Zoran introduces digital audio processor at CES.
eetimes.com
Zoran offers multi-format digital-audio
processor
By Junko Yoshida
EE Times
(12/30/98, 3:34 p.m. EDT)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. ¡X In response to a growing demand among
consumer-electronics manufacturers for digital-audio receivers to run
several decoding algorithms, Zoran Corp. is unveiling a digital-audio
processor, ZR38650, at the Consumer Electronics Show to be held here this
week.
Although it's based on the company's three generations of
digital-audio-processor architecture, Paul Goldberg, vice president of audio
products, said, "We designed this new audio processor as the first true
multi-format decoder."
Featuring a faster processing speed and larger on-chip memories, the
processor is designed to process numerous complex digital-audio
compression schemes besides Dolby Digital, including Digital Theater
Systems (DTS), MPEG-2 Multichannel, MP3, MPEG-2 Advanced Audio
Coding (AAC) and Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP).
According to Zoran, the demand is growing for a multi-format digital-audio
processor for high-end audio receivers, DVD players and a variety of
entertainment systems with a broad range of audio/video quality features.
"From a boom box to a regular CD/DVD player, to a high-end DVD-Audio
player, your chip coming out in 1999 needs to address the entire spectrum of
various audio-decoding requirements," said Goldberg.
For the audiophile market, DVD-Audio, whose spec is finally coming
together, is expected to present new challenges to a lot of system and chip
vendors in 1999. MLP, for example, has been chosen as a lossless packing
technology required for DVD Audio.
Meanwhile, MPEG-2 AAC, which has been chosen as the audio
requirement for satellite-based Japanese Digital TV service, is now seen as
a low-bit-rate audio algorithm ideal for delivery of downloadable CD-quality
music over the Internet, satellite or cable. And MP3-a virtual de facto
audio-compression algorithm used on the Internet to download music
today-continues to exist, despite the latest efforts by the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) to set an audio standard for secure digital
music sent over the Internet.
As the distribution of music over the Internet becomes more popular, the
importance of a multi-format decoder could become even more relevant.
Especially in the future, when consumer-electronics-system vendors start
thinking about building such a new standalone consumer device as "Internet
Radio," the ability of that system to decode multiple audio algorithms should
become a must, the Goldberg predicted.
Today, such algorithms as MP3, AAC and MLP are still in development at
Zoran. The DTS is in the process of final approval, Goldberg said.
The ZR38650 has such expanded on-chip memories as 2 kword
program/data RAM, 10 kword data RAM and 20 kword program/data
ROM. The larger on-chip program RAM, for example, is used to store
Dolby Digital, Dolby Prologic and MPEG-2 Multichannel audio, as well as a
base management algorithm.
Further, by featuring a full 32-bit external bus to connect to SRAM, the new
digital-audio processor can directly access off-chip program/data memories.
The external memory becomes essential "if users want to run very large
programs such as DTS, MLP and AAC," said Goldberg. "As the price of
SRAM is going down, it's becoming very feasible."
The ZR38650, running at 100 MHz, has 50 Mips DSP processing power.
The company's previous digital-audio processor, ZR38600 offered 40 Mips
processing power, running at 80 MHz. "The 10 extra Mips can now allow us
to process a number of different virtual-surround-sound schemes as well,"
said Goldberg.
The chip, manufactured by using a 0.31-micron process technology, is
available today. The chip will be priced "less than $12" for customers
wanting it for large-volume quantity, said Goldberg. |
