Analog Devices' Blackfin Processor Fuels Sonarics Labs' Advanced Digital Radio Offerings.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers NORWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2004 Low-Cost, Low-Power Blackfin Processor Enables Digital Radio Through Software Programmability Analog Devices Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI) is an American multinational producer of semiconductor devices. Analog specializes in ADC, DAC, MEMS, and DSP chips for consumer and industrial goods. Analog is presently designing circuits in the 65 nanometer to 3 µm process feature sizes range. , Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : ADI), today announced that Sonarics Labs has harnessed the low cost and advanced capabilities of ADI's Blackfin(R) Processor for its new ClearSignal(TM) product, a complete digital radio receiver solution. By implementing digital radio functionality in software on ADI's Blackfin Processor, Sonarics was able to design a Eureka-147 Digital Audio Broadcasting Digital radio. It is the digital successor to analog AM and FM radio. See HD Radio and DAB. (DAB) digital radio that integrates a range of additional functionality -- MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) An audio compression method from Microsoft. Known originally as MSAudio, this proprietary format competes with the MP3 and AAC methods. WMA encodes rapidly and is known to be especially effective at low bit rates. playback and recording on memory cards and CDs, sophisticated sound processing, as well as digital reception of legacy FM/AM broadcasts -- all into a one platform. With the ClearSignal product priced for the mass market -- at about $5 per processor in quantity -- Sonarics can now bring a robust digital audio solution to radio manufacturers at prices that will be attractive to a broad consumer audience. The Blackfin-based Sonarics platform offers an important advantage over first-generation digital radios, which were built using a combination of custom ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. ) and a separate microcontroller chip. Because Blackfin-based products can be modified through software iteration, without requiring hardware redesign, Sonarics benefits from continuous cost reduction, fast time-to-market and the ability to reuse intellectual property (IP) as they build out the capabilities of their product family. The general-purpose and fully-programmable Blackfin Processor is integral to Sonarics' ability to evolve digital radio over time, transitioning it from a standalone audio receiver to a richly-featured, wireless multimedia player with data and video support for new streaming formats and integration with 3G cellular handsets. "The main challenges of the digital radio market are the price tag of digital receivers and the ability to deliver advanced digital services to consumers," said Ben Gagin, Sonarics' President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. . "The Blackfin Processor's affordability and streamlined development environment helped to address these challenges. In addition, its ability to redistribute horsepower between all the system's functions under different run-time circumstances -- as directed by ClearSignal -- enabled Sonarics to take a big step toward increasing the coverage of its digital radio offerings." "Sonarics' use of the Blackfin Processor validates all that makes this processor a compelling choice for electronics manufacturers," said Gerald McGuire, general manager, Media Platforms and Services Group, Analog Devices, Inc. "Fulfilling the role of both digital signal processor A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized microprocessor designed specifically for digital signal processing, generally in real-time computing. Characteristics of typical Digital Signal Processors
in full Reduced Instruction Set Computing Computer architecture that uses a limited number of instructions. RISC became popular in microprocessors in the 1980s. microcontroller, the Blackfin Processor allows designers of media-rich applications such as digital radio -- in which cost, power efficiency, time-to-market and scalability of new functionality are essential to mainstream success -- to achieve their goals with unprecedented ease." Sonarics and ADI's Blackfin Processor Sonarics used the Blackfin Processor to handle both signal processing and microcontroller functionality in its ClearSignal product. The ClearSignal product is a "soft radio" receiver running digital radio reception and digital audio playback on the Blackfin Processor. The ClearSignal design also incorporates additional ADI technologies, including several analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for intermediate frequency sampling. About ADI's Blackfin Processor The Blackfin Processor is the first in a new breed of embedded processors designed specifically to meet the computational demands and power constraints of today's embedded audio, video and communications applications. Based on the Micro Signal Architecture (MSA (Metropolitan Service Area) An urban area with at least 50,000 people plus surrounding counties. There are 306 MSAs and 428 RSAs (rural service areas) in the U.S. MSAs and RSAs are used to allocate cellular licenses. ) jointly developed with Intel Corporation, ADI's Blackfin Processor family combines a 32-bit RISC-like instruction set with 16-bit dual multiply accumulate (MAC) signal processing functionality and ease-of-use attributes found in general-purpose microcontrollers. Dynamic Power Management enables breakthrough power consumption by allowing the simultaneous adjustment of operating frequency and voltage under application control. Because they are code-compatible, all Blackfin Processors provide portability of design. In addition, Blackfin Processors are fully supported by ADI's integrated software development tool chain, the VisualDSP++(R) Integrated Development Environment See IDE. integrated development environment - interactive development environment (IDE), and by Green Hills' MULTI MULTI Multiple (R) IDE tool suite. Blackfin Processors are priced in the $5-$40 per-unit range in 10,000 unit quantities. For more information on Blackfin, please visit: www.analog.com/blackfin. About Analog Devices Analog Devices, Inc. (www.analog.com) is a leading manufacturer of precision high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing See DSP. Digital Signal Processing - (DSP) Computer manipulation of analog signals (commonly sound or image) which have been converted to digital form (sampled). applications. ADI is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, and employs approximately 8,600 people worldwide. It has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, California, North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. , Ireland, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. and ADI is included in the S&P 500 Index. Blackfin is a registered trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. ClearSignal is a trademark of Sonarics Labs Ltd. All other trademarks included herein are the property of their respective owners. |
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