Since its founding in 1995, Sunnyvale, California-based Silicon Image has worked extensively to define and refine the way high definition (HD) devices perform and communicate. Its products are deployed by the world?s leading electronics manufacturers in devices such as desktop and notebook PCs, digital televisions, Blu-ray Disc players, audio-video receivers, as well as mobile phones, tablets and digital cameras. In February this year, Silicon Image opened its R&D centre in Hyderabad. The facility focuses on the design and development of semiconductor and IP core technologies for implementation in mobile, wireless and consumer electronics (CE) products from manufacturers across the globe. ?The technology innovation and growth occurring in Hyderabad made the location a natural fit for Silicon Image?s expanding R&D portfolio,? says Rashid Osmani, vice president and head of worldwide engineering at Silicon Image.
Osmani has been awarded 13 US patents. He is responsible for the design, development, and commercialisation of intellectual property and integrated circuit solutions at Silicon Image. On a recent visit to Hyderabad, he gave BV Mahalakshmi a broad overview of the company?s strategy to deliver pure digital content everywhere. Excerpts:
How important is India for Silicon Image? What will be the company?s strategy to grow operations here?
We expect the India R&D centre to make key contributions to our products portfolio. By having our three R&D locations?Hyderabad, Shanghai, China and Sunnyvale, US?working in close collaboration, we believe Silicon Image will be well positioned to deliver leading edge connectivity solutions for mobile, wireless and consumer electronics applications. We chose Hyderabad because of its abundant engineering talent, technology innovation and its good reputation for intellectual property (IP) protection. Our engineering team in India will be focused on software, digital and analog design, and systems engineering. Our goal is to continue to attract top engineering talent with the skill sets that meet our requirements. We will also interact with local universities and institutions such as VEDA IIT to foster student research and internship programmes.
What are the opportunities that you see in the Indian market?
We see a great deal of potential in the Indian market. With mobile device technology continuing to advance, consumers now see their smartphones evolving into a gaming console, media player, camera, or PC. Connecting smartphones to large displays further enhances the user experience. We see the emergence of numerous new devices in the consumer space within the Asian market and more specifically in India, which already supports a large market for TVs and mobile devices.
Tell us about your plans to create new standards for the mobile industry?
We focus on advanced high definition connectivity solutions via semiconductor and intellectual property products. We have driven the creation of high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) and digital video interface (DVI) industry standards, the latest standard for mobile devices, mobile high definition link (MHL) technology and the leading 60 GHz wireless HD video standard?WirelessHD. Our strategy is to define and deliver new standards and technologies enabling advanced video connectivity and interoperability for HD display devices. We will explore new standards that fit our business model. On the mobile front, we will continue to focus its initiatives on (MHL) technology and WirelessHD.
Today?s mobile products are becoming multifaceted…
Absolutely. They are as powerful as gaming consoles, set-top boxes, and PCs, allowing consumers to use their smartphones for communication, gaming, digital entertainment and desktop productivity with no lag. With mobile high definition link (MHL) technology, consumers can display anything that is available on their smartphone and tablet to a larger display while being able to charge back the mobile device. We see many usage cases for MHL such as in no lag while playing in gaming, giving presentation from your mobile device instead of your laptop; docking your device and having instant access to content from your mobile device or enjoying the latest movies or videos in full high definition from a mobile device.
What is MHL technology? What is its relevance in today?s connected society?
MHL technology is an high definition audio/video connectivity standard that is playing a key role in how consumers access and share content on their mobile devices. Using the existing connections on the mobile device, digital television or monitor makes it simple for consumers to ?plug and play? their HD content, in addition to being able to control MHL-enabled mobile devices using their existing digital TV remote. This technology is the ideal solution for today?s consumers who desire the ability to use their mobile devices for interactive applications.