Products
Codecs
ARC’s Audio and Video Codecs
The ARC Sound and ARC Video subsystems are combined with optimized codecs, as well as ARC’s unique Sonic Focus audio enrichment technology resulting in a pre-verified solution that can quickly be integrated into your SOC to deliver an enhanced and high quality multimedia experience to the market.
Whether you’re building an SOC for ultra-low power portable applications or for high performance broadcast and home entertainment systems, ARC provides the audio codec you need: heavily optimized, easy to integrate and thoroughly tested.
- Full source code: Enables easy integration into your SOC. You can recompile the code and further differentiate and tightly integrate the codecs with peripherals and the host application.
- Test harness: Each codec comes with a test-harness such that you can run them out of box on FPGA, simulator or silicon.
- Re-entrance: Codecs are fully re-entrant, allowing multiple instances to be run in parallel.
- Reference design: ARC provides the Media Software Framework, a light-weight streaming-based framework with a common API that allows you to rapidly implement multi-codec and complex audio processing use cases while retaining a modular design.
Modeling
Codecs run on ARC’s XCAM cycle-accurate configurable simulation models for performance measurements and verification, as well as on ultra fast instruction set simulators. This enables you to explore different core configurations and optimize your ARC Sound subsystem for maximal performance in your SOC and application.
Compliance, certification and support
The codecs are fully compliant and certified. We perform the testing against standard test vectors, complemented with additional stress test vectors. In addition, we make sure the codec behaves properly in case there are bit errors, and does not lock up. We work closely with the standard holders to certify the codecs and to maintain a close relationship to ensure updates that are published are incorporated.
All codecs are developed, delivered, maintained and licensed to you by ARC and fully supported by ARC staff. This gives you a single point of contact that can rapidly solve any issues that may arise.
ARC’s portfolio of audio codecs is rapidly expanding. Please contact your local sales representative if you need an additional codec.
Available for the ARC Sound subsystems:
The LC SBC codec is targeted at Bluetooth applications, and is the only mandatory codec for applications that implement the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP). The codec enables low-latency, CD-quality stereo audio streaming over Bluetooth or other wireless connections. Target applications are use cases that stream music over Bluetooth to wireless headsets. Such headsets can be used in conjunction with mobile phones, but also inside the home with Bluetooth enabled PCs, Media Servers or Set Top Boxes. The LC SBC encoder in that case runs on the device that has stored or receives the music (e.g. mobile phone or Set Top Box), and the LC SBC decoder runs on the Bluetooth SOC in the headset.
Features
Implements Low Complexity Sub-band Coding as defined by Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP).
- Supports all features defined by A2DP v12 specification
- Algorithm uses 4 or 8 sub-bands, an adaptive bit allocation algorithm, and adaptive block PCM quantizers
- Up to 2 audio channels
- Mono, dual channel, stereo, and joint stereo modes
- Sample rates of 16 / 32 / 44.1 / 48 kHz
- 16-bit PCM input / output
- SNR and Loudness bit allocation modes
- Compliant to Bluetooth specifications
More information here
MP3 is omnipresent these days. Target applications for MP3 include music playback on portable media players, handsets, picture frames and set top boxes. In broadcast applications, such as DVB, MPEG layer 2 is often used, for its better resilience against transmit errors.
ARC’s MP3 decoder has been highly optimized, consuming only 7 MHz for a typical 128kbps bitstream.
Features
- Conforms to MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172-3) and MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818-3)
- Conforms to MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172-3) and MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818-3)
- Includes Layers 1, 2 and 3
- High quality, exceeding the "full accuracy" criteria according to ISO/IEC 11172-4 and ISO/IEC 13818-4.
- Stereo, 8 – 448 kbps and 16 – 48 kHz sample rates
- 16, 24, and 32-bit output
More information here
This codec is also known as HE AAC, eAAC+ and Dolby includes this codec in its Dolby Pulse offering.
The decoder is widely used, with broadcast standards such as DVB-H, DVB-SH (ETSI TS 102 005), ISDB-Tb, DAB+ (ETSI TS 102 563), DMB, DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) and OpenCable picking up this codec. Adobe Flash version 9 also includes this audio coding standard.
ARC’s decoder supports all the features defined by ISO/IEC 14496-3 for the HE profile, AAC LC profile and Coding Technologies’ reference implementation.
Features
- Up to 7.1 channels decode
- Sample rates of 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, 64, 88, 96kHz
- 16-bit PCM output
- SBR(LP and HQ, Down sampling), PS modes
- Dynamic Range compression support
- Configurable equalizer gains
- DSE, PCE data export
- Error detection and concealment
- Support for both 1024 and 960-size frame lengths in AAC core.
More information here
MPEG Layer I or II encoding can be used to encode audio for fast storage of music on portable media players or media servers. Layer II is often used in broadcast also and works well in wireless audio transmission systems, for instance inside the home, due to its resilience to errors.
Features
- Conforms to MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172-3) and MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818-3)
- MPEG-1 Layer 1,2:
– Sampling Rates 32, 44.1, 48 kHz
– Layer-1: from 32 kbps to 448 kbps Constant bit rate
– Layer-2: from 32 kbps to 384 kbps Constant bit rate
– Stereo, Joint Stereo , Dual Channel , Single Channel
- MPEG-2 Layer 1,2:
– Sampling Rates 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz
– 8 - 320 kbps Constant Bit Rate
– Layer-1: from 32 kbps to 448 kbps Constant bit rate
– Layer-2: from 32 kbps to 384 kbps Constant bit rate
– Stereo , Joint Stereo , Dual Channel , Single Channel
More information here
The MP3 encoder is ideal for (high speed) ripping of uncompressed music from CDs to home servers, set top boxes or Blu-ray disc recorders. In addition, portable media players can add an audio record functionality. This codec can also be used in a transcode application, where non-MP3 content is transcoded to MP3 to save space and for compatibility with other devices.
Features
- Conforms to MPEG-1 (ISO/IEC 11172 - 3) and MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818 - 3)
- MPEG-1 Layer 3:
– Sampling Rates 32, 44.1, 48 kHz
– 32 - 320 kbps Constant Bit Rate
– Mono / Stereo
- MPEG-2 Layer 3:
– Sampling Rates 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz
– 8 - 320 kbps Constant Bit Rate
– Mono / Stereo
More information here
The AAC-LC audio codec is best known for being the codec of choice of the Apple iPod. Therefore, many audio playback devices need support for the standard: personal media players, mobile handsets, picture frames, etc. The Japanese television broadcast standard ISDB-T transmits monaural, stereo, or multichannel audio in the AAC-LC format.
Features
- MPEG-2 AAC (ISO/IEC 13818-4)
- MPEG-4 AAC (ISO/IEC 14496-4)
- Mono, Dual-Mono, Stereo
- Sample rate: 8 - 96 KHz
- All bit-rates are supported
- Intensity, Mid/Side, TNS (Temporal Noise Shaping)
- ADIF or ADTS bitstream
- MPEG-4: PNS (Perceptual Noise Substitution) and MPEG-4 bitstream
More information here
This codec is ideal for fast music or movie ripping on portable media players or media servers. Also, television broadcast content can be transcoded to AAC-LC to save hard disk space.
Features
- MPEG-2/4 AAC Low Complexity (AAC-LC) Profile MPEG-2 (ISO/IEC 13818 - 4) and MPEG-4 (ISO/IEC 14496 - 4)
- Bitrates: 8 - 576 kbps
- Sampling rates : 8 - 96 kHz
- Channels mode: mono, dualmono, stereo, 5.1, 7.1
- ADTS bitstream
- ADIF bitstream
- TNS (Temporal Noise Shaping)
- Two versions trade off quality versus encode speed: with and without tools
- With Tools adds:
– Mid or side Stereo
– PNS (Perceptual Noise Substitution)
– IS (Intensity Stereo)
More information here
This Microsoft Windows Media Audio codec is often used for music storage and streaming for personal media players, music phones, media servers, picture frames, and set top boxes. The codec is used widely on the Internet for internet radio and audio streaming.
Features
- Up to 2 channel decode
- Supports Class 4
- Sample rate: 8 - 48KHz
- Bit-rate: 5 - 384kbps
- IC Test Spec v9.0 compliant
- Multichannel mono or stereo
- Multichannel transformation
More information here
The Dolby Digital codec, also known as AC-3, is a widely adopted standard for coding multi-channel content. The DVD and Blu-ray disc standards adopt this codec. Set top boxes or digital TVs need this codec to support the ATSC and OpenCable broadcast standards. The format can also be transmitted over HDMI or S/PDIF connectors.
Features
- Up to 5.1 channel decode
- Sample rate: 32, 44.1 and 48KHz
- Bit-rate: 32-640kbps
- Rematrixing, Downmixing, Dialog normalization
- Dynamic Range Compression
- Error detection
- Supports Annex C of ATSC-A52 (Karaoke Capable)
- Supports Annex D of ATSC-A52 (Extended bitstream)
More information here
This Dolby codec is an enhancement over the Dolby Digital format. It’s been adopted as an optional codec in Blu-ray and is used in the ATSC A/52B and OpenCable television broadcast standards. The HDMI 1.3 specification supports transmission of compressed Dolby Digital Plus content.
Features
- Up to 7.1 channel decode
- Base sample rate: 32, 44.1 and 48KHz
- High sample rate: 88.2 and 96KHz
- Rematrixing, Dialog normalization
- Downmixing
- Annex E, ATSC-A52B
More information here
The Dolby Digital codec, also known as AC-3, is a widely adopted standard for coding multi-channel content. The DVD and Blu-ray disc standards adopt this codec. Set top boxes or digital TVs need this codec to support the ATSC and OpenCable broadcast standards. The format can also be transmitted over HDMI or S/PDIF connectors.
Features
- Compatible with the ATSC AC-3 specification (ATSC A/52).
- Up to 2 channel encoding
- Sampling Rates 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz
- Bit-rates of 64-448 kbps
- Rematrixing
- Dynamic Range Compression
- CRC
More information here
The ITU has standardized this codec that uses ADPCM compression and is mostly used to record and transmit voice data. Typical applications can be: audio record for camcorder use cases or a voice recorder for portable media players. The codec is also used in DECT cordless phones use this standard and Voice over IP and telephony applications often require support for this standard.
Features
- Bit compliant with ITU-T G.726 specifications
- 16, 24, 32, 40 Kbps bitrates
- 8 KHz sampling rate
- Works in little endian mode only
- Full duplex multi-channel implementation
- 16-bit PCM samples
- ARC Audio API 0.83 compliant
More information here
FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, an audio format similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how “Zip” works. With FLAC you will get much better compression than with “Zip” because it is designed specifically for audio. The lossless compression does mean that compressed files are larger compared to MP3 files for instance. It is different from the Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD MA lossless audio standards because it is faster, open, and the developers of the standard claim it is unpatented, and as such FLAC competes with these standards.
Features
- Bit compliant with FLAC v1.2.1 specifications
- Typical and comprehensive profile support
- Sampling rate: 1Hz-655KHz
- Bit-depth from 4 to 24 bits
- Up to 8 channel decode
- CRC/MD5 support
- Includes Ogg container format reader
More information here
Vorbis is an audio compression format comparable to other formats used to store and play digital music, such as MP3 or AAC. It is different from these other formats because it is completely free, open, and the developers of the standard claim it is unpatented.
Features
- Supports typical and comprehensive profiles
- Supports all allowed bit rates
- Up to 255 channels decode
- Bit-depth of 16 bits per sample
- Block sizes:64 - 8192 samples
- Typical profile: 2 channels, 2048 block size
- Comprehensive profile: 8 channels, 8192 block size
- Includes Ogg container format reader
More information here
Monkey’s Audio is comparable to FLAC, it’s a lossless codec so the compressed files sound exactly the same as uncompressed files. Monkey is not as frequently used as FLAC, but is still used quite a bit by PC power-users.
Features
- No restrictions on the sampling frequency
- Supports up to 2 audio channels
- Supports bit-depth of 8, 16, and 24
- Supports any frame size
- Supports MD5 signatures for file integrity checking
- Supports 4 levels of compression: Fast, Normal, High, Extra High
More information here
Whether you’re building an SOC for ultra-low power portable applications or for high performance broadcast and home entertainment systems, ARC provides the video codec you need: heavily optimized, easy to integrate and thoroughly tested.
Deliverables
- Full source code: Enables easy integration into your SOC. You can recompile the code and further differentiate and tightly integrate the codecs with peripherals and the host application.
- Test harness: Each codec comes with a test-harness such that you can run them out of box on FPGA, simulator or silicon.
- Reference design: ARC provides a media player that integrates multiple video codecs into one application, synchronized with audio.
- Multiple codecs: The codecs can be integrated into an application that runs multiple instances in parallel to address complex use cases such as transcoding.
Modeling
Codecs run on ARC’s XCAM cycle-accurate configurable simulation models for performance measurements and verification, as well as on ultra fast instruction set simulators. This enables you to explore different core configurations and optimize your ARC Video subsystem for maximal performance in your SOC and application.
Compliance, certification and support
The codecs are fully compliant and certified. We perform the testing against standard test vectors, complemented with additional stress test vectors. In addition, we make sure the codec behaves properly in case there are bit errors, and does not lock up. We work closely with the standard holders to certify the codecs and to maintain a close relationship to ensure updates that are published are incorporated.
All codecs are developed, delivered, maintained and licensed to you by ARC and fully supported by ARC staff. This gives you a single point of contact that can rapidly solve any issues that may arise.
ARC’s portfolio of video codecs is rapidly expanding. Please contact your local sales representative if you need an additional codec.
Available for the ARC Video subsystems:
The standard was originally known as H.26L or JVT, for the Joint Video Team, in which the ISO and ITU organizations worked together to complete the standardization. H.264 is the ITU name for the standard; MPEG-4 part 10, Advanced Video Coding (AVC) is the ISO name. Due to its improved compression quality, H.264 is quickly becoming the leading standard; it has been adopted in many video coding applications such as the iPod and the Playstation Portable, as well as in TV broadcasting standards such as DVB-H and DMB. Portable applications primarily use the Baseline Profile up to SD resolutions, and due to its better error resilience capabilities.
Features
- Compliant with ISO/IEC 14496-10
- Main profile and baseline profile up to level 3.0
- Maximal resolution: SD 720x480@30, 720x576@25
- 8-bit YUV color space, 4:2:0 format
- I,P,B slices
- Multiple Reference Frames
- Variable block-size motion compensation
- Quarter-pixel precision for motion compensation
- Flexible interlaced-scan video coding features (MBAFF and PicAFF)
- Better error resilience with FMO and ASO
- CABAC/CAVLC Entropy Coding
- Weighted prediction
- Tested for compliance against ITU, BDTI, MPEGIF, University of Hannover and ARC’s stress test bitstreams.
More information here
The MPEG-4 video standard has been designed to allow a wide range of compression quality vs. bit rate trade-offs. The MPEG-4 Simple Profile is very similar to H.263. The decoder supports short headers, therefore has provision for H.263 profile 0. The Advanced Simple Profile (ASP) adds support for SD video, interlaced tools and additional tools to further increase compression efficiency, such as quarter-pel motion estimation and global motion compensation. The popular DivX codec uses the MPEG-4 ASP coding technologies as its basis.
Features
- Compliant with ISO/IEC 14496-2
- Resolutions up to D1: 720x480@30fps, 720x576@25fps
- Supports ½ pel motion compensation for Simple Profile
- Supports ¼ pel motion compensation for Advanced Simple Profile
- Supports interlaced content
- Bitrates up to 10Mbps
- Chroma sampling: 4:2:0
- Input: MPEG-4 elementary streams
- Output: planar IYUV format
More information here
Microsoft developed the Windows Media Video version 9 video codec. The codec was initially proprietary, but was later standardized by the SMPTE organization. SMPTE announced the formal release of the SMPTE 421M video codec standard in 2006. VC-1 is the standard’s informal name. VC-1 is characterized as an alternative to the latest ITU-T and MPEG video codec standard known as H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. The codec has been adopted the Blu-ray Disc Association as a mandatory video standard for players and optional codec for video disc sellers. It’s is also frequently used on the Internet and in the Xbox 360 gaming console. ARC’s decoder is certified Microsoft compliant.
More information here
MPEG-2 (also known as the ITUs H.262) is the most widely used video compression standard today. DVD players, personal video recorders, camcorders, distribution networks, set-top boxes receiving DVB-T/S/C signals, and ATSC, the American digital television standard, all use MPEG-2
More information here
RealNetworks was one of the first successful commercial companies to sell tools for streaming digital audio and video over the Internet. Version 1 of the RealVideo codec was introduced in 1997. This first version was based on the H.263 codec, but versions 8 and higher uses a proprietary video codec. Version 10 was introduced in 2004 and has been in use since. ARC’s decoder is certified compliant by RealNetworks.
Features
- Conforms to RealNetworks RealVideo 9 External Specification 1.6.
- I, P and B frames decoding
- In-loop deblocking filtering
- Helix API and ARC Video Decoder APIs
More information here
JPEG is a widely used method for compression of still images (photographs), standardized in 1992. Motion JPEG encodes video data as a sequence of independently coded JPEG images. Motion JPEG is often used in digital still cameras to capture video sequences. Digital cinemas and video editing systems also frequently use Motion JPEG. Since the video frames are encoded individually, Motion JPEG video streams can be edited without decompression and recompression, vastly speeding up the editing process and making functions such as frame-by-frame reverse play much faster.
Features
- The decoder conforms to the ISO/IEC 10918-1 (baseline process) standard.
- It also adopts the following documents: Microsoft Multimedia Technical Note: JPEG DIB Format, QuickTime M- JPEG Specification Draft 2, QuickTime File Format Specification
- No restriction on resolution
- 8-bit YUV color space
- 4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, 4:4:4 formats
- Fully supports baseline decoding process (including DNL marker, multiple scans etc) and extended sequential DCT-based process (8-bit samples, Huffman coding) specified in ISO/IEC 10918-1
- Supports JPEG DIB format for motion images
- Supports Motion-JPEG A and Motion-JPEG B formats.
The AVS Part 2 specification is a video coding standard developed by the Audio Video Coding Standard Working Group of China. It is intended for various applications such as digital television broadcasting, digital storage media, internet streaming and communication.
Features
- Compliant with AVS Part 2 specification, Jizhun Profile
- Resolutions up to D1: 720x480@30fps, 720x576@25fps
- Bitrates up to 4Mbps
- Chroma sampling: 4:2:0
- Input: AVS encoded video elementary streams
- Output: planar IYUV format
ARC’s still image library includes decoders for the TIFF, GIF and PNG still image formats.
The ARC H.264 Encoder library and companion decoder software library are capable of encoding and decoding standard definition video in real time in well under 200 MHz. The ARC H.264 Encoder library is a high-quality baseline encoding solution that makes use of a significant number of complex encoding tools, such as 1/4 pel motion vector accuracy, intra mode prediction and sub macroblock partition support.
Features
- Baseline Profile ISO/IEC 14496-10 compliant encoder
- Includes ARC’s unique Dynamic Adaptive Encoding
- 1/4 MV accuracy, +/- 15.75 search range, 6-step motion search
- Inter 16x16, 16x8, 8x16 and 8x8 MacroBlock prediction
- 16x16 luma intra mode prediction (modes 0-2) and
- 8x8 chroma intra mode prediction (modes 0-2)
- In-loop deblock filter
- VBR/CBR control
- Error resiliency support (configurable packet sizes)
- User controlled encoder configuration via API
More information here
The ARC MPEG-4 Encoder library and companion decoder software library are capable of encoding and decoding standard definition video in real time in well under
200 MHz. The ARC H.264 Encoder utilizes the standard set of encoding tools such as ½ pel motion vector accuracy, 1 and 4 motion vectors, intra prediction, and error resiliency tools such as Video Packets. The encoder supports short headers, therefore has provision for H.263 profile 0.
Features
- ISO/IEC 14496-2 ASP/SP compliant encoder
- Includes ARC’s unique Dynamic Adaptive Encoding
- VOL and VOP headers (Short Header Support)
- ½ MV accuracy, +/- 15.5 search range, 5-step motion search
- 1 and 4-motion vector encoding
- Unrestricted Motion Vector Support
- DC intra prediction
- VBR/CBR control
- MPEG-4 error resilience: Programmable Intra Refresh, Byte Alignment, Video Packets
- H.263 error resilience: Programmable Intra Refresh, Byte Alignment, GOB
- User controlled encoder configuration via API
- Outputs video elementary stream (MPEG-4) or an H.263 bitstream
More information here
JPEG is a widely used method for compression of still images (photographs), standardized in 1992. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. The standard is widely used in digital still cameras, mobile phones and the World Wide Web.
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