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VEE™ — Brings TV quality visual experience to mobile devices
How to conserve power when playing back video content is a significant issue when designing mobile media devices. A common solution is to lower the backlight level of the LCD as it consumes 30% to 60% of the total system power. This solution significantly diminishes the viewing experience with details lost due to the lowered contrast ratio. QuickLogic’s proprietary VEE Proven System Block (PSB) enhances both image and video quality by optimizing the dynamic range, contrast, and color saturation pixel-by-pixel to provide a natural viewing experience under low backlight or bright ambient light conditions. Seamlessly integrated into the display path, VEE enhances the user’s mobile multimedia visual experience while drastically reducing backlight power to extend battery life.
All members of the ArcticLink II family of solution platform family embeds the recently announced 2nd Generation VEE technology, combined with programmable fabric. QuickLogic and Apical Limited partnered to architect and develop the optimal blend of algorithms with QuickLogic’s PSBs and patented ViaLink programmable fabric for mobile and portable multimedia products.
The core of the VEE technology is based on the proven iridix® algorithms licensed from Apical Limited, which is substantiated by nearly a decade of scientific research. These algorithms implement a model of human perception; resulting in a displayed image that retains detail, color and vitality even under variable viewing conditions. It specifically addresses the problem of the low contrast ratio of mobile Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) to bring a more TV-like viewing experience to the mobile devices.
VEE technology transforms the mobile multimedia experience by:
- Significantly enhancing image/video quality through dynamic range control
- Allowing superior viewing image/video quality under low backlight or bright ambient light conditions
- Significantly reducing power consumption of the LCD to extend video playback time
Block Diagram
Visual Enhancement Engine (VEE) solution
| VEE Generation |  v2.0 |
v1.0 |
| Supported Display Resolution |  From QVGA (320x240) up to Wide XGA (1366x768) |
 From QVGA (320x240) up to Wide SVGA (1024x600) |
| Additional Features |
|
|
| Applications | ||
| Supported Platforms | » ArcticLink II Solution Platform Family | » PolarPro & PolarPro II Solution Platform Family |
Use cases
Use Case 1 – Improved Video Quality
A commuter goes from a train station to outdoors, while watching a movie, with backlight automatically compensated.
One benefit of VEE’s visibility improvements is that the mobile device does not require a powerful backlight in order to provide daylight viewing. The enhancement engine will compensate for the display’s reduced contrast, ensuring a consistent high-quality viewing experience despite lighting changes.
Use Case 2 – Battery Life Extension
A traveler low on battery power can now finish a two-hour movie while on an airplane because VEE automatically adjusts in real time to compensate for reduced backlight.
With traditional display technology, developers have to increase backlighting, particularly in high ambient light conditions to overcome viewability. However, for mobile device designers, this option has a serious drawback—increased power consumption. The backlight for a mobile display consumes between 30% and 60% of the device’s power budget. The VEE technology from QuickLogic automatically compensates for the reduced backlight thus increasing battery life, while providing a satisfactory viewing experience.
Use Case 3 – Enhanced Still Pictures
A tourist takes a picture while sightseeing and can now see the detail captured in the picture on the built-in LCD display. These details would normally be lost due to the limited contrast ratio of these LCDs. With VEE, the details are now visible, reassuring the tourist that their vacation is being accurately captured.
The VEE enhancements arise from the re-mapping of image data to amplify subtle variations and make them more apparent to the eye. This image-dependent re-mapping addresses display limitations in two ways. First, it ensures that image details are preserved against truncation by the display’s limited input range. Second, by taking into account the surrounding data values, the mapping enhances image detail in light and dark image areas appropriately.
