Media player bridges audio/video experience gap

Austriamicrosystems has announced the AS3536 multimedia player system.

The core of the system is based on audio and video engines with post-processors acting as co-processors to an ARM central programmable unit capable of 400MHz.

The IC also includes system level power management, a high-quality audio codec and battery charging.

The power consumption is at system level and is inclusive of power conversion losses.

A lower cost derivative, the AS3535, plays audio/video at up to WQVGA resolution with a system power of 60mW, a level that most audio players require for music files only.

For portable devices, it is essential to minimise power consumption while in standby mode.

The fully static design and low leakage technology of the AS3536 allow for 1.4mW preserving context or 4mW while refreshing the display from the on-chip 512Kbytes buffer (with screen backlight off).

The audio engine, in a fully hardwired context, executes the decompression and playback of most popular compressed audio formats, such as MP3, WMA and AAC, for the least amount of power consumption with zero CPU load.

The audio post-processor implements an Asynchronous Sample Rate Converter (ASRC) with near transparent quality, a multi-channel mixer with limiting function and 10-band graphic equalizer.

It supports 192KHz sample rates at 24 bits dynamic range for high definition audio processing.

Three sets of I2S outputs can independently control stereo speakers, subwoofer and headphone or line outputs and may also be utilised as multi-channel audio outputs.

The AS3536 audio subsystem also includes a stereo PDM digital microphone input.

The hardware-implemented video engine can decompress and play H.264/AVC, Mpeg4, H.263, WMV9/VC-1 and Sorenson Spark multi-standard video with resolution in excess of DVD players (D1 video).

Jpeg pictures are decompressed at 16Mpixels/sec.

WMV9 is supported to main profile at high level so that storing DVD movies requires less than one sixth of their original file sizes at equivalent quality.

The video post-processor includes features such as up/down video scaling, rotation, cropping, split screens, picture in picture and alpha blending.

The capability to play Sorenson Spark video as supported by Adobe Flash allows content from websites to be played at very low power.

The AS3536 directly interfaces to the latest removable and embedded flash memory types with 4/8/16-bit hardware ECC.

It is supported by a mature software suite backed by three generations of products delivered in the multimedia player market.

The AS3536 is available now in a CTBGA 244 balls package, 10 x 10mm with 0.5mm ball pitch.

The lower cost derivative AS3535 supports video of up to WQVGA resolution and a CPU clock rate of 266MHz.

Evaluation boards and reference kits are available for both devices.

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