Audio processor stars in connected design

A Frontier Silicon product story

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Apr 14, 2008

Reference design for connected home audio systems includes extended iPod compatibility and an enhanced graphical user interface.

New from Frontier Silicon, the Jupiter 6.1 platform provides a low-cost fully qualified reference design for connected home audio systems, with a wealth of features including extended iPod compatibility and an enhanced graphical user interface.

Based on Frontier Silicon's Chorus 2 digital audio processor and Venice 6 module, the new platform delivers advanced iPod interactivity through the integration of the Apple iPod Authentication Coprocessor 2.0; this makes it possible to access and display information from the iPod such as the entire file database and track metadata, and to play video from all video-enabled iPod models.

Steve Evans, VP Sales and Marketing, Frontier Silicon, comments: "With the functionality designed into the Jupiter 6.1 platform, our customers can quickly bring to market competitively priced home audio devices that will give users access to a vast array of audio and video content from their iPod alongside music from the Internet or broadcast radio".

He continues: "We expect that connectivity to the Internet and the iPod will become the must-have features in new home audio products over the next year".

Jupiter 6.1 supports all features of Venice 6 including Internet radio, music streaming services, DAB, DAB+, FM, and an integrated media player to playback audio from a PC or USB device.

The platform provides a simple, fully-flexible solution for OEMs to produce feature-rich connected audio products with iPod docking capability.

Whereas most Internet radios and audio systems use basic, character-based display elements, Jupiter 6.1 includes a graphical user interface and a display which supports mixed styled fonts, improved icons, animation, splash screens and a highly customisable screen layout, all tied together with an intuitive, menu-driven navigation engine to ensure the best possible consumer experience.