Fujitsu and XSYS Develop MPEG-2 Encoder For In-Car Digital Video System

    LONDON, Feb. 6 Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe has
announced that it is working closely with XSYS Interactive Research of
Villingen, Germany, on the implementation of Fujitsu's MPEG-2 encoder in a
sophisticated in-car digital video and data distribution system.

    Unlike previous-generation analogue systems which were based on copper
coaxial cabling, the highly advanced video and data processing developed by
XSYS for this application allows the transmission via a digital bus based on
plastic optical fibre.

    The Fujitsu MB86390 MPEG-2 encoder is one of the industry's first
single-chip solutions for MPEG-2 encoding, including all three key functional
elements; video, audio and system multiplexing, in a single IC.  An embedded
Fujitsu SPARClite CPU controls the complete encoding and multiplexing process.
Implementation within a single-chip enables costs to be minimised, allowing
the device to meet the particularly cost-sensitive demands of in-car systems.

    The MPEG-2 encoder has been proven by XSYS to have exceptionally stable
performance in the demanding environmental conditions prevalent within the
car, being especially robust against analogue 'noise' to which MPEG image
compression techniques are normally susceptible.  The reason for that is the
using of smart and sophisticated coding algorithms.

    A typical in-car video distribution system, using the MB86390, would
consist of TV tuner, MPEG-2 encoder and LCD displays with built-in MPEG
decoders.

    In order to achieve the typical 320 pixels by 240 lines resolution of LCD
displays in such a system with a progressive frame format, it has been shown
that a bit-rate of approximately 5Mbit/sec is sufficient, even with noisy TV
signals.

    In less noisy applications, such as those with in-car cameras as the
signal source, the bit rate can be reduced to about 1.5Mbit/sec.