Improved rapid prototyping methodology for MPEG-4 IC development
Clive K. K. Tang, Kathy Moseler, Sami Levi · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1998
One important factor in deciding the success of a new consumer product or integrated circuit is minimized time-to- market. A rapid prototyping methodology that encompasses algorithm development in the hardware design phase will have great impact on reducing time-to-market. In this paper, a proven hardware design methodology and a novel top-down design methodology based on Frontier Design's DSP Station tool are described. The proven methodology was used during development of the MC149570 H.261/H.263 video codec manufactured by Motorola. This paper discusses an improvement to this method to create an integrated environment for both system and hardware development, thereby further reducing the time-to-market. The software tool chosen is DSP Station tool by Frontier Design. The rich features of DSP Station tool will be described and then it will be shown how these features may be useful in designing from algorithm to silicon. How this methodology may be used in the development of a new MPEG4 Video Communication ASIC will be outlined. A brief comparison with a popular tool, Signal Processing WorkSystem tool by Cadence, will also be given.