Pixelworks in ‘Initial Trials’ of 'Upstream' Video Processing Solution for OTT Streaming

For the mobile device initiatives of chipmaker Pixelworks, Q3 “was an outstanding quarter of progress,” CEO Bruce Walicek said on an earnings call. Pixelworks introduced and sampled the second chip in its Iris family of mobile display processors, “and we gained volume production,” he said Friday. The processor is targeted at 5.5-inch smartphones, 10-inch tablets and other mobile devices at sizes in between that feature display resolutions up to full HD, he said. The chip “is receiving a great response and faster adoption as the concept of bringing TV quality processing to mobile gains momentum,” he said. As Pixelworks moves into “the next phase of market development” with the Iris initiative, “we are seeing opportunities and higher volume platforms as many mid-range mobile SoCs can leverage the performance and benefits and features of Iris, allowing them to compete against more expensive, higher end SoC platforms,” he said. “Regarding SoC partners, we are seeing significant pull as the benefits of Iris can help differentiate their platforms as well as enhanced capability and performance. As a key part of our strategy to drive Iris design wins, we are engaged in joint selling and reference designs with major mobile SoC providers. And our activity increased significantly during the quarter.” The strategy recently paid big dividends when Pixelworks “captured a significant milestone design win for a major U.S. mobile wireless carrier, and we expect to see Iris-enabled tablets in their channel in mid-2016,” Walicek said. Pixelworks sees over-the-top video streaming services as “a key driver of mobile video and the increasing importance of the display experience,” he said. Early in 2016, Pixelworks plans to roll out “a key piece of our strategy to leverage” the company’s core video processing technology, he said. Code-named True Cut, the initiative brings the company’s video processing algorithms “upstream to the server level to drive pull for Iris-based mobile devices and ultimately drive design wins for Iris,” he said. True Cut is “an end-to-end solution that enables products based on Iris to display a higher-quality streaming video experience,” he said. True Cut “not only provides a value proposition to products based on Iris, but to carriers and content distributors as well,” he said. Pixelworks has begun “initial trials” of True Cut with “a major China-based carrier,” and expects to mount “live demos of this capability” in Q1, he said.