UK company chooses OMAP for its latest SBC
Like many module providers, the company’s history and success is built on the x86 platform for single board computers (SBCs). However, it was felt that the OMAP offered a superior combination of power and performance for its latest product, the RE2, which targets the emerging market of digital signage and other applications that need HD-capable graphics in a small, fanless format.
The processing capability, coupled with the small format and low power requirements, have spurred the company to describe the RE2 as a ‘disruptive’ technology, claiming that no standard SBC format ideally suits the digital signage market. The RE2’s design has been driven by the connectivity required to make it both powerful and flexible, by making the most of the OMAP’s functionality.
The product supports Windows CE 6.0 and Linux, and Blue Chip has collaborated with Davali Software to develop a turn-key digital signage solution that combines the hardware, software and content management in a single product. It is felt this will appeal to small to medium sized companies looking to adopt digital signage, although the RE2 is also targeting portable media, security and telematic applications.
Blue Chip Technology offers a range of COM Express, ETX and PICMG products, as well as PC104-compliant boards, but felt the RE range would benefit from a bespoke, 100mm x 70mm format, as it provides greater flexibility in design. A range of daughter modules are available to provide functions including GPS/GPRS/GSM connectivity, video input and LCD interface/multiple display driving.
The RE2 is the second-generation board in the RE range, but the first time the company has used the ARM architecture. The OMAP3530 device used combines an ARM Cortex-A8 running at 600 or 720MHz, (with the 1GHz variant in development within Blue Chip), with C64X+ DSP running at 430MHz. The cores are complemented by a NEON SIMD co-processor in the ARM subsystem and POWERVR graphics accelerator.
For further information visit www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
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