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Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Epson Licenses Xtensa LX for Printer Designs

Seiko Epson Corporation (“Epson”) has closed a long-term, multi-year license of Tensilica’s Xtensa family of configurable processor cores for Epson’s new REALOID printer engine chip. The first generation REALOID chip is used in Epson’s latest photo-capable inkjet printers and multi-function printers (MFPs), including the newly announced Colorio PM series MFPs. The Epson Stylus Photo R380 Ultra High-Definition REALOID-based printer is now available in the US. The strategic relationship also includes next-generation REALOID designs.

Epson’s engineers added Tensilica Instruction Extensions (TIE ) to customize several different Xtensa LX processors, each for a unique step in the inkjet image processing chain. By utilizing unique features of the Xtensa LX processor which allow direct high-speed data communication between the processors and thereby avoid the time delays of bus-based data traffic, Epson’s engineers were able to reduce the time required to print a single page to less than a third of that required by previous generation inkjet printers. These new printers can print borderless 4 x 6 photos as fast as the highest printing speed for black and white text.

For more information on this interesting application, see http://www.tensilica.com/news_events/pr_2007_01_30_Epson.htm

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