Frontier Silicon’s all-in-one tuner brings low cost digital radios to European consumers
Verona makes it possible for radio receiver manufacturers to break the twenty pound price barrier for low cost, low power WorldDMB Profile 1 radios driving the migration from analogue to digital radio around the world
Hong Kong - April 13th, 2010: Frontier Silicon, the market-leading supplier of digital radio technology worldwide will be demonstrating at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair the Verona tuner module. Verona has been designed to meet the exacting demands of entry level price point radios. In this high volume market segment, it is vital to remove every aspect of cost while maintaining good quality, long battery life and excellent receiver sensitivity. Frontier Silicon has managed to achieve this by utilizing its world leading Kino 3 baseband IC (integrated circuit) which includes enough on-chip memory to demodulate and decode all three WorldDMB standards in one. Further cost savings have been achieved by reducing the module size to just 48 x 28 mm. This amounts to a 65 percent size reduction resulting in the world’s smallest FM, DAB, DAB+, DMB-Radio combined module.
Radio manufacturers are able to enjoy the economy-of-scales afforded by low cost DAB, DAB+, DMB-Radio (collectively known as WorldDMB Profile 1) as markets around the world begin the migration from FM to digital radio. The UK is leading this charge with the government's “Digital Britain” report citing sub twenty pound radios as one of the key requirements for switching to digital. France is expected to begin digital migration this year with all receivers requiring a DMB-Radio tuner by 2013. Italy and Germany are also scheduled to launch DAB+ this year joining established markets in Switzerland and Australia.
Ford Ennals, CEO of Digital Radio UK, said “Digital Radio UK is working hard with retailers and receiver manufacturers to ensure the successful migration to digital radio in the UK. Quality radios at affordable prices are a key factor to mass market adoption and so we welcome the introduction of this latest tuner technology from Frontier with the cost savings it will bring to consumers.”
Anthony Sethill, CEO of Frontier Silicon, added, “Verona enables receiver manufacturers and retailers to make radios even more affordable, which will drive mass consumer uptake and provide the catalyst for digital radio migration across Europe during the next five years.”
Frontier Silicon was the first company to introduce a mass market solution for DAB, DAB+ and DMB-Radio and is the only technology provider today shipping DAB+ in volume. Verona includes all interfaces necessary for a fully functional radio, needing only power supply, display, keypad, audio amplifier and speaker to complete a product. A complete hardware and software reference design (called Venus) is available providing receiver manufacturers with a turn-key design for a mains and battery powered kitchen radio.
Verona enters mass production this month with products appearing on the shelves from July in good time for sports fans who want to follow the soccer world cup in digital quality audio on their radios.
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