SANYO Adopts Altera's HardCopy Structured ASIC

Structured ASIC Approach Allows Rapid Component Revisions for Market-Leading Picture Quality

Altera Corporation's programmable logic solutions continue delivering award-winning image quality in SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. PLV-Z5 series of home projectors, Altera announced today. SANYO is now leveraging Altera's HardCopy structured ASIC family with a Nios II embedded processor for image processing and enhancement for their newest PLV-Z5 home projector. This follows SANYO's integration of an embedded system solution using Stratix FPGAs and Nios II processors to perform critical image enhancement functions in their previous PLV-Z4 model.

Together, the HardCopy device and Nios II processor deliver a combination of digital signal processing (DSP) performance and programming flexibility that efficiently integrates many video functions into a single device. Intelligent image processing and enhancement operations performed by the Altera-based system include automatic gamma adjustment, noise reduction, color management, matrix sharpness and several presentation modes optimized for specific types of content.

"For our earlier PLV-Z4 home projector model, Altera's Stratix FPGAs and Nios II processors gave us the embedded system we needed to deliver the highest quality visual experience," said Kazuto Sugimura, general manager of Technology Unit, Projector Central Business Unit, DI Company, SANYO. "This time, by using the Stratix FPGA plus HardCopy structured ASIC solution for the PLV-Z5, we can design new features and functions more quickly and cost-effectively than alternative silicon solutions allow."

Like the PLV-Z4, the PLV-Z5 has won several awards, including this year's HiVi magazine's 2006 Best Buy award, a Hot Product award from ProjectorReviews.com, and five-star ratings across all review categories from Projector Central. SANYO is demonstrating the PLV-Z5 projector at CES in the Central Hall, booth 11017.

The seamless migration path from a Stratix FPGA to a low-cost HardCopy structured ASIC for volume production enables consumer industry leaders like SANYO to offer advanced, high-demand features when customers want them.

"FPGA-to-HardCopy structured ASIC migration allows major consumer product manufacturers like SANYO to differentiate their products while maximizing engineering productivity," said Todd Scott, senior director of Altera's broadcast and consumer business unit. "This is why innovative designers faced with short development cycles are turning to Altera's programmable and structured ASIC solutions" - Altera.