Fujitsu, the company that invented plasma TVs, has now developed a transcoder LSI chip, that will compress full HD (1920 x 1080p) MPEG-2 video data by converting it into the H.264 standard format.
The company said the transcoder MB86H52 processor can compress MPEG-2 video to less than half its original size, while maintaining the video quality. This will increase recording time by 2.5 times or more in hard-drive-based recorders, and allow for more efficient transmission of data across low-bandwidth systems such as home networks.
Currently digital television signals are broadcast in the MPEG-2 format.
The new LSI chip transcodes MPEG-2 video to H.264 using the same techniques employed by Fujitsu’s earlier MB86H51 chip, but adds proprietary video quality enhancing technology that boosts the compression rate while maintaining the quality of the original MPEG-2 data.
In addition to handling resolution of up to 1920 x 1080i/60 Hz, the LSI adds two audio channels to support various kinds of audio formats such as Dolby Digital. Samples are slated for shipment in September at a rate of $217, the company said.
