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The Khronos Group's new API OpenMAX is an application programming interface that provides abstractions for routines especially useful for computer graphics, video, and sound, and in devices that process large amounts of data in predictable ways. OpenMAX intends to provide two interfaces: the Integration Layer (IL) between a media framework such as DirectShow or GStreamer and a set of multimedia components (such as an audio or video codecs), and the Development Layer (DL) an interface between physical hardware, such as DSP chips and CPUs, and software, like video codecs and 3D engines. The IL API provides a framework for connecting components from multiple vendors in an A/V pipeline, a standard set of properties for controlling those components, and a common clock for synchronization. The DL API offers functions that process time-critical operations like color space conversion and motion estimation, relieving individual device manufacturers and IL component vendors of writing such low level code themselves. The APIs OpenMAX provides allows faster porting of higher-level applications, such as media players, between different hardware platforms. The OpenMAX API is supported by the PlayStation 3 console.

The OpenMAX Working Group was founded alongside sister project OpenVG on July 6th, 2004. Founding members included ARM, Motorola, Samsung, STMicroelectronics, and Texas Instruments.

OpenMAX API documentation is publicly available on the Khronos website.

[edit] Resources

• Khronos Group — OpenMAX Overview and API documents
• Khronos Group — Press Releases — OpenMAX