Jeremiah Golston
Chief Technical Officer, TI Streaming Media

Through examples like Lifesize and digital camera, we have seen that there are various reasons for choosing to implement HD. We have also seen that the right mix of flexibility and system integration is critical. But is HD always necessary?

In some cases, HD is not needed at all. Standard Definition (SD) is still the best tradeoff in applications like IPTV in Asia where BOM advantages (less memory for example) take precedence and limited network bandwidth makes delivering even high-quality SD still a challenge. Conversely, there are cases where HD is not enough. Medical imaging applications such as ultrasound require an even higher resolution than 1080i. State-of-the-art ultrasound applications require 4Kx2K to produce the detail needed to make proper diagnoses.

Manufacturers also have to consider the versatility of their designs, since virtually every digital video system designed today has to take into account the continual introduction of improved codecs. Whether for DTV broadcasts, IPTV, videoconferencing or other applications, the influence of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC in the next few years will be significant. There are competing standards, too, such as WMV9/VC-1 and China’s AVS, and the ITU/ISO standards which all allow for variations in implementation that greatly impact the quality of the resulting video.

Systems such as set-top boxes (STBs) may have to deal dynamically with any number of standards and variations; they may also have to interface to entertainment and gaming consoles, as well as support home computer networks and eventually videophones. It may be important for such a system to not only decode, but also transcode video streams to share content with other devices in the home. Even a more closed application such as video surveillance needs the ability to upgrade codecs and add features such as object analysis and recognition.

Designers have to bear all these factors in mind as they select an enabling technology for their video systems. Sometimes HD is the right way to go. Sometimes it just isn’t. Either way the future of video applications is booming and the growth is exciting.