Cypress Semiconductor has unveiled an upgraded module of its West Bridge peripheral controllers, which offers sideloading platform for transfer of multimedia files from a PC to handheld device through Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).
The company said that the new Turbo-MTP 2.0 module allows users to sideload a feature-length movie 10 times faster than traditional MTP implementations. In addition, the new module includes drivers for the Android operating system, making the West Bridge service compatible with a wider array of handhelds. It is expected to provide a 2X improvement over Cypress’s earlier Turbo-MTP 1.0 module.
According to Cypress, the Turbo-MTP modules increase the effectiveness of MTP, a USB-based protocol used by Rhapsody, Napster, Verizon V CAST and other online video and music services. With MTP, a handheld retains access to storage even while plugged into a PC.
In addition, MTP allows the transfer of metadata such as song titles, images, user ratings and digital rights management information. Natively supported in Windows Media Player (WMP), MTP enables direct, drag-and-drop synchronisation between WMP and a handheld.
Cypress said that West Bridge Antioch devices achieve data transfer performance by providing a direct path from hi-speed USB 2.0 to handset storage devices such as secure digital high capacity, multimedia card, hard disk drive and NAND flash.
The company claims that West Bridge Astoria controllers adds to this performance with a configurable multimedia storage interface and flexible processor interface. These features allow Astoria to connect to any embedded processor or DSP, bringing MLC NAND support to new applications including portable media players, wireless cards, dongles, portable navigation devices, digital cameras, and POS terminals.
Alakesh Chetia, vice president of the USB business unit at Cypress, said: “Our Turbo-MTP 2.0 solution has turbo-charged sideloading for MTP handhelds, with internal tests reaching speeds close to 30MB per second.
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“In addition, with Android quickly gaining adoption in top-tier multimedia handhelds, we made it a priority to add drivers to support this user-friendly OS with our West Bridge peripheral controllers. This along with our membership in the Symbian Foundation demonstrates Cypress’s commitment to turbo-charging sideloading with all the latest mobile operating systems.”
The Turbo-MTP 2.0 firmware module is supported in the West Bridge Antioch Development Kit and the West Bridge Astoria Development Kit.
