Panasonic has begun mass-production of a new 45nm chip which it says will deliver increased power and performance for high definition and audio-visual applications. The UniPher (Universal Platform for High-quality Image Enhancing Revolution) processor offers H.264 video encoding/decoding and symmetric multi-processing. It can even be used to run two 1080p video displays in parallel. It also delivers better 3D graphics performance and consumes up to 50 per cent less energy than 65nm alternatives. Phew. The chips are reported to be in the production line at the company's new 45nm fab in Ouzo, Japan. The chips are likely to be used in the company's next-generation home entertainment devices including Blu-ray players, flat panel TVs and home cinema kit.