ADS Announces World's Most Complete RDS/RBDS/MBS Decoder Chip; RDX-1187c Makes FM Radio Data Receiver Development Easy And Inexpensive; Has Far-Reaching Communications Uses Worldwide.

CERRITOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 30, 1997--Advanced Digital Systems (ADS), a leader in multimedia specialty hardware products and a worldwide leader in developing FM radio data broadcasting receivers for the personal computer, today announced the "RDX-1187c Radio Data Decoder Chip," an integrated RDS/RBDS/MBS decoder and synchronizer with far-reaching implications for communications worldwide.

The RDX-1187c addresses the fast growing FM radio wireless data broadcasting market, known as the radio data system (RDS). This mode of broadcasting allows FM receivers in cars, homes, and computers the ability to decode and display digital information such as the station call letters (KTWV, WABC etc.), station format (Jazz, Rock, Country etc.), radio text such as the artist's name, song title, news, traffic, and other information via an FM sub-carrier. The RBDS standard was first established in the U.S. in 1993, and is very similar to the long established RDS standard in Europe.

RBDS receivers are already beginning to flourish in the retail market, with products from leading manufacturers like Pioneer, Denon, and Onkyo. In addition, automobile makers such as Ford and GM are expected to ship RBDS receivers in new cars within a year. This month, ADS is shipping "Cadet," the world's first AM/FM stereo data receiver for the PC.

"As evidenced by the surge in World Wide Web access, today's consumer wants information and RDS is a further example of the convergence of information and entertainment in consumer electronics," said Tom Mock, director of engineering at the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association. "Since the introduction of the RBDS/RDS standard in 1993, the number of RDS radio stations has grown from a few to over 700. RDS stations are to be found in all of the top 25 markets in the U.S., and the potential for RDS applications are virtually unlimited."

Until the introduction of ADS' RDX-1187c, each manufacturer had to develop their own unique decoder. The RDX-1187c makes integrating RBDS/RDS and the MBS paging standard into FM receivers simple and inexpensive. Manufacturers using the RDX-1187c will greatly reduce development time and R&D costs associated with RDS receiver development.

FM radio data broadcasting offers a variety of applications for both consumer and commercial receivers. By adding a digital carrier to analog FM radios, the RDS standard can be used for commercial applications such as FM radio paging and sending information such as stock quotes, sports scores or advertising to LED signs and billboards. It can be also used to communicate with emergency alert systems (EAS), remote machine control, traffic/highway message signs, and wireless information kiosks.

Specifications

The RDX-1187c decoder chip provides a single chip solution for the interface between an FM radio 57kHz demodulator and a microprocessor bus. It comes in a 28-pin TSSOP package and has both Plug and Play 1.0 compliant interface, as well as an interface to the 80xx style microprocessor bus.

The decoder chip also offers I2C-bus or generic serial bus radio tuner interface control and a received data FIFO buffer.

It also has the unique ability to differentiate the various FM data broadcasting standards such as RDS, RBDS, and MBS, and can handle each data protocol accordingly.

The R.F. front-end must be a 87.5-108MHz VHF/FM tuner which receives stereophonic (pilot-tone system) or monophonic sound broadcasts. The RDS data is carried on a 57kHz sub-carrier (3rd. harmonic of the 19kHz pilot-tone).

The demodulated data is presented to the RDS decoder as a 1187.5 Hz clock and data. This decoder performs burst error correction, offset removal and synchronization functions to extract the transmitted data. The data words, as they are received, are placed into a FIFO, and the host may poll a status register to determine the number of words that have been received. The host may then read the data and status information from the RDS decoder.

The RDX-1187c is suited perfectly for RDS/RBDS/MBS receivers in home, automotive, and commercial/industrial environments - among others. It is currently shipping and has a price of less than $3 in 10,000 unit quantities. In addition to the RDX-1187c decoder chip, ADS also offers licensing and reference designs for custom receiver products.

ADS Technologies, Inc. is a privately-held company specializing in high-quality desktop video and multimedia peripherals. Products include TV Elite Pro, a PC-to-video scan converter that was voted "Best Product" by Computer Upgrade Magazine in 1993, and TV Tune-In for Windows, a video capture board and TV tuner for the PC.

                   ADS Technologies, Inc.
                    13909 Bettencourt St.
                   Cerritos, CA 90703 USA
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             World Wide Web:  http://www.adstech.com

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Cadet is registered trademark of ADS Technologies, Inc. All other references are the property of their respective holders.

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ADS Technologies, Inc.

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