The digital radio trend is picking up globally and an increasing number of car OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers are now offering in-car digital radio systems to keep up with the pace. NXP Semiconductors has introduced its SAF360x series – also called Saturn, a multi-standard software-defined radio co-processor capable of decoding all three major digital terrestrial radio standards, including Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), HD Radio, and DAB/DAB+/T-DMB. The company says the series features maximum ratio combining for DAB and HD Radio, and scalability for single, dual, and triple tuner use cases. The SAF360x platform also replaces up to six chips with a single IC and reduces the footprint of the automotive digital radio application by more than 75 per cent for cost savings, according to the company.
"The SAF360x series—code-named 'Saturn'—is the culmination of more than a decade of developing in-car digital radio solutions and finally offers the all-in-one integration, true multi-standard support, and breakthrough reception performance that leading car infotainment system suppliers have been waiting for," said Torsten Lehmann, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Car Entertainment Solutions, NXP Semiconductors.
Car manufacturers are expected to go into production with the first digital radio systems based on the SAF360x this year.
By using software-defined radio, the SAF360x series—like its market-leading predecessor, the SAF356x—offers a cost-effective platform that allows the same hardware to be used to decode multiple standards. Currently supporting the three most popular digital terrestrial radio standards, the platform could also be used to support new digital radio standards that emerge in the future.
With the SAF360x, NXP is the first semiconductor supplier to offer support for in-vehicle DRM reception, offering a cost-effective solution for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers introducing in-car digital radio systems in emerging markets, including India, Russia, and Brazil. NXP has been involved in extensive field tests for DRM, which brings FM-quality audio in AM bands, including the first public "test drive" conducted last year with All India Radio (AIR) ahead of the nationwide rollout of DRM in India.
Delivering improved reception performance for DAB, DAB+ and T-DMB, which are gaining popularity in Europe, Korea and Australia, the SAF360x is the first automotive-quality chipset including two on-board high-performance DAB tuners and memory. With support for up to three tuner inputs, the chipset can be used for DAB, maximum ratio combining (MRC) and background scan or data services. Using advanced wideband technology and software algorithms available only from NXP, the SAF360x solution provides ultra-fast DAB scanning and sync time, enhanced tuner sensitivity, and seamless DAB-FM-DAB blending, delivering an impeccable audio experience without having to worry about losing reception.
For HD Radio systems, which are rapidly gaining popularity in the US and Mexico, the NXP SAF360x series also offers enhanced reception performance via MRC. The SAF360x can be used in various HD Radio use cases—with a single low-cost tuner or up to three high-end tuner inputs. With the availability of three tuners, the SAF360x can be used to support HD Radio diversity reception, with background scanning or data services decoded from a second station in parallel. As the third-generation automotive HD Radio solution from NXP, the SAF360x also benefits from NXP's long-standing collaboration with iBiquity, creators of HD Radio technology.
The new digital radio co-processors work with NXP's car radio and audio DSPs and AM/FM tuners. Together, they offer a scalable global analogue and digital radio solution for tuning and decoding a range of terrestrial radio standards.
"The SAF360x series—code-named 'Saturn'—is the culmination of more than a decade of developing in-car digital radio solutions and finally offers the all-in-one integration, true multi-standard support, and breakthrough reception performance that leading car infotainment system suppliers have been waiting for," said Torsten Lehmann, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Car Entertainment Solutions, NXP Semiconductors.
Car manufacturers are expected to go into production with the first digital radio systems based on the SAF360x this year.
By using software-defined radio, the SAF360x series—like its market-leading predecessor, the SAF356x—offers a cost-effective platform that allows the same hardware to be used to decode multiple standards. Currently supporting the three most popular digital terrestrial radio standards, the platform could also be used to support new digital radio standards that emerge in the future.
With the SAF360x, NXP is the first semiconductor supplier to offer support for in-vehicle DRM reception, offering a cost-effective solution for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers introducing in-car digital radio systems in emerging markets, including India, Russia, and Brazil. NXP has been involved in extensive field tests for DRM, which brings FM-quality audio in AM bands, including the first public "test drive" conducted last year with All India Radio (AIR) ahead of the nationwide rollout of DRM in India.
Delivering improved reception performance for DAB, DAB+ and T-DMB, which are gaining popularity in Europe, Korea and Australia, the SAF360x is the first automotive-quality chipset including two on-board high-performance DAB tuners and memory. With support for up to three tuner inputs, the chipset can be used for DAB, maximum ratio combining (MRC) and background scan or data services. Using advanced wideband technology and software algorithms available only from NXP, the SAF360x solution provides ultra-fast DAB scanning and sync time, enhanced tuner sensitivity, and seamless DAB-FM-DAB blending, delivering an impeccable audio experience without having to worry about losing reception.
For HD Radio systems, which are rapidly gaining popularity in the US and Mexico, the NXP SAF360x series also offers enhanced reception performance via MRC. The SAF360x can be used in various HD Radio use cases—with a single low-cost tuner or up to three high-end tuner inputs. With the availability of three tuners, the SAF360x can be used to support HD Radio diversity reception, with background scanning or data services decoded from a second station in parallel. As the third-generation automotive HD Radio solution from NXP, the SAF360x also benefits from NXP's long-standing collaboration with iBiquity, creators of HD Radio technology.
The new digital radio co-processors work with NXP's car radio and audio DSPs and AM/FM tuners. Together, they offer a scalable global analogue and digital radio solution for tuning and decoding a range of terrestrial radio standards.
No comments:
Post a Comment