According to a report by Silicon Valley Watcher, Apple has entered into an agreement with UK-based Alphamosaic to produce a powerful multimedia chip that could make its way into future iPod models.
Acquired last year by leading US chipmaker Broadcom, Alphamosaic developed the VC02 chip, which has been called the world’s most advanced mobile multimedia processor. It offers support for playback of 30 frame per second, VGA-quality video, and includes the ability to capture 8-megapixel digital still images. The chip uses a “VideoCore II processing engine” that supports new video and audio standards such as H.264 and aacPlus, each likely in a portable Apple-developed multimedia device. It also “excels in high-quality 3D graphics performance with the capability to support pixel shading and volumetric lighting with low power consumption, making it ideal for use in mobile gaming applications and comparable in performance to home consoles.”
The first VC02 chip is Broadcom’s BCM2702, which offers direct NTSC and PAL video output, realtime MPEG-4 video encoding for live recording of video, and support for digital rights management. Broadcom has also developed the BCM2705, which it describes as “the lowest power multimedia processor currently available for mobile phones,” that “for the first time in the industry, provides high-end video, gaming and music capabilities to mid-range feature phones” at a price point of around $30 per chip in small quantities. The BCM2705 drops support for direct TV video output and includes less memory than the BCM2702, both decisions made to reduce price and tailor features to midrange mobile phone buyers. The specific features and pricing of any iPod-specific version of the VC02 chip are currently unknown.