Samsung pushes deeper into digital audio with new SoC series

Samsung pushes deeper into digital audio with new SoC series
By Semiconductor Business News
December 28, 2001 (7:25 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011226S0008

SEOUL -- Aiming to increase its presence in next-generation digital audio applications, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. this week announced development of a system-on-chip IC with integrated 16-bit microcontroller, 24-bit digital signal processor, 96-kilobyte cache SRAM, and other peripherals functions for handheld devices.

The SoC chip, designated S3CC410X, is scheduled to move into mass production in January, said Samsung officials, who announced the part on Monday. The integrated circuit incorporates Samsung's CalmRISC, which has both a 16-bit controller core and 24-bit DSP coprocessor.

Other on-chip functions include a controller for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and Universal Serial Bus (USB), Samsung said. The product can decompress 10-color CIS (CMOS Image Sensor) JPEG images per second, while the built-in LCD controller will display those images on a display, the company said. As a result, users can view notes or lyrics while listenin g to music, according to Samsung.

The chip is aimed at serving digital audio systems, which are expected to grow from 4.3 million units in 2001 to 6.5 million in 2002, said Samsung, citing a forecast from Dataquest Inc. These systems range from handheld MP3 players to personal digital assistants (PDAs) with audio functions.

Samsung said it has installed DSP software that enables the playback of music files in various formats such as MP3, Advanced Audio Coding (ACC) or Windows Media Audio (WMA). The device can also compress audio data into MP3 format and be used to support MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) or sound effects.

The Korean chip maker said it plans to introduce an enhanced version of the digital audio chip with a 32-bit microcontroller core in the first half of 2002. Product pricing was not released.