CSR sets new standard for wireless consumer audio with innovative platforms
CSR8645 and CSR8670 deliver highly immersive, high fidelity audio experience for wired and wireless applications
Cambridge, UK and San Jose, USA - 1 Sep 2011
In summary
CSR today introduced the CSR8645 and CSR8670, a pair of flexible, feature-rich SoC solutions that set a new standard for wireless audio quality, and which consumer electronics OEMs can use to more easily, quickly and cost effectively bring to market a range of highly differentiated home entertainment and wearable audio products.
Embodying CSR’s proprietary audio processing technologies, these first two members of the next-generation CSR8600 wireless consumer-audio platform family also feature wired audio capabilities that extend and enhance the usability of wireless audio products by enabling them to operate even when the battery is drained or when wireless connectivity is prohibited, such as on commercial aircraft, and have already been selected by and are in development at multiple tier one customers.
CSR plc (LSE: CSR) today introduced the CSR8645 and CSR8670, a pair of flexible, feature-rich SoC solutions that set a new standard for wireless audio quality, and which consumer electronics OEMs can use to more easily, quickly and cost effectively bring to market a range of highly differentiated home entertainment and wearable audio products.
Embodying CSR’s proprietary audio processing technologies, these first two members of the next-generation CSR8600 wireless consumer-audio platform family also feature wired audio capabilities that extend and enhance the usability of wireless audio products by enabling them to operate even when the battery is drained or when wireless connectivity is prohibited, such as on commercial aircraft, and have already been selected by and are in development at multiple tier one customers.
Both SoCs offer CSR audio processing and Bluetooth wireless connectivity technologies to enable wireless streaming of the highest quality stereo audio for home entertainment systems, TVs and other connected home applications, as well as smartphones, tablets, PCs and many other consumer products. CSR aptX™ high-fidelity audio technology delivers outstanding stereo audio over Bluetooth connectivity to wireless speakers or headphones, while CSR Clear Voice Capture (CVC®) technology offers acoustic echo and noise cancellation for high-quality speakerphone functionality.
“The CSR8645 and CSR8670 provide flexible, audio system-on-chip solutions our customers can use to improve their competitiveness by creating more highly differentiated products and bringing them to market faster,” said Paul Wilson, Product Marketing Manager in the Audio and Consumer Business Unit at CSR. “With these two SoCs, we are setting a new standard for wireless audio quality, providing revolutionary consumer audio platforms that not only support traditional audio applications, but also enable entirely new consumer uses and form factors.”
The CSR8645 and CSR8670 will be demonstrated (by invitation only) at the upcoming IFA 2011 global trade show in Berlin, Germany, on 2-7 September. Attendees wishing to view the demonstration, which will be held in the CSR pavilion in hall 1.2, booth number 139, should contact CSR for an invitation.
The Wired Alternative
The CSR8645 and CSR8670 enable OEMs to easily create enhanced battery-powered wireless audio products that can also operate as wired devices that can be plugged directly into audio sources that do not have Bluetooth connectivity. The wired audio capability also allows a product to continue to be used when its battery runs down, or in situations where wireless operation is prohibited or impractical. With the CSR8645 and CSR8670, products can receive audio input through an analogue connection, such as a standard 3.5-mm audio jack, as well as through a USB connecter, which has the further advantage of allowing the battery to be charged while listening to music.
High-Quality aptX Bluetooth Audio for Mainstream Products
The CSR8645 is the first CSR audio platform solution to feature aptX technology enabled in ROM, and marks a milestone in fulfilling the CSR promise to deliver its aptX high-quality audio technology to the mass market. The CSR8645 was designed to provide a superior audio experience with a rich assortment of essential, market-leading features— such as fully configurable and tuneable EQ with multiple presets—in a flexible, highly configurable ROM-based solution for more cost-sensitive, mainstream consumer audio products, where faster time to market is paramount.
The Best Gets Better
The CSR8670 is the most powerful, most flexible and most highly integrated wireless audio solution ever produced by CSR, with advanced features—like support for up to six digital microphones and capacitive touch control—customers can use to build a wide range of innovative and exciting consumer audio devices. With its compact packaging options and reduced need for external passive components, the CSR8670 can save manufacturers up to 60 percent of the printed circuit board area required by current solutions and enables minimum production costs.
With its integrated support for capacitive touch sensors, the CSR8670 enables aesthetically pleasing product designs with sleek touch-control interfaces. Sensor pads can be configured for slider or wipe-type operation. Overall control of the capacitive touch sensors is software controlled, making it easily configurable for each application.
The CSR8670 includes all the features of the CSR8645, but instead of a ROM-based solution, the CSR8670 includes embedded flash memory that supports maximum product differentiation by enabling OEMs to develop their own custom applications using the CSR software development kit and CSR eXtension Partner solutions coupled with bespoke software design to create products with truly unique features.
Enhanced Development Experience
The CSR8670’s dual-core architecture, which includes an applications processor and ultra-low-power Kalimba DSP, and embedded flash memory enable it to provide a very flexible solution for achieving the utmost in product differentiation. The enhanced Kalimba DSP coprocessor allows a broad range of signal processing functions to be performed simultaneously on data received through any of the inputs, including over-the-air, digital or analogue audio streams.
CSR’s comprehensive suite of configuration tools for the CSR8600 product family and audio development kit (ADK) for CSR8670-based product design enable manufacturers to develop highly differentiated, feature-rich solutions for wired or wireless consumer audio applications without incurring significant hardware or software development effort.
Through its eXtension Partner Program, CSR will deliver a wide range of third-party audio-enhancement software plug-ins for the CSR8670’s on-chip DSP, which will further reduce design cycle time by enabling consumer electronics manufacturers to select a broad range of solutions from several vendors and enjoy a range of benefits.
Availability and Pricing
The CSR8670 next-generation wireless consumer audio solution and the accompanying development kit and application software are available now in production quantities. Package options for the CSR8670 include a 6.5 x 6.5 mm, 0.5-mm pitch, 112‑ball VFBGA, and a WLCSP for minimalist form-factor designs.
The CSR8645 is available now in sample quantities, with production volumes by the fourth quarter of this year. Package options for the CSR8645 include a 5.5 x 5.5 mm, 0.5-mm pitch, 68-pin BGA.
Please contact CSR for pricing information.
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About CSR
CSR is a global provider of innovative silicon and software solutions for the location-aware, media-rich, cloud-connected world. Our platforms are optimised for the automotive navigation and infotainment, digital cameras and imaging, connected home infotainment and wireless audio markets. We provide solutions to complex problems in the audio-visual, connectivity and location technology domains across a broad range of markets, with a technology portfolio that includes GPS/GNSS systems, Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, FM, NFC, aptX® and CVC™ audio codecs, JPEG, MPEG, H.264 imaging, PDL printing, microcontrollers, DSPs and broadband receivers. CSR's technology solutions and market platforms enable its customers to deliver a superior user experience and are adopted by leaders in the auto, computer, home and mobile markets. More information can be found at www.csr.com. Keep up to date with CSR on our blog, YouTube or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CSR_plc.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements (including statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or performance, or assumptions related thereto) that are not historical facts and constitute ‘forward looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in relation to CSR's CSR8645 and CSR8670 System-on-Chips, and their performance characteristics in other consumer electronics products, and other future events and their potential effects on CSR. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as 'introduced,' can,' ‘bring to market’, ‘enabling,’ enable,' 'offers,' ‘promise to deliver,’ 'can use to,' 'allows,' and other similar expressions regarding the performance characteristics of CSR8645 and CSR8670 SoCs, and their performance characteristics in other consumer electronics products, and their potential effects on CSR. Any future release of CSR8645 and CSR8670 SoCs or consumer electronics products containing CSR's technology, or related products or modifications to such products’ capability, functionality or features are subject to ongoing evaluation by CSR and its customers, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by CSR or its customers and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. Such forward-looking statements represent the current expectations and beliefs of management of CSR, and are based upon numerous assumptions regarding CSR’s business strategies and the environment in which CSR will operate and therefore involve a number of known and unknown risks, contingencies, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSR, including, but not limited to, those detailed from time to time in CSR’s periodic reports (whether under the caption Risk Factors or Forward Looking Statements or elsewhere), which are available at the SEC’s web site http://www.sec.gov. Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof. CSR does not undertake to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward looking statements contained herein, otherwise than required by law.