NXP, iBiquity develop next-gen HD radio soln

EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS: NXP Semiconductors has developed the first multi-standard radio integrated circuit (IC) dedicated to digital in car-reception together with iBiquity Digital Corp., the developer of digital HD Radio technology.

Dubbed SAF3560, NXP’s single-chip software solution supports HD Radio technology, DAB, DAB+, DRM and T-DMB radio reception standards, reducing development costs and logistics complexity for car manufacturers and offering better quality in analog and digital radio performance for the ultimate in car entertainment experience.

As multiple digital radio formats continue to emerge, such as HD Radio technology and DAB/DRM/T-DMB in Europe and Asia, auto makers are challenged with examining all the major digital radio protocols and determining which ones to support.

The introduction of NXP’s SAF3560 addresses this issue by offering auto makers a single, flexible solution that provides a simple upgrade path from NXP’s DSP-based AM/FM analog radio solution, based on the popular SAF77xx family, to other variant digital radio standards including HD Radio technology, DAB, DAB+, DRM and T-DMB.

Furthermore, SAF3560 supports the latest HD Radio features, like iTunes Tagging, as well as provides software upgradeability, ultimately allowing car radio makers, digital radio module makers, and car OEMs to save time, effort and costs.

NXP’s SAF3560 is the first dedicated single chip solution to offer software implementations to support today’s unique automotive requirements for higher integrated, more flexible car radio systems. The SAF3560 incorporates the HD Radio technology from iBiquity and offers features such as conditional access with low power consumptions. In addition, the SAF3560 supports NXP’s DRM, DAB, DAB+, T-DMB software programmable platforms and reduces integration challenges and time-to-market by allowing flexibility to switch between standards.

“The automotive industry is increasingly looking to deliver new innovations with mass appeal. With the help and expertise of iBiquity, we’re now able to offer auto makers a global platform to support multiple standards for excellent sound quality in car radio reception,” said Joern Conze, Product Marketing Manager, NXP Semiconductors. “We’re helping our customers stay innovative by offering a highly integrated, flexible and scalable solution to dramatically improve music, audio, text and data features of digital HD Radio technology.”