July 27, 2010 -- Virage Logic Corporation today announced the ARC Sound AS221BD dual-core processor for High Definition (HD) Audio System-on-Chips (SoCs) targeting Blu-ray Disc 7.1 channel 192kHz/24-bit output HD Audio processing applications. This new product extends Virage Logic’s Sound-to-Silicon solution into HD and also includes a complete software stack with all required codecs, media streaming framework, and Blu-ray Disc use cases. The AS221BD dual-core processor, with all memories to run the full Blu-ray software stack, occupies 0.81mm2 in a 65-nanometer (nm) low power (LP) process which is as small as half the size of other alternatives. The processor is one and a half to three times more power efficient than existing solutions. The high performance AS221BD delivers 3.5 GOPS at 350MHz. Combining both hardware and software, the HD Sound-to-Silicon solution is easy to integrate, significantly reducing time-to-market and development costs for users compared to partial licensing or fully developing solutions in-house.

Blu-ray sets the bar for next generation audio subsystems. It requires processing of multiple streams with up to 24-bit, 7.1-channel, 192kHz, 24.5Mbits/s audio content, more than 75 times the computational complexity of CD-quality audio. The new high-performance dual-core AS221BD processor runs the worst-case use case for Blu-ray at under 300MHz, resulting in very lower power consumption. The dual-core system can operate on a much lower clock speed than a single core system. Each core comes with a dual 16x32 and 24x24 MAC, optional floating point acceleration, and support for fast synchronization.

This powerful hardware engine is supported with a broad portfolio of HD Audio software that simplifies implementation of a complete Blu-ray solution. This portfolio, developed and supported by Virage Logic, includes the following:

Primary Audio:

• Dolby Digital decoder

• Dolby Digital Plus decoder

• Dolby TrueHD decoder

• DTS Core decoder

• DTS HD MA decoder

Secondary Audio:

• Dolby Digital Plus decoder

• DTS LBR decoder

Post-processing Module:

• Mixer & Sample Rate Conversion

• Mandatory post-processing

Encoders:

• DTS Core encoder

• Dolby Digital 5.1 encoder

System Software:

• Media Streaming Framework / MQX RTOS

• Reference Use Cases

The HD Sound-to-Silicon solution, including the new AS221BD processor for Blu-ray Disc and HD Audio SoCs, is available now for licensing with delivery in September 2010.

Go to the Virage Logic Corp. website for product details.