Hikvision Smart WiFi HD cameras adopt Ingenic T10 SoC

Ingenic (Ingenic Semiconductor) is an emerging Chinese semiconductor company specializes in designing and manufacturing "XBurst" processors that feature ultra power and high performance implementation of the MIPS32 architecture technologies. The company advocates their solution is the best balance in price-quality-performance-power.

We firstly know this company, because many security installers recently discovered that Ingenic T10 SoC had been used in Hikvision network cameras even though the model mark on chip was being deliberately erased by Hikvision.  According to the company’s profile, Ingenic was founded in 2005, headquartered in Beijing, China. The company’s products have been widely used in Smart IoT, Smart video, wearables etc applications. 

In this article, you intend to introduce you the Ingenic T10 processor which dedicated to offer low-cost HD video solution for video surveillance applications. Based on its datasheet, T10 is a regular HD video processor adopts 1.0GHz CPU core with MXU2.0 (SIMD128,  smart video analytics engine), this processor provides max. 1280x960@40fps video encoding capability with H.264 video compression standard, meanwhile supports audio codec and has 400MB DDR2 built-in to simplify the process of final product design.  Let’s take a quick look at T10’s features.

• CPU operating at 1.0Ghz, base on MIPS
• 128KB L2-cache
• MXU2.0 (SIMD128)
• Video and audio intelligent analysis
• High Level ISP, support 3D denoise, WDR
• H.264 baseline profile, main profile, up to 960P resolution
• Package with 64MB DDR2
• Low to less than 400mw power consumption including DDRII in working time

Ingenic XBurst technology

The XBurst is best energy efficiency RISC core based on the MIPS Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). Based on the Ingenic unique ultra low power pipeline technology, the dynamic power consumption of XBurst core consumes only 0.09mW/MHz while the frequency operating at up to 1.0 GHz. And when it gets into sleep mode, the static power is only 0.2mW. The SIMD128 instruction set, which called MXU2.0, implemented by XBurst engine, together with open cv operator, it can make the real-time intelligent analysis algorithm which is developed by Ingenic or developers.

Surveillance level ISP engine

The ISP core supports high level imaging quality with up to 1280x960 resolution. Besides the 3A, lens shading correction, 2D denoise, toning map technology, ISP engine supports muti-frame wide dynamic range (True WDR) and 3D denoise. Additionally, Ingenic ISP suports extreme low illumination, enhancement color/contrast technology, de-fog, etc to deliver optimum video quality.

Video processing engine

Ingenic's proprietary VPU (Video Processing Engine) uses a combination of custom hardware and a microcode engine to provide a low power, yet flexible and upgrade-able solution to video encoding. This approach make the VPU consumes less than 25mw when H.264 960P@40fps streams to be encoded with Main profile. The VPU supports ROI, dynamic frame rate.

High performance with extreme low power consumption

With up to 1Ghz XBurst CPU and 128K Byte L2 cache, T10 can support various complex application basing on video and audio. But beyond imagination, it just consumes less than 400mw including DDR2, which is packaged in the chip, when it is encoding the 960P@30fps video coming from the ISP, doing the analysis to the video and running some application on the Linux.

Flexible and changeable intelligent analysis operator and algorithm

For the MXU2.0(SIMD128), which is a part of XBurst, running at 1Ghz, it gives the T10 a super calculation power. Basing on that, T10 can supports flexible and changeable intelligent analysis algorithm in real time, just like motion detection, body detection, license plate recognition and so on. For easy to use, basic operators and tool chain is opened to all the users. People can choose different way to get the intelligent analysis algorithm, just like use Ingenic's or develop by self with using Ingenic operators or develop operators by himself. All the operators and algorithm can be constantly upgraded.

2-way voice communication and voice recognition

Without any other DSP's assistance, the advanced echo cancellation algorithm can be used in T10 to supply good effect on 2-way audio communication. For the high performance of CPU with MXU2.0, the T10 also can support the voice recognition applications, which is widely used in IOT, mobile, etc.

Technical Information

Conclusion

The above details are derived from the T10's leaflet. Though the most majority of consumers and even some camera manufacturers have never heard of the "Ingenic" name. We expect many Chinese manufacturers will shift to this solution as it's the substitute to importing SoCs. Despite the Hikvision has already started to use the company's SoC, 360 - another big Internet company in China has already launched a smart WiFi camera that employed this HD video SoC.