An early look at Texas Instruments' OMAP4 chipset was made possible thanks to a Monday SlashGear report. A video playback device powered by the OMAP4 chip is said to be capable of displaying video on three independent displays at the same time that include a pico-projector. The chip should improve upon its predecessor with dual 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 cores, while being more energy efficient.

Battery life is rated at between 30 and 50 hours of MP3 music with an OMAP3 chip, while an OMAP4 device will have a 145-hour life when paired with a 1,000mAh battery. The shown prototype device also has the ability to output 1080p, 30fps HD videos through an HDMI output. No final numbers for resolution were named, but TI is promising a resolution of greater than the 800x480 pixels the twin 3.7-inch screens can muster.

TI says the OMAP4 chipset can decode virtually all files without having to be converted. It can also encode 1080p, 24 or 30fps video as well as regular TV resolution for uploading and sharing over 3G data networks. Digital video stabilization is also built-in, most usable for operating the projector by freehand.

The unnamed device will be only for consumption by OMAP4 developers. It otherwise has dual front cameras, a 12-megapixel camera on the back and a 15 lumens DLP pico-projector. Other than HDMI, there is an Ethernet port and a USB 2.0 plug. WiFi, Bluetooth and a 3G data card are also present, as is a GPS, proximity and accelerometer sensors. Android operating system run the device.

The first product for customers is expected to come late this year or early in 2011. The company will eventually apply its OMAP4 chips for smartphones and possibly tablets.

TI also showed off an OMAP3-powered e-book reader, with an onboard E-Ink display controller and a separate processor for powering the panel without a draw on the main ARM core. The chip will be capable of driving color and video-capable panels as well. No word on pricing or a release date for such a device have been revealed, however.

TI OMAP4-powered multimedia player

TI OMAP3-powered e-book reader