Atmel has licensed the Hantro  8170 multiformat video decoder register transfer language (RTL). It will integrate the decoder with an ARM9 processor core in a chip that targets next-generation navigation systems, personal media players and other video devices.

The decoder supports 16MP JPEG, H.263, H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 simple and advanced simple profile (DivX), XviD Portable, VC-1 main and advanced profiles up to full HD (1080p) resolution.

"This agreement will enable us to expand our AT91SAM family of microcontrollers into application-specific devices focused on the fast-growing multimedia market," said Alfredo Vadillo, managing director for Atmel's 32-bit microcontrollers.