Zoran expands audio DSP portfolio with Muzichord

Zoran expands audio DSP portfolio with Muzichord
By Darrell Dunn, EBN
October 6, 1999 (3:00 p.m. EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG19991006S0042

Zoran Corp. has expanded its audio DSP portfolio with the introduction of the Muzichord digital audio DSP core, nearly tripling the performance level of its previous generation devices.

The Muzichord is a 32-bit, 150-MHz core, an increase from the company's 20-bit, 54-MHz ZR-36xxx and SR38xxx families.

The new core and its peripherals are optimized for multimedia digital audio applications. The core integrates a data register file with nine 32-bit registers and three 72-bit accumulators, a single cycle 32-bit MAC, and a bi-directional 32-bit barrel shifter.

Decoding functions currently available through Zoran's SiliconSoftware library for the Muzichord include decoding for AC-3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Dolby Surround, and Pro Logic. Encoding functions for AC-3 and MP3 are expected to be available soon, said Gadi Shavit, audio program manager for Zoran, Haifa, Israel.

Zoran plans to have development tools for Muzichord available in the first qua rter of 2000, with evaluation samples expected in the second quarter.