SMedia 3362

[Ian Stirling]

Shawn Rutledge wrote:
> On 9/1/07, Raphael Jacquot <sxpert at sxpert.org> wrote:
> 
>>Shawn Rutledge wrote:
>>
>>>Is there any technical info available about this chip?
>>>
>>>Is there an X driver for it, or one in progress?
>>
>>depending on the timeframe, perhaps FIC could contact or help the
>>opengraphics people with their project, the goal of which is to create a
>>graphics controller asic that would be used for embedded systems.
>>Using the opengraphics asic in the openmoko platform would be, IMNSHO
>>the proper thing to do
> 
> 
> Or maybe use an FPGA so we can design our own hardware-accelerated
> graphics functions, and it can double for some other purposes too.
> OpenGraphics is starting that way (spartan 3 if memory serves).  They
> are cheap.  Not sure if they are low-power enough to use in a phone.

Basically.
FPGAs of equivalent size are _NOT_ cheap, or low power.
I'd guess the SMedia chip is $20 or so.
Now, go and look for a low power FPGA with the thick end of a megabyte 
of embedded RAM, and many thousand gates. It'll be at least $100, maybe 
$200.

FPGAs are almost always the most expensive, highest power way to do 
things, if proper custom silicon is a possibility. (volumes of >>1K, 
comparable processes)