Product category:
Reference Designs
News Release from: Cambridge Silicon Radio | Subject: Wi-Fi/Bluetooth reference designs
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 09 February 2006
Platform unites radio technologies for
players
CSR and PortalPlayer have joined forces to eliminate the inconvenience of wires on personal media players by adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
CSR and PortalPlayer have joined forces to eliminate the inconvenience of wires on personal media players by adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity Through seamless integration between PortalPlayer's PP5022 applications processor family and CSR's UniFi Wi-Fi chip and BlueCore Bluetooth chip, consumer electronics and other media device manufacturers will gain a significant time-to-market advantage in delivering wire-free media players
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 24 Aug 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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A web-based remote controller for a DVD player has provided the first ever demonstration of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) running over Bluetooth wireless technology.
Wi-Fi will simplify the synchronisation of media players with a PC as well as opening up entirely new ways to download and stream content from the Internet.
Bluetooth will enable wireless stereo headset connectivity.
The two firms are running a Wi-Fi technology demonstration at the 3GSM World Congress 2006 in Barcelona, Spain.
Further reading
Flash memory is optimised for Bluetooth
Cambridge Silicon Radio and Fujitsu have been working together to develop Flash memory optimised for Bluetooth requirements.
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The CompactSira development kit from Cambridge Silicon Radio now comes with a sample CD of Rappore's Bluetooth host protocol stack, profiles and My Wirefree Network user interface.
One-chip Bluetooth solution powers hands-free kit
The Bluetooth Voice Box from Uniwill Computer Corp is Bluetooth-enabled by CSR's BlueCore single-chip Bluetooth solution.
"CSR's UniFi was designed for this type of application".
"The company worked long and hard to get both power and coexistence (operating both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in a single design) to levels that make these technologies suitable for portable devices", said Simon Finch, Vice President of Strategic Marketing at CSR.
"Working with PortalPlayer to equip these devices with our power efficient Wi-Fi and Bluetooth solutions will give consumers more flexibility and more options to enjoy digital content whenever and wherever they wish".
"Adding Wi-Fi means that the personal media player is no longer a slave to the PC".
"Consumers will no longer have to dock their media player to change playlists or add new songs, photos and videos", said Scott Tandy, Vice President of Marketing from PortalPlayer.
"We are excited to continue the expansion of our core technology platforms into new and rapidly growing segments such as wirelessly connected personal media players".
CSR's UniFi-1 Portable is the world's smallest single-chip solution for 802.11a/b/g and has been designed specifically to minimise coexistence design issues.
In addition to functioning properly in close proximity to a Bluetooth radio, UniFi provides multimode 802.11a/b or g operation, extremely low power consumption, and built-in antenna diversity processing for extended speed and range.
CSR's BlueCore4-ROM implements Bluetooth v2.0+EDR (enhanced datarate).
In addition to delivering datarates up to three times faster than products using previous versions of Bluetooth, EDR Bluetooth also has a similar effect on power consumption with BlueCore4 powered products lasting up to three times longer.
PortalPlayer's PP5022 personal media player platforms drive many of today's leading digital audio players.
The company's PP5022 system-on-chip uses dual 32bit ARM7 microprocessor cores and extensive firmware to provide scaleable performance and maximise battery life for personal media players.
This efficient design provides support for today's leading audio encoders, digital rights management technologies, and multiple I/O and networking connectivity enhancements.
This unique combination of capabilities gives consumers a feature-rich and easy-to-use digital media experience.
CSR and PortalPlayer both have expertise in delivering an optimum balance between battery life and performance in personal media players.
This proficiency enabled the two firms to develop a complete semiconductor, firmware and software platform that will enable device manufacturers to create Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-equipped media players that enhance the current user experience.
The current generation of portable media players relies on wired headphones and a cradle, USB or cable connection for synchronising music from a PC.
Adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will enable a wide variety of new usage models and possibly new content access services.
Examples include: wirelessly synchronising content on a personal media player with a PC; downloading content such as Podcasts directly from the Internet; streaming audio or video content from a PC or the Internet; accessing the Internet at public Wi-Fi hotspots or in metro Wi-Fi networks; new purchase opportunities in public Wi-Fi-enabled venues; and wireless stereo headsets.
These technologies can also be used in other types of devices such as the new Preface-enabled Personal Media Displays (PMD) in notebook computers.
In the PMD environment, always on Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth can be used for a wide variety of enhanced productivity applications.
PortalPlayer and CSR will be showing reference designs and demonstrating Wi-Fi connectivity at the 3GSM World Congress next week.
The PortalPlayer and CSR platforms are expected to be available in the second half of 2006.
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