Press Release
California
Micro Devices Launches New Serial Interface Display Controller for Wireless
Handsets
MDDI Dual Display and Audio Controller
Offers Unprecedented Cost, Footprint and Functionality
MILPITAS, Calif., -- Oct. 04, 2006
-- California
Micro Devices (NASDAQ: CAMD) today unveiled a dual display and audio
controller for wireless handsets that incorporates the VESA Standard
Mobile Display Digital Interface (MDDI)link, which is fully compatible
with QUALCOMM’s Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) chipset
solutions. The new CM5100 features a fully compliant, MDDI based serial
client, an integrated display controller with embedded memory that supports
primary thin film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal displays (LCDs) with
resolutions up to QVGA (320x240) and secondary displays with up to QCIF+
(176x220) resolution. The CM5100’s unique architecture is optimized
for use with today’s most advanced TFT LCD modules that feature
drivers integrated directly on the display glass and also allows the
use of low cost, RAM-less drivers for non-integrated display modules.
In both cases, CM5100-based implementations result in a significantly
smaller footprint and lower solution cost than competitive solutions.
Additionally, California Micro Devices’ CM5100 is the first integrated
display controller with an integrated MDDI compliant audio controller
and features advanced audio and video synchronization capabilities.
According to Mike Concannon, vice president of strategic products for
QUALCOMM CDMA Technologies, "The new CM5100 controller delivers
the complete value proposition of MDDI based display interfaces, including
reduced signal count, low power and improved ease of design, all in
a small form factor. With support for audio streams over the MDDI interface,
the CM5100 offers designers the ability to take full advantage of the
functionality defined in the MDDI standard."
Mobile Display Trends
With the emergence of advanced multimedia
capabilities in mobile handsets, data rates between the handset’s
host processor and its display and camera modules have steadily increased.
Wider data busses operating at higher frequencies have been implemented
between these modules, resulting in significant increases in power consumption,
routing complexity, sensitivity to EMI radiation and cost. To alleviate
these concerns, Qualcomm defined the MDDI specification, which consists
of a high speed low power interface carrying video, audio and control
packets to connect the host processor to the display module. Qualcomm’s
chipsets integrate an MDDI host and an MDDI client solution is required
adjacent to the display module to direct the data streams to the appropriate
resources.
Today, advanced displays for mobile
handsets feature resolutions of QVGA or greater. To address the finer
pixel pitch requirements of these small, high resolution displays, manufacturers
are adopting new design approaches based upon low temperature polysilicon
(LTPS) and amorphous silicon (aSi) TFT architectures that allow the
display drivers to be deposited directly on the display’s glass
substrate, resulting in a reduced bill of materials.
Key Features
The CM5100 supports all necessary video,
audio and control packet types recommended by the MDDI specification.
The integrated MDDI client transceiver is Type I (internal mode, 15
cm maximum cable length), consisting of one data pair, one strobe pair
and a dedicated power supply pair that can support a data rate of up
to 385Mbps. As a result, the CM5100 requires only six lines operating
at lower power compared to traditional parallel interfaces that could
include up to sixty lines to control both displays and other resources.
The internal video mapper contained
in the CM5100 enables it to operate as a display controller with an
integrated frame buffer for a main panel of up to QVGA resolution through
a standard RGB interface, and support a secondary “smart”
display through a CPU type of interface. Audio packets can also be transferred
through the MDDI pipe and be redirected to a local stereo audio codec
through the I2S interface. The I2C host interface allows connecting
the CM5100 to any I2C slave device allowing it to be controlled through
the MDDI interface.
The CM5100 is developed in a low power process technology and features
extensive power management modes to provide minimal power consumption.
TheCM5100, housed in a 100 bump, 0.5mm pitch Wafer Level Chip Scale
Package with a form factor of just 5.0mm x 5.0mm, is the industry’s
smallest MDDI based display controller.
Pricing and Availability
Evaluation boards and chip samples of the
CM5100 are available now. Chip pricing starts at $6.00 in 1,000 unit
quantities. Volume production is scheduled for Q4 2006.
About California Micro Devices Corporation
California Micro Devices Corporation is a
leading supplier of application specific analog semiconductor products
for the mobile handset, personal computer and digital consumer electronics
markets. Key products include Application Specific Integrated Passive™
(ASIP™) devices and selected high value mixed signal
ICs. Detailed corporate and product information may be accessed at www.cmd.com.
ASIP™, Application Specific Integrated Passive™ and Praetorian™ are trademarks of California Micro Devices. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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