The MQ-1188 is equipped with a 64-bit/66-MHz graphics engine that handles color space processing, decimation and scaling of images in mobile designs. The chip includes 256 kbytes of SRAM for the frame and on-screen video buffering needed for QVGA operation.

When implemented in a mobile phone, the multimedia controller hooks up directly to an image sensor housed in the mobile device. The camera module will handle all of the front-end processing and then hand a data stream to a CCIR 656-compliant video port on the MQ-1188 for postprocessing tasks such as rendering, Cheng said.

For image storage, the MQ-1188 can also work through a host CPU or baseband processor. In those implementations, Cheng said, the main CPU handles the front-end processing tasks while the MQ-1188 focuses on postprocessing. MediaQ has added a fixed-cycle-latency interface to the MQ-1188 through which the multimedia chip can exchange information with an ARM processor.

The chip features a memory interface unit, an LCD panel interface, a graphics controller, an interrupt controller, an oscillator, USB host/device interfaces, a codec interface and an SPI/LED interface. It is also equipped with a 4-bit SDIO (Secure Digital I/O) interface with BSquare host drivers to ensure interoperability with PocketPC-based SDIO devices.

The company plans to roll out a system-on-chip in the first quarter that will add an embedded ARM processor and Java hardware accelerators to the MQ-1188. The SoC will also deliver additional embedded memory for processing higher-resolution images, Cheng said.

The MQ-1188's core operates from a 1.35- to 1.65-V supply. The I/O runs off 2.375 to 3.6 V. The chip consumes 20 mW during full operation. MediaQ is supplying an OS kit that will accelerate handset implementations. It also supplies driver support for the WinCE, PocketPC, CE.Net and Palm OSes.

The MQ-1188 is priced at less than $10 each in lots of 10,000. Samples are available now.

For more information on this product, go to www.mediaq.com.