DivX to find its way to more handsets, courtesy of AMD

AMD and DivX today announced a licensing agreement in which DivX technology will be implemented into future AMD Imageon processors commonly used in mobile phones and other handheld products.

The companies already have existing licensing and certifications, but this recent licensing agreement will focus on DivX certification for AMD's Imageon A250 application processor, announced at the Mobile World Congress in February. Consumers benefit from a stronger relationship between AMD and DivX because video playback, higher quality imaging, and vector graphics are all "DivX Certified," ensuring the processor has gone through a testing routine to ensure the CPU works as well as possible.

Although its purchase of ATI has not yet yielded the results AMD was looking for in desktop GPUs, its mobile processors for handhelds have seen some welcome growth, especially due to consumers' growing demand for powerful, energy efficient processors. Intel has its Silverthorne line of mobile CPUs, though tests have shown they're still are a bit too power-hungry when compared to AMD Imageons.

More than 50 mobile phones already use Imageon processors, designed for mobile phones that have digital cameras, digital audio players and camcorders, and other media-rich applications. Last January, AMD and DivX entered into a similar agreement that encompasses Xilleon-brand embedded processors for next-generation digital TVs.

To date, AMD has shipped almost 250 million AMD Imageon processors used in consumer handheld devices. Phones with the AMD Imageon A250 application processor are expected before the end of the year.