Crystal Semiconductor Introduces First Single-Chip Audio Sub-System With Immersive 3-D Sound; CS4237 brings SRS 3-D audio standard to PC motherboard applications.AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 1996--Crystal Semiconductor Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of Cirrus Logic 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), today announced the industry's first single-chip audio subsystem to support spatially-accurate, immersive 3-D sound for multimedia computers. The CS4237 is pin compatible with Crystal's CS4236 industry-standard motherboard audio IC and adds Sound Retrieval System The Sound Retrieval System (or SRS) is a patented psychoacoustic 3D audio processing technology originally invented by Arnold Klayman in the early 1980s. (The original SRS patents are US patents 4,866,774, 4,748,669, and 4,841,572, which expire in 2006 and 2008 depending on the (SRS SRS, SRS-A see slow-reacting substance. ) technology from SRS Labs Inc. for full dynamic control of immersive 3-D audio. Since the SRS technology requires no audio encoding or decoding, the CS4237 expands any audio technology -- mono, stereo, surround sound and others -- to create a realistic, panoramic sound experience with no "sweet spot" or centered listening position. The CS4237, supported by an extensive suite of Crystal software, provides a complete audio solution that fully supports Microsoft's DirectSound API which provides end-users with the ability to play the new wave of high-performance Windows games. "Crystal's CS4237 is the first single-chip device to bring the popular SRS 3-D audio technology to PC motherboards," explains Brad Fluke, director of marketing for Crystal's Computer Products Division. "We're excited to couple Crystal's leading multimedia audio solutions with SRS, the 3-D sound solution already chosen by many of the top computer manufacturers." Crystal's audio subsystem is pin compatible with the CS4236 and CS4232. The CS4237 offers register-level control to select, enable and disable mono or stereo sound that can be modified in increments as small as 1.5 dB. The CS4237's internal 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
The CS4237 features a fully-compliant Plug-and-Play Specification 1.0a ISA interface, and delivers a comprehensive audio solution including Crystal's de facto industry-standard delta-sigma converters. Crystal's audio subsystem incorporates Plug-and-Play compatible peripherals with a joystick interface, an external wavetable music synthesizer interface, and enhanced IDE CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). interface and a MPU-401 compatible MIDI UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) The electronic circuit that makes up the serial port. Also known as "universal serial asynchronous receiver transmitter" (USART), it converts parallel bytes from the CPU into serial bits for transmission, and vice . The device extends Plug-and-Play capabilities to the peripherals attached to its bus, including peripherals that are not inherently Plug-and-Play compatible, such as an IDE CD-ROM and modem. The CS4236, CS4232 and CS432A comprise the de facto standard Hardware or software that is widely used, but not endorsed by a standards organization. Contrast with de jure standard. de facto standard - A widespread consensus on a particular product or protocol which has not been ratified by any official standards body, such as ISO, multimedia audio architecture used by the majority of the top 10 computer manufacturers. SRS Technology SRS technology, from SRS Labs Inc., is based on the human hearing system. It produces a fully immersive, 3-D sound image from any audio source with two or more standard stereo speakers. SRS expands any audio technology -- mono, stereo, surround sound and others -- to create a realistic, panoramic sound experience with no "sweet spot" or centered listening position. SRS is single-ended, requiring no encoding or decoding, and uses no artificial signal manipulation such as time delay or phase shift to produce its natural, true-to-life sound image. Software Support The CS4237 is supplied with a complete suite of drivers supporting the major operating systems including Windows 3.1x, Windows for Workgroups A version of Windows 3.1 introduced in 1992 that added peer-to-peer networking. See Windows. (operating system) Windows for Workgroups - (WFW, WFWG) A version of Windows 3.1 which works with a network. Although stand-alone 3. , IBM OS/2 WARP, Windows 95 and Windows NT. The CS4237 Windows 95 driver meets all requirements to obtain a Windows 95 Plug-and-Play logo from Windows Hardware Quality Labs (body, standard) Windows Hardware Quality Labs - (WHQL) A Microsoft body that produces and supports the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility Test kit for current Microsoft operating systems. . (WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) A Microsoft facility that provides testing services for hardware and drivers for compliance with its operating systems. WHQL administers various logos that compliant vendors may reprint on their packages. ), including requirements outlined in the recently released specification supplement. DirectSound support is integrated in Crystal's Windows 95 driver which provides end-users with the ability to play the new wave of high-performance Windows games written to the DirectSound standard API. Crystal's CS4232 and CS9233 audio solutions are provided as part of Microsoft's Games Developers SDK. Crystal also provides a wide variety of free end-user DOS and Windows 3.1X applications and audio control applets. Development and diagnostic software to support multimedia audio integration are also available. Price and Availability The CS4237 is available in a 100-pin thin quad flat pack (TQFP See QFP. ) and sells for $42.50 in quantities of 10,000. Samples are available now with production planned for the second quarter of 1996. Crystal Semiconductor Corporation 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. (Nasdaq: CRUS). -0- Note to Editors: Product photography available upon request. For more information regarding the CS4237 and other multimedia audio codec products, contact Eileen R. Carlson, Crystal Semiconductor Corporation, 4120 S. Industrial Drive, Austin, Texas 78744; Telephone 512/442-7555 or 800/888-5016; Fax 512/462-2723. Press releases from Cirrus Logic and its subsidiaries may be obtained by fax by dialing 1/800-359-6414, or by dialing 510/249-4200 from outside the United States, or via Internet on the world wide web at http://www.cirrus.com/ CONTACT: Crystal Semiconductor Corporation Tom Agler, 512/912-3701 tagler@crystal.cirrus.com Eileen Carlson, 512/912-3022 |
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