Audio

ARM Introduces Cortex-M4 Core for Digital Signal Controllers

This spring, ARM added the Cortex-M4 digital signal controller (DSC) to its processor core line-up.  This product brings digital signal processing capabilities to ARM’s microcontroller core line (the Cortex-M family).  At the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose in April, NXP demonstrated a prototype Cortex-M4-based chip running at approximately 150 MHz.  In June, Freescale announced its Kinetis line, also based on the Cortex-M4.  ST Micro and Texas Instruments have also announced their Read more...

Analog Devices Introduces Lower-Cost SHARC Processors

Analog Devices, Inc (ADI) has announced new members of its floating-point SHARC processor family featuring lower prices and offering LQFP packages, which are easier to use in older, lower-cost manufacturing facilities. The new SHARC products target digital audio, industrial, automotive, and medical markets.  New ADSP-2147x chips feature lower power than previous SHARC products, while ADSP-2148x parts feature high performance with greater integration. These parts include on-chip memory of up to Read more...

APTX Expands Apt-X Audio Codec Lineup, Sells Hardware Division

At the recent AES convention in Munich, audio technology house APTX (formerly APT, Audio Processing Technology) announced that it is developing a new, scalable variant of its “apt-X” audio compression algorithm. The new codec is called “apt-X Scalable,” and is intended to be used as a single-codec solution in products that process a range of audio inputs, such as mobile devices that include voice, music, ringtones, and other forms of audio. According to APTX, apt-X Scalable will dynamically Read more...

BDTI Releases Benchmark Results for Toshiba's Venezia Platform

BDTI recently completed a benchmark analysis of the Toshiba MeP “Media embedded Processor” core and “IVC2” SIMD coprocessor, both of which are used in Toshiba’s Venezia mobile multimedia platform. The MeP is a licensable core that is intended to be used as a building block in multi-core, multimedia-oriented SoCs, typically with multiple MeP cores on a chip.  Each MeP core can be customized with specialized instructions, co-processors, and memory sizes. The base MeP core is a single-issue Read more...

Fraunhofer Stealthily Advances Compression Technologies

There’s a German research institution that many people outside of Europe have never heard of.  Well, there are probably lots of German research institutions that many people have never heard of, but this particular one, Fraunhofer, was instrumental in developing a technology that millions of people use every day—a little thing called MP3.  Fraunhofer also co-developed AAC and has been involved in developing the H.264 video codec, along with other codecs. But unlike the audio algorithm experts Read more...

VeriSilicon’s New Silicon IP Solution for HD Audio

VeriSilicon has released a licenseable DSP core, the ZSP800, and an associated development platform, VZ.AudioHD, optimized for “HD” audio applications. The term “high definition audio” can mean different things to different people.  For example,  in 2004 Intel introduced “high definition audio” technology aimed at PCs. For Verisilicon, “HD audio” refers to the audio requirements assocaited with digital high-definition TV (HDTV), high-definition optical media (Blu-ray and HD DVD), and games Read more...

Behind the scenes: Dolby’s acquisition of Coding Technologies

Dolby, based in San Francisco, CA, has acquired audio compression specialist Coding Technologies. Dolby is well-known for its AC-3 audio compression algorithm (also known as Dolby Digital), used worldwide in cinema sound and more recently accepted for audio for digital television in North America.  Coding Technologies focuses on audio compression for mobile, digital broadcasting and Internet markets worldwide.  Coding Technologies has developed Spectral Band Replication and other technologies Read more...

Avnera releases ASSPs for wireless audio applications

Avnera has released a set of application-specific standard product (ASSP) chips aimed at the audio market.  Avnera’s chips, implemented in CMOS, transmit and receive stereo audio (close to CD quality) over the 2.4 GHz wireless ISM band assigned internationally for industrial, scientific and medical uses.   Avnera claims a typical range of 45 feet, with longer range if an optional external power amplifier is used. Figure 1.  Avnera implements wireless audio with a transmitter chip and a Read more...

Tips and Tricks for Debugging Audio

Introduction Are you designing a system that involves audio? Maybe an audio product or a product with an audio subsystem? Here are some tips and tricks that may help you. Designing audio systems and debugging audio presents some interesting challenges.  Sound is ruthlessly real-time; the speaker cone will keep moving, even if your prototype isn’t able to keep up with the flow of output samples required.  The same is true of a microphone:  the microphone diaphragm keeps moving and must be Read more...

Case Study: Multi-Tiered Software Optimization

It’s generally accepted that, for processing engines, there is a trade-off between efficiency and generality.  The more a chip is geared towards a specific application, the more efficient it’s likely to be (in terms of speed, energy consumption, and cost).  On one end of the spectrum you have traditional FPGAs, which are completely general-purpose, and on the other are fixed-function chips, which are completely application specific. In between these extremes lie various types of processors, Read more...