Q is a multi-codec, multi-interface software programmable encoding/transcoding SoC. Its flexibility in the number of codecs supported, the way it interfaces with audio/video sources and destinations, the ability to preprocess the image and the programmability of its core, make it ideal for supporting the most diverse application

In today's world there are a multitude of ways to access multimedia content: HD TVs and Set-top-boxes, portable media players and mobile phones, PCs and laptops, games console and many more. The quantity of these devices on the market is increasing with a trend towards being able to experience multimedia content anytime and anywhere, regardless of the source of the material, being it a live broadcast or personal home videos stored on a PC at home.

The biggest challenge arises from the lack of compatibility of the many devices on the market. For technological, practical and/or political reasons, these devices support different codecs, resolutions and bitrates. These differences are such that content cannot be ported freely from one player to another, but requires reporpusing in order to fit within the destination's compatibility parameters. Transcoding, transrating and/or resizing normally occurs off-line, a process that is both time and space consuming.

Q makes sharing content between devices seamless. With its multitude of interfaces it can be incorporated in any of today's and tomorrow's multimedia devices. For example, Q can be included in an HD camera after the input camera sensor, in a set-top-box redistributing an incoming video signal throughout the house over wi-fi, in an HD TV providing pause-button and PVR functionalities using flash memory instead of hard-discs, and in many more applications.

A few example applications are show in this section.