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| [January 07, 2013] |
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CSR Breaks Barrier to Affordable Home Audio Networks
LAS VEGAS --(Business Wire)--
Many mainstream consumers may soon own and enjoy networked home audio
products thanks to two innovative system-level DLNA platforms introduced
here today by CSR (News - Alert) plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE). These fully integrated
solutions will enable manufacturers to quickly bring to market a range
of affordable DLNA Certified® products with Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth® and
Bluetooth Smart connectivity. The introduction of the new Sonata™
networked media processor in combination with CSR's extensive portfolio
of wireless technologies makes it easy to create high quality,
multi-room audio systems.
The complementary VibeHub™ and VibePlayer™ platforms work together to
make it practical and easy to enjoy very high-quality, synchronised
multi-room audio anywhere around the home, indoors and out, from local
and cloud-based sources over an existing home Wi-Fi network. The
VibePlayer platform offers a simple two-chip solution for building
low-cost, portable, battery-powered wireless speakers and speaker docks
that can be used either stand-alone or as part of a network. The VibeHub
platform, based on the CSR Sonata processor, is used to create fully
featured intelligent audio hubs for the home that can simultaneously
pull content from digital media servers and Internet radio or other
cloud services, as well as Bluetooth streaming media source devices, and
intelligently route the audio to play on multiple VibeHub- and
VibePlayer-based products located anywhere on the home network. The
whole system can be controlled using an app on a smartphone, tablet or
other smart mobile device.
"Our entry into networked home audio builds upon our experience and
expertise as the leader today in wireless audio, enabling us to
dramatically reduce the cost of having multiple networked speakers
around the home," said Anthony Murray, Business Group SVP at CSR. "We
are removing all the complexities of developing networked audio
platforms by providing a full audio ecosystem that 'just works'.
Wireless audio is our passion, and we want to deliver incredible audio
quality for the consumer, regardless of whether they are streaming their
content from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth sources."
According to Murray, the advancement that consumers will see is the
seamless way they can introduce new audio devices into the home and the
ease and flexibility with which they can send content to different
speaker devices around the home. The audio will be synchronised and of
very high quality, thanks to the aptX® codec technology CSR is using.
VibeHub and VibePlayer Platforms
The VibePlayer platform's low-power, cost-optimised design is ideal for
creating affordable, portable, battery-powered wireless speakers,
speaker docks and similar products. With the VibePlayer platform's
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth Smart capabilities, manufacturers can
create products that can be used as traditional Bluetooth wireless
speaker docks, but also as part of a home Wi-Fi network, with the
ability to play audio sent to it from DLNA digital media servers and
VibeHub-based products.
The fully featured VibeHub platform can be used to build wireless
docking systems, intelligent audio hubs, networked audio amplifiers and
a wide range of other intelligent DLNA Certified products. The
platform's Bluetooth capabilities provide the important versatility of
being able to stream audio from a wide assortment of mobile devices,
making it easy for guests to play their favourite music over the home
network when visiting without having to join the home Wi-Fi network.
Sonata
The new CSR Sonata networked media processor has been developed to
support the needs of powerful, feature rich, networked home audio
platforms such as the VibeHub platform. Its flexible architecture
enables playback and forwarding of audio from many sources, including
Bluetooth streaming devices, DLNA servers, Internet cloud-based services
and USB and line-in inputs. In addition to handling the distribution of
various types of content around the home concurrently, the Sonata
processor enables the playback of identical content among multiple rooms.
The Sonata SoC is designed around a highperformance ARM (News - Alert)® Cortex™-A9 CPU
and Neon™ media accelerator that is more than capable of supporting not
only the advanced networked audio software CSR provides but also a
variety of additional features OEMs and ODMs can add to enable
differentiation and customisation. It integrates Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
stacks together with UPnP® and DLNA middleware to fully meet the
processing demands of modern multi-room HD multimedia content
distribution. A diverse range of I/O capabilities, HD graphics,
touchscreen control and integrated ADCs and DACs round out the Sonata
offering.
CSR provides extensive audio development kits for both platforms that
include a range of software libraries with well-defined, high-level
APIs. These kits enable manufacturers to develop software to their
unique specifications, adding features like third-party audio processing
algorithms or extra Internet radio and cloud services, as well as
creating a customised look and feel for complete product differentiation.
A private, invitation-only demonstration of the VibeHub and VibePlayer
platforms is taking place during the International CES 2013 show in the
Springhill Suites, January 8-11. Attendees wishing to view the private
demonstration should contact CSR for an invitation.
Availability and Pricing
CSR is engaging now with OEM and ODM customers on their networked
product developments. Volume production of the VibeHub and VibePlayer
platforms is expected in mid 2013. Please contact CSR for pricing
information.
All CSR's news at CES can be found on its online press kit: http://www.tradeshownews.com/events/2013-International-CES/CSR/
###
About CSR
CSR is a global provider of innovative silicon and software solutions
for the location-aware, media-rich, cloud-connected world. Our platforms
are optimised for the automotive navigation and infotainment,
digital cameras and imaging, connected home infotainment and wireless
audio markets. We provide solutions to complex problems in the
audio-visual, connectivity and location technology domains across a
broad range of markets, with a technology portfolio that includes GPS/GNSS
systems, Bluetooth®,
Wi-Fi®, FM, NFC, aptX® and CVC™ audio
codecs, JPEG, MPEG, H.264 imaging, PDL printing, microcontrollers,
DSPs and broadband receivers. CSR's technology solutions and market
platforms enable its customers to deliver a superior user experience and
are adopted by leaders in the auto, computer, home and mobile markets.
More information can be found at www.csr.com.
Keep up to date with CSR on our technical
blog or CSR
people blog, YouTube,
Facebook
or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CSR_plc
CAUTIONARY NOTE ON (News - Alert) FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains certain statements (including statements
concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or
performance, or assumptions related thereto) that are not historical
facts and constitute 'forward looking statements' within the meaning of
the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in
relation to CSR's system-level DLNA platforms and related products and
technology, and their performance characteristics in consumer electronic
products, and other future events and their potential effects on CSR.
These forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as
'will,' 'can deliver,' offers', 'allows', 'to enhance,' 'enables,'
'designed to' and other similar expressions regarding the performance
characteristics of CSR's system-level DLNA platforms and related
products and technology, and their performance characteristics in
consumer electronics products, and their potential effects on CSR. Any
future release of CSR's system-level DLNA platforms and related products
and technology or consumer electronics products containing such
technology, related products or modifications to such products'
capability, functionality or features are subject to ongoing evaluation
by CSR and its customers, and may or may not be implemented and should
not be considered firm commitments by CSR or its customers and should
not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. Such forward-looking
statements represent the current expectations and beliefs of management
of CSR, and are based upon numerous assumptions regarding CSR's business
strategies and the environment in which CSR will operate and therefore
involve a number of known and unknown risks, contingencies,
uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of
CSR, including, but not limited to, those detailed from time to time in
CSR's periodic reports (whether under the caption Risk Factors or
Forward Looking Statements or elsewhere), which are available at the
SEC's (News - Alert) web site http://www.sec.gov.
Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof. CSR
does not undertake to release publicly any updates or revisions to any
forward looking statements contained herein, otherwise than required by
law.
Bluetooth® and the Bluetooth logos are trademarks owned by Bluetooth
SIG, Inc. and licensed to CSR.
Wi-Fi®, Wi-Fi Alliance (News - Alert)®, WMM®, Wi-Fi Protected Access®, WPA®, WPA2®,
Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ and Wi-Fi Multimedia™ are trademarks of the Wi-Fi
Alliance.
Other products, services and names used in this document may have been
trademarked by their respective owners.
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