What is a Video Processing Unit (VPU)?
A Video Processing Unit (VPU) is a type of microprocessor that is designed specifically to handle video data and perform video processing tasks. Similar to how a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is designed to handle graphical data and perform graphical computations, a VPU is optimized for video data.
VPUs can perform a wide variety of tasks related to video processing, including encoding, decoding, transcoding, scaling, de-interlacing, color correction, and more. They can handle a variety of video formats and standards, such as H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1, and more.
The main advantage of using a VPU for video processing tasks, as opposed to a general-purpose CPU, is that a VPU can perform these tasks much more efficiently. This can result in better video quality, lower latency, and less power consumption, which can be especially important for mobile and embedded devices.
Some examples of VPUs include Intel's Movidius VPU, which is used for edge computing and artificial intelligence tasks, and the video processing cores found in many System-on-Chip (SoC) designs, such as those used in smartphones and tablets.
As technology evolves, the capabilities of VPUs are likely to continue to expand and improve, enabling more advanced video processing tasks and better video quality on a wide range of devices.
VPUs can perform a wide variety of tasks related to video processing, including encoding, decoding, transcoding, scaling, de-interlacing, color correction, and more. They can handle a variety of video formats and standards, such as H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1, and more.
The main advantage of using a VPU for video processing tasks, as opposed to a general-purpose CPU, is that a VPU can perform these tasks much more efficiently. This can result in better video quality, lower latency, and less power consumption, which can be especially important for mobile and embedded devices.
Some examples of VPUs include Intel's Movidius VPU, which is used for edge computing and artificial intelligence tasks, and the video processing cores found in many System-on-Chip (SoC) designs, such as those used in smartphones and tablets.
As technology evolves, the capabilities of VPUs are likely to continue to expand and improve, enabling more advanced video processing tasks and better video quality on a wide range of devices.
Article written by
Sylvain Corvaisier
Independent streaming and iOS engineer
Last modified: December 27th, 2024
Sylvain Corvaisier
Independent streaming and iOS engineer
Last modified: December 27th, 2024
