FREMONT, Calif. -- Jan. 17, 2000 -- Continuing to strengthen its position as the world's largest supplier of audio chips,(1) Cirrus Logic Inc. (NASDAQ:CRUS) today announced it has combined its latest Crystal® audio technologies to create a new 3-chip home theater audio solution. The complete audio signal processing chipset combines Cirrus Logic's new Crystal DSP and firmware with an audio codec and S/PDIF receiver to deliver the functionality currently performed by as many as 8 chips. With this complete signal processing solution, Cirrus Logic becomes the one-stop-shop for home theater audio manufacturers, significantly reducing design complexity and accelerating time-to-market.

"With this new chipset we are focusing on digital audio/video receivers, which along with DVD players is the fastest growing segment of the home theater market, " said Terry Ritchie, vice president of consumer marketing for Cirrus Logic's Crystal Consumer Audio Products Division. "Currently, we are supplying one, two, and in some cases three components in the signal chain to 7 out of the top 10 digital audio/video receiver manufacturers." Ritchie noted that the new Crystal home theater chipset employs a new 24-bit, multi-standard audio DSP (CS49326), a 96kHz, 103 dB, audio codec (CS4228) and a S/PDIF receiver (CS8415A).

Crystal DSP Addresses Cost, Performance & Flexibility Issues

At the heart of this chipset's flexibility and cost advantage is the new multi-standard Crystal DSP (CS49326). Manufactured in 0.25-micron standard CMOS, the new CS4932x family of Crystal DSPs has integrated enough memory to store the code for Dolby Digital AC-3 and Digital Theater Sound (DTS), eliminating the need for external memory.

Moreover, the CS4932x family is RAM-based, making it fully programmable. Thus, in addition to the built-in standards support, manufacturers can quickly and easily download new standards such as MP3 or Circle Surround from SRS Labs (2). This programmability enables the CS4932x family to keep pace with the rapidly changing standards in the consumer audio market.

In addition to adding more memory for code support, Cirrus Logic's Crystal audio experts have also increased the CS4932x family's processing power by adding additional MIPS, making the new DSP 40% faster than its predecessor. This enhancement enables the CS49326 to focus more processing cycles on dual precision bass management, providing the ability to make sure the audio signals are appropriately processed according to the speaker characteristics. In the home theater market, where the DSP is responsible for decoding 5.1 channels, post-decode sound management demands numerous processing cycles. Consequently, DSP speed enhancements are essential to bringing true theater quality sound into the home.

Innovative Jitter Technology Combined With Integration

The CS8415A is the industry's first digital, 96 kHz, S/PDIF receiver to integrate a 7-to-1 input multiplexer, saving system designers more than 30% in external circuitry. The 7-to-1 input multiplexer allows the consumer to plug in 7 different digital consumer devices, including set-top boxes, mini-disc players, DVD players, CD players, Laser Disc players, digital audio tape and S/PDIF-based PCs. Given that Cirrus Logic, the largest supplier of PC audio chips (1), has made S/PDIF a standard feature on all PC audio solutions, most consumers with newer PCs will be able to attach their PC to a CS8415A-based audio/video receiver. The CS8415A's integrated multiplexer eliminates relays, external switches, associated electronic components, and reduces printed circuit board size, thus significantly lowering manufacturing costs.

Further, all Crystal digital audio receivers utilize Cirrus Logic's unique low-jitter phase lock loop technology (PLL) to deliver superb audio quality. Without a low-jitter PLL, the clock jitter generates sampling errors during audio playback which degrades the quality of the audio signal.. The CS8415A extends this proven low-jitter PLL technology into the home theater market to support 96kHz sample rates and preserve the superb sound quality generated by today's home entertainment systems.

Reducing Design Complexity & Increasing Sound Quality

To reduce design complexity and overall system cost, the CS4228 audio codec (integrating 2 ADCs and 6 DACs) has been optimized to interface directly with the CS4932x family of DSPs, eliminating the need for an external buffer IC between the DSP and codec. Additionally, CS4228's 24-bit resolution and 103 dB dynamic range enables the device to deliver more accurate sound reproduction. With an 8dB gain over previous product offerings, the CS4228 provides the equivalent of a 1-bit gain in resolution to more than double sonic performance.

Price & Availability

The first member of the CS4932x family is the CS49326, which is a multi-standard DSP optimized for home theater applications. This device supports, via on-chip memory, both AC-3 and DTS. The device also supports, via a simple download, additional firmware available from Cirrus Logic. Now in volume production the CS49326 is priced at $16.50 each in quantities of 10,000. The CS4228, 24-bit, 96 kHz audio codec is also in volume production and is priced at $8.60 each in quantities of 10,000. The CS8415A, S/PDIF receiver is sampling now with volume production scheduled for calendar Q1 of 2000 and is currently priced at $3.00 each in quantities of 10,000.

Cirrus Logic, Inc.

Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of high performance analog and advanced mixed-signal chip solutions. The company's products, sold under its own name and the Crystal product brand, enable system-level applications in mass storage, audio and precision data conversion. Additional information about Cirrus Logic is available at www.cirrus.com

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(1) According to the Forward Concepts' The Convergence of Audio report

(2) See related releases: Cirrus Logic Supports Advanced Surround Sound Technology Ushering in New Era of Multi-Channel Audio Realism & Cirrus Logic Converts Audio/Video Receiver Into Internet Player

Note to editors: Cirrus Logic and Crystal are registered trademarks of Cirrus Logic Inc.

All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.