Monday 30 December 2013

Digital Radio Chip For Multiple Radio Standards

New chip will include both DAB and DRM
Frontier Silicon in London has announced details of Chorus 4, its next generation digital radio chip. Chorus 4 is a single-chip solution, which integrates four previously separate chips to deliver significant cost and energy consumption savings. The chip is designed to encourage the continued advance of digital radio around the world by supporting all major global digital radio standards. 

Some of the key features and benefits of Chorus 4 are
• Low cost, single chip solution:  integration of RF front-end, baseband, application processor and DAC (“four chips in one”) delivers significant cost savings which enable high quality, entry-level price point digital radios
• Ultra-low power consumption - one month’s listening for 5-6 hours a day on a portable radio with four D cell batteries (comparable to FM performance)
• Smart devices - enables digital radio solutions for mobile phones and tablets
• Bluetooth connectivity - connecting smart devices and digital radios to enable hybrid radio, music streaming and remote control
• Integrated service guides - new software will enable listeners to select stations from a single list of  digital and analogue stations regardless of platform
• Multiple radio standards - including support for AM, FM, DAB, DAB+, HD Radio and DRM

The company has not yet been indicated if the Chorus 4 chip will support both DRM30 and DRM+.