming environment for system-level design, especially in control systems and DSP and communications systems. More recently, in the area of data acquisition, you can get drivers for I/O cards from a wide variety of suppliers. MATLAB can also serve as a systems prototyping tool, and with its xPC product family, The MathWorks also supplies a real-time execution
environment for programs created from within the MATLAB/SimuLink environment. Further, the package is finding use in image analysis and even financial modeling.
So, The MathWorks has been working towards a goal of making MATLAB a universal engineering design, analysis, and execution platform, starting from its core competency in analysis, and later expanding into I/O and other functions. Now NI is following suit by trying to take LabVIEW and spread out far beyond its original task, that of being a graphically driven package for interfacing to data-acquisition and instrumentation hardware, and creating test programs using a graphical paradigm. Over the years, NI has added considerable analysis functions, and now with this move are taking LabVIEW further into the design phase of embedded products using DSPs.
This trend would seem to be leading to an eventual clash of titans. Today two software platforms have come to dominate as options for engineers doing design, acquisition, and analysis—MATLAB and LabVIEW. They're slowly spreading out into each other's traditional domains, and neither company is willing to sit by idly and watch the other eat away at its market share. It should indeed be interesting to see what kind of product, marketing, or perhaps even legal maneuvering could arise to give one or the other the final edge.
Along these lines, a reference to one final recent press announcement: NI this month has also named Duy-Loan Le, a TI Senior Fellow and the DSP Advanced Technology Ramp Manager, to the National Instruments board of directors. This appointment would only seem to reinforce NI's desire to move more solidly into DSP design.
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