Crystal Semiconductor Announces AC '97 Compliant Audio Codec; PCI-Based Audio Solution Brings High-Quality Audio To Emerging Multimedia Applications.SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 1997--Crystal Semiconductor Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cirrus Logic (company) Cirrus Logic - A manufacturer of integrated circuits including the Advanced RISC Machine and display interface processors and cards for use as Windows accelerators (requiring dedicated driver software). http://cirrus.com/. Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :CRUS crus (krus) pl. cru´ra [L.] 1. leg (1). 2. a leglike part. crus ce´rebri ), today introduced its CS4297 mixed-signal AC '97 audio codec (1) A hardware circuit that converts analog voice into PCM or ADPCM digital code and vice versa. The term may refer to only the A/D and D/A conversion, or it may include the compression technique for further reducing the signal (definition #2 below). See sampling and codec. , the newest member in its SoundFusion(TM) family of advanced PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). audio products. This announcement, made here at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference The Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) is the annual software developer-oriented trade show and business conference where Microsoft elaborates on its hardware plans for Microsoft Windows-compatible PCs. (WinHEC), establishes Crystal as the first major supplier of an AC '97-compliant audio codec and aligns the company with Intel Corporation (company) Intel Corporation - A US microelectronics manufacturer. They produced the Intel 4004, Intel 8080, Intel 8086, Intel 80186, Intel 80286, Intel 80386, Intel 486 and Pentium microprocessor families as well as many other integrated circuits and personal computer networking to expedite the transition of audio from ISA (1) (Instruction Set Architecture) See instruction set. (2) (Interactive Services Association) See Internet Alliance. (3) (Internet Security and Acceleration) See .NET. to PCI. As consumers continue to demand more immersive, full-featured sound reproduction, Crystal's AC '97 solution paves the way for PC '97-compliant desktop, portable, and entertainment PCs with cost-effective, high-quality audio. The CS4297 sets the stage for such emerging audio standards as Dolby AC-3 Group 'B' and will help drive the convergence of the PC and entertainment industries. The Intel-driven AC '97 initiative allows for the modular development of future PC sound systems while reducing design time through a standardized serial interface and register set. Using the CS4297, the audio subsystem can be designed as a stand-alone "island" of analog functionality that requires minimal board space. This allows the design to be isolated from contaminating digital noise for the highest possible sound quality. Moreover, this approach enables the "island" to be quickly replicated within any desktop or portable PC design, thus speeding overall time to market. According to Jim According to Jim is an American situation comedy television series originally broadcast by ABC. The show premiered with little publicity in October 2001, following the surprise hit comedy My Wife and Kids. Moore, vice president and general manager of Crystal's Computer Products Division, "Our new AC '97-compliant codec (1) (enCOder/DECoder) A hardware circuit that performs analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) and digital-to-analog (DAC) conversion. When analog signals are entered into a computer, cellphone or other device via a microphone or video source such as VHS tape or analog TV, supports our aggressive strategy to deliver superior audio quality solutions by leveraging our world-class engineering expertise, manufacturing capabilities and our strong partnership with Intel. "Our expertise and proven technology allowed us to deliver the CS4297 to market in record time, enabling the launch of next generation applications in the industry." "AC '97 codec solutions, such as Crystal's, are a key ingredient in moving towards the vision laid out in Intel's Audio '98 roadmap," said Dan Russell, marketing director for Intel Corporation's Platform Marketing Group. "Crystal's solution delivers high-performance and audio quality, while reducing system size, cost structure and power consumption in Intel Architecture PCs." The CS4297, when coupled with a PCI audio accelerator such as Crystal's recently announced CS4610, implements a cost-effective, high-quality, full-featured audio solution. The CS4297 serial codec and CS4610 PCI audio accelerator are the first members in the company's SoundFusion family of advanced PCI audio products for new multimedia PC designs. Years of expertise in mixed-signal design have enabled Crystal to develop the CS4297 to meet the highest-quality standard, 90 dB signal-to-noise ratio The ratio of the power or volume (amplitude) of a signal to the amount of unwanted interference (the noise) that has mixed in with it. Measured in decibels, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR or S/N) measures the clarity of the signal in a circuit or a wired or wireless transmission channel. , as defined in the AC '97 spec. The product includes 18-bit stereo digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), that have become standard in many types of consumer digital audio equipment. Additionally, the device features comprehensive input mixing facilities for a variety of stereo and mono sound sources. Crystal's advanced chips take direct aim at consumer PC applications, such as advanced 3D gaming and DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. content playback, now being designed into systems for the 1997 Christmas season. The CS4297 and CS4610, when combined with Crystal's application and driver software support, accelerates advanced functions such as 3D positioning and Dolby AC-3 under Microsoft DirectSound(TM), DirectSound3D(TM) and ActiveMovie(TM) APIs. Pricing/Availability The CS4297 mixed-signal serial codec is currently sampling with production quantities set for July 1997. The device is available in a 48-pin TQFP See QFP. package and is priced at $7.50 in 10K quantities. Crystal Semiconductor, headquartered in Austin, Texas, designs, manufactures and markets advanced analog and digital integrated circuits for applications in the multimedia, telecommunications, data communications, consumer audio, data conversion and signal acquisition markets. Crystal is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cirrus Logic Inc. Cirrus Logic is a leading manufacturer of advanced integrated circuits for the desktop and portable computing, telecommunications, and consumer electronics markets. The company applies its system-level expertise in analog and digital design to innovate highly integrated, software-rich solutions. Cirrus Logic's broad portfolio of products and technologies focus on multimedia, communications and mass storage. Additional information about Cirrus Logic and its subsidiaries may be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.cirrus.com/ or via fax-on-demand at 800/359-6414 (dial 510/249-4200 from outside the United States). -0- Note to Editors: All trademarks noted herein are registered to their respective owners. CONTACT: Crystal Semiconductor Corp. Jo-Dee Benson, 512/912-3823 (editor contact) jbenson@crystal.cirrus.com or Shoaib Mohammad, 512/912-3526 (reader contact) shoaibm@crystal.cirrus.com or Tsantes & Associates Nancy Sheffield, 408/452-8700 nsheffield@tsantes.com |
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