Cirrus Debuts New CS49700 HD Chipset

Austin, Texas based Cirrus Logic has released a new single chip processor for Blu-ray and HD DVD players supporting audio decode standards, DTS and Dolby Digital for surround sound.

Cirrus announced that for next generation high-definition formats audio processor ICs will support six surround sound algorithms, which will include Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS, DTS Master and DTS High Resolution. These are expected in the near future.

From Cirrus Logic's Website:

The CS49700 is a single-chip, 32-bit audio processor designed to meet the demanding processing tasks associated with high-definition audio standards of next-generation DVD systems from Blu-ray® and HD DVD™. The CS49700 decodes up to six surround-sound audio algorithms, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, DTS, DTS Master and DTS High Resolution, any of which may be featured within high-definition DVD disc media.

With its 32-bit, dual-core structure, the CS49700 generates true parallel processing power of 1.8 giga operations per second (300 million instructions per second). Multiple audio formats also present myriad clock frequency challenges, to which the CS49700 adeptly manages via an advanced phase-lock-loop (PLL) that generates a system clock source.

The CS49700 also offers such post-processing algorithms as Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS 96/24, Neo:6, MPEG, AAC, SRS Circle Surround II, Dolby Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speakers, SRS Tru-Surround XT and THX® Ultra2, which are built into the IC’s on-chip ROM.

The CS49700 also provides support for HDMI 1.3, the emerging digital audio and video interconnect standard that is used to send digital audio and video signals among home theater equipment, such as A/V receivers, DVD players and flat-panel televisions.

Here is a breakdown of the chip's core functions:

As an example, Dolby's True HD and DTS HD Master Audio require bit rate processing as high as 18 to 24 Mbit/s. Multiple audio formats also pose challenges to clock frequency, which is managed by an advanced Phase-Lock-Loop that generates a clock source for the system.

According to Mr. Keith Cheney of Cirrus Logic, "while early generations of high-definition DVD equipment often rely on two or more DSP processors, Cirrus Logic has delivered a single-chip solution that is available today and meets all the complex audio requirements of Blu-ray and HD DVD formats."

The CS49700 wonder chip also offers such post-processing algorithms as Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS 96/24, Neo:6, MPEG, AAC, SRS Circle Surround II, Dolby Headphone, Dolby Virtual Speaker, SRS Tru-Surround XT, and THX Ultra 2, which are built into the ICs on-chip ROM.

Full Chipset Features Breakdown

• Multi-standard 32-bit High Definition Audio Decoding plus Post Processing
• Supports High-Definition audio formats including:
• Dolby Digital Plus
• Dolby TrueHD
• DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
• DTS-HD Master Audio
• Framework™ Applications Library in ROM
• Dolby Digital® EX, Dolby® Pro Logic® IIx, Dolby Headphone®, Dolby Virtual Speaker®
• DTS-ES 96/24™, DTS-ES™ Discrete 6.1, DTSES™ Matrix 6.1
• AAC™ Multi-channel 5.1
• SRS® CS2® and TSXT®
• THX® Ultra2™, THX® ReEQ™
• Crossbar Mixer, Signal Generator
• Advanced Post-Processor including: 7.1Bass Manager, Tone Control, 11- Band Parametric EQ, Delay, 1:2 Up-sampler
• Microsoft® HDCD®
• Additional Framework™ Applications for Download
• Thomson MP3 Surround, DTS:Neo6™, DSD-to-PCM Conversion, Neural Surround, Cirrus Original Multi-Channel Surround 2 (COMS2), and more. Please contact your local FAE for more information on available applications.
• Up to 12 Channels of 32-bit Serial Audio Input
• 6 Channel DSD Input
• 16 Ch x 32-bit PCM Out with Dual 192 kHz SPDIF Tx
• Two SPI™/I²C®, One Parallel and One UART Port
• SDRAM and Serial/Parallel Flash Memory Support