SiPort’s HD Radio chipset was an interesting highlight of this month’s CES, though it wasn’t out on the floor. What I saw in the company’s suite in the Hilton was pretty interesting.
The semiconductor company displayed what its engineers say is a single-chip solution for the portable market to invited attendees.
In an exclusive interview, SiPort Vice President of Engineering Aiman Kabakibo told me his company’s chip consumes roughly 120 to 125 mW of power.
The chip, in development since 2005, can also support DAB and DAB+, RDS and the FM subcarrier-based MSN Direct signal in addition to HD Radio and Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcast.
“In order for us to achieve the lowest power [consumption] and footprint, we had to start with a clean piece of paper and do this from the ground up so we could optimize for power,” he said.
The company displayed two prototype MP3 players with integrated FM HD-R receivers using its chip.
A company spokesman said SiPort expects to launch its chip with major customers this summer.
