Tensilica Enables New Bluetooth Devices with the SBC Decoder and Encoder on Its HiFi 2 Optimized Audio DSP

Update: Cadence Completes Acquisition of Tensilica (Apr 24, 2013)

Enables Easy Addition of Bluetooth Audio to Portable Devices

SANTA CLARA, Calif. USA – February 11, 2009 – Tensilica, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of the Bluetooth sub-band codec (SBC) decoder and encoder for its popular HiFi 2 Audio DSP, which can easily be integrated into system-on-chip (SOC) designs. Now designers of cellular phones, portable music players and other devices can easily design in Bluetooth capabilities, along with over 50 other audio standards already available, that run on the HIFi 2 Audio DSP.

“We’re seeing strong demand for high-quality Bluetooth capabilities in portable devices,” stated Larry Przywara, Tensilica’s director of mobile multimedia. “Our implementation provides CD-like stereo sound quality with very low CPU utilization for maximum battery life. The SBC decoder and encoder were ported by our partner, P-Product, and serves as a great example of the ease of programming the HiFi 2 Audio DSP fully in C.”

“We were very impressed with the efficiency of results we achieved by doing a quick port in C rather than in assembly language, as usually required with other audio processors and standard DSPs,” stated Michael Vulikh, P-Product’s CEO. “Tensilica’s C-compiler understood all of the optimizations made by Tensilica in this processor and automatically mapped our code to these extended instructions. Their toolset automation is one of the best in the business.”

Because the HiFi 2 Audio DSP is based on Tensilica’s programmable Xtensa processor, it provides chip designers with one hardware platform that can be used for multiple audio standards. Tensilica, its customers, and its partners have ported over 50 software packages to the HiFi 2 Audio DSP, so designers can pick the software they need for the application. As the market evolves and new standards are defined, they can be easily and quickly ported to the HiFi 2 Audio DSP, thereby “future proofing” the chip design. The HiFi 2 Audio DSP has been designed into chips for portable devices by five of the top 10 semiconductor companies.

Tensilica Processors in Bluetooth Applications

Tensilica’s application-optimized dataplane processor technology is ideally suited to the low-cost, low-power, yet high-performance needs of Bluetooth devices. For embedded control in Bluetooth devices and systems, Tensilica’s ultra-low power controllers, like the Diamond Standard 106Micro controller, are the ideal choice for minimizing silicon cost and power consumption. Leading IC vendors, such as Atheros, have already chosen to use Tensilica controllers in Bluetooth devices.

For the Bluetooth radio PHY layer, Tensilica DSPs can provide performance-power efficiency that is far superior to that achieved by generic, off-the-shelf DSP cores, because Tensilica enables designers to implement only the exact DSP functions needed without the extra baggage - and extra power consumption - of unneeded features. And now with the introduction of the Bluetooth SBC codecs, the complete Bluetooth audio capability can be integrated into a Tensilica processor solution.

Availability

The SBC decoder and encoder are available now from Tensilica.

About Tensilica

Tensilica, Inc. is the recognized leader in customizable dataplane processors. Dataplane Processor Units (DPUs) consist of performance intensive DSP (audio, video, imaging, and baseband signal processing) and embedded RISC processing functions (security, networking, and deeply embedded control). The automated design tools behind all of Tensilica’s application specific processor cores enable rapid customization to meet specific dataplane performance targets. Tensilica’s DSPs and processors power top tier semiconductor companies, innovative start-ups, and system OEMs for high-volume products including mobile phones, consumer electronics devices (including portable media players, digital TV, and broadband set top boxes), computers, and storage, networking and communications equipment. For more information on Tensilica’s patented benchmark-proven DPUs visit www.tensilica.com.