Chip maker Silicon Labs has released an RF receiver chip designed for analog and digital radio reception.
The Si468x family has several versions. The Si4682 is an HD Radio and FM receiver chip. The Si4684 is a DAB/DAB+ and FM chip, while the Si4688 combines all three in a single chip.
The Si4682 can handle frequencies from 76–108 MHz for foreign duties. In addition, it decodes and is compatible with multicasting, PSD, iTunes Tagging, bookmarking, traffic and Artist Experience.
The Si4688 is a Band III receiver, 168–240 MHz, that decodes MPEG Layer II for DAB and HE-AAC v2 for DAB+. All chips have onboard DSP. The chips are aimed at the portable device market.
NAB Lab’s Radio TechCheck said, “This represents the industry’s first single-die antenna-input-to-audio-output digital radio IC developed for the global portable and consumer electronics markets.”
It concluded, “… digital radio is on the upswing, both in the U.S. and abroad. As a result, we are likely to see more announcements for highly integrated and cost effective IC solutions such as the recent product offering by Silicon Labs.”
