This is the first such agreement TI has struck to embed streaming downloadable audio and video capability into its platform for next-generation wireless consumer devices.
As a result of this collaboration – bringing together TI, the world leader in programmable digital signal processing (DSP) and analog, and RealNetworks, the world leader in Internet media delivery – users of TI DSP-based Internet appliances such as portable Internet audio players, mobile handsets, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) can watch breaking news and sports highlights, listen to music and receive the latest entertainment and weather updates – all through RealNetworks formats.
We are excited to be working with RealNetworks, the leader in digital media delivery, and to enable anyone using a device powered by TI programmable DSPs access to the vast amount of Internet digital media that is in RealNetworks’ format, said Kun Lin, vice president of the Imaging and Audio Group, TI. We chose RealNetworks because its market-leading platform enables a broad array of digital media experiences – making it cost-effective and scalable for broadcasters, and convenient for consumers, to use next-generation wireless and portable Internet devices.
With today’s announcement, RealNetworks is extending RealPlayer, the world’s most popular Internet media player, to a new range of consumer wireless and digital audio and video devices, said Len Jordan, senior vice president of consumer products at RealNetworks, Inc. We’re excited to be working with Texas Instruments and using the processing power, low-power consumption and upgradability of their industry-leading, programmable DSPs to give consumers access to their favorite Internet media.
Under the agreement, TI will integrate RealNetworks’ RealPlayer(R) technology into TI’s high performance, low power DSPs, including its DSP-based Open Multimedia Applications Platform(TM) (OMAP) architecture and fourth generation Internet audio DSP, the DA250. TI’s OMAP processor is an applications engine that makes real-time communications-based technologies a reality in wireless handsets and advance mobile computing devices. This collaboration enables users of TI’s OMAP and programmable DSPs to easily incorporate support for RealNetworks into their products and provide access to digital media in the RealNetworks format, which is used to deliver content on more than 85 percent of all Web pages that feature streaming media. The support for RealAudio and RealVideo is scheduled to be available in Q2 of 2001.
