Architecture and design of a Talisman-compatible multimedia processor

This paper describes the architecture, functionality, and design of a Talisman-compatible multimedia processor (TM-PC) from Philips Semiconductors. "Talisman" is the code name of a new graphics and multimedia hardware architecture (from Microsoft Corp.) that aims at achieving the performance of high-end three-dimensional graphics workstations at consumer price points. The TM-PC is a programmable processor with a high-performance, very long instruction word central processing unit (CPU) core. The CPU core, aided by an array of peripheral devices (multimedia coprocessors and input-output units), facilitates concurrent processing of audio, video, graphics, and communication data. Designed specifically for the Microsoft Talisman project, TM-PC is a derivative of Philips' TM-1 media processor and is tailored to be used in a variety of PC-based functions as a plug-in board on the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus. In the design of the TM-PC, the functionality of most of the blocks from the TM-1 has been kept unchanged; the primary changes in the existing blocks have been in the main memory and the PCI interfaces, and a new block, called VPB, has been added to support virtual frame buffer functionality as well as video graphics adapter and Soundblaster emulation capability. The major emphasis of this paper is on the design details of the new VPB module and an explanation of how it fits with the rest of the TM-1 design.