Sharp says these reference designs, which support Microsoft's Windows CE embedded operating system, offer ready-to-use hardware/software solutions that enable easy product differentiation, quick time-to-market, and reduced system costs.
(Click here for larger image)Both reference designs include a development board, bill of materials, schematics, operating system software, video and audio codecs, board support package (BSP), and technical support. The designs are:
- The QVGA reference design utilizes a unique 3.6-inch "native landscape" Amorphous Silicon (A-Si) TFT-LCD specifically developed for portable media applications.
- The QCIF+ reference design uses a 2.2-inch A-Si TFT-LCD, also developed for mobile applications. Both LCD panels are said to provide excellent color saturation and low power consumption with LED backlighting.
Media Player Reference Design Specifications | Item | QCIF+ Design | QVGA Design |
| Processor | Sharp LH7A404 ARM9 SoC |
| Video Formats | WMV, MPEG4 |
| Audio Formats | WMA, AAC, MP3 |
| Picture Formats | JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF |
| Hard Drive Technologies | 1.0-in. CompactFlash Microdrive | 1.8-in. IDE ATA support |
| Removable Media | MultiMediaCard and Secure Digital |
| Data Interface | USB 2.0 Full Speed | USB 2.0 High Speed |
| Audio Interface | Stereo headphone jack |
| LCD TFT Display | 2.2-in A-Si transflective,
176 x 220 QCIF+ resolution | 3.6-in. A-Si transmissive, 320 x 240 landscape mode |
| Battery | Li-Ion battery charge circuit |
| Power | 5V DC input, battery or USB |
| Operating Systems | Windows CE .NET, μC/OS, ThreadX, VxWorks |
About the LHA7A404 SoCThe Sharp LH7A404 ARM9 system-on-chip (SoC) processor is a key component in both reference designs. According to Sharp, the LH7A404 provides all the major interfaces needed for hand-held portable media players in a single package including an interface to Sharp's latest generation LCD panels, AC97 audio, CompactFlash, MMC/SD, USB, NAND Flash, and SDRAM support, and sufficient performance to decode compressed video and audio.
Detailed information on the LH7A404 is available
here
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About the LHA7A404 SoC
