Product category:
Analogue and Mixed Signal ICs
News Release from: austriamicrosystems | Subject: AS3532 IC
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 05 February 2008
IC boosts audio possibilities for mobile
phones
An on-chip 512Kbyte buffer memory in the AS3532 music player IC allows single-chip support of all key audio formats, both compressed and lossless.
austriamicrosystems has released the first member of a new family of media player ICs aimed at bridging the gap between the audio experience of music phones and Hi-Fi home audio devices The AS3532 is an innovative music player subsystem whose core is based on a newly developed audio engine and audio post-processor which act as co-processors to an ARM central programmable unit
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 19 Oct 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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The audio engine, in a fully hardwired context, executes the decompression and playback of most popular compressed audio formats, like MP3, WMA and AAC for the least amount of power consumption with zero CPU load.
The audio post-processor implements an asynchronous sample rate convertor (ASRC) with near transparent quality, a multichannel mixer with a limiting function and a 10-band graphics equaliser and supports 192kHz sample rates at a 24bit dynamic range for high-definition audio processing.
Three sets of IS outputs can independently control stereo speakers, subwoofer and headphone or line outputs.
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These can also be used as multichannel audio outputs.
The AS3532 audio subsystem also includes a stereo PDM digital microphone input, completing all audio requirements for new generation mobile phones.
Interfaces included in the AS3532 can support either peer mode to a baseband phone IC or a "black box" companion music sub-system.
In the latter case, the IC provides direct support for removable and embedded Flash memory types with 4/8/16bit hardware ECC, for MLC NAND Flash, iNAND, LBA NAND, moviNAND, oneNAND and removable card formats like SD2.0, MMC+, CE-ATA, MS PRO and CF.
An on-chip 512Kbyte buffer memory in the AS3532 music player IC allows single chip support of all key audio formats, compressed, lossless and high definition, polyphonic sequenced content, a wavetable synthesiser, 3D positional sound, virtualiser engines and other digital audio effects.
Roberto Simmarano, Senior Marketing Director Business Unit Communications at austriamicrosystems, said, "Home Entertainment devices, such as DVD, CD and most recently Blue Ray HD players, set expectations for the entertainment experience of users that quickly become points of no return".
"As file storage and communications bandwidth have become less expensive and more readily available, lossless audio formats which are a bit perfect representation of the original master source have become ever more popular, because people want to maintain a permanent archive of their high-quality audio files".
"AS3532 offers full lossless audio format support, making it the perfect hardware platform to realise these consumer demands in the mobile phone environment".
"Current portable media and music phones compromise the audio experience for the sake of appealing form factors and acceptable playtime".
"The AS3532 will enable consumers to enjoy the same immersive, high-quality audio experience of their home audio devices on their portable gear, yet with an exceptional threefold increase in playtime compared to current generation portable music devices".
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