World’s first four-way global digital radio module

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World’s first four-way global digital radio module


he world’s first "four-in-one" module capable or receiving Internet
radio, DAB, FM and music streamed from a PC, has been launched. The
new module, called Venice 6, is the creation of Frontier Silicon and
is the first product to integrate a WiFi, DAB, and FM front-end
together with an on-board WiFi antenna in a single module. It enables
audio manufacturers to easily produce low-cost, feature-rich, radios
for the global market, bringing thousands of Internet radio stations
and music streaming to a new generation of DAB/FM radios via household
WiFi. Applications using the module will include portable and alarm
clock radios as well as CD micro systems, boomboxes and HiFi tuners,
and are expected in the shops by July this year.

Measuring a compact 107 x 40mm, Venice 6 is based around Frontier
Silicon’s Chorus 2i processor. It streams radio stations and music
files in a variety of formats and protocols including MP3, Windows

Media Audio (WMA), and Real Audio. The module integrates an intuitive
user interface which enables an easy navigation scheme to switch
between the four different modes of operation (Internet Radio, music
playback, DAB, FM). It provides access to over 10,000 Internet radio
stations plus a wide selection of podcasts with only a few key
presses, accessed through a vTuner Internet Portal which manages all
the stations to ensure quality and reliability of the available
content.

Besides working with the existing DAB standard which uses the MPEG
Audio Layer II coding, Venice 6 will also support the new additional
audio codec, sometimes referred to as DAB version 2. The module comes
with a front-end that supports both Band III and L-band reception,
which allows manufacturersto bring to market DAB radios which can be
introduced into all global DAB markets,regardless of transmission band
used or version of DAB standard adopted.

"Audio manufacturers want to build products that can be used and sold
anywhere in the world. With the fragmentation of broadcast radio
standards this has been a difficult goal to achieve, until Frontier
introduced the Venice 6 module," says Steve Evans, Frontier Silicon’s
VP of digital audio. "By bringing WiFi radio, music streaming, DAB and
FM together into one compact and cost effective module, Venice 6 makes
global audio products a reality."