iBiquity Digital Picks Tensilica’s Xtensa Configurable Processors for HD Radio

iBiquity Digital Corporation of Columbia, MD, has licensed Tensilica’s Xtensa LX configurable processors, including the market leading HiFi2 audio engine, to provide digital baseband and audio processing for many HD Radio™ receivers. iBiquity will also become a value-added reseller of Tensilica’s technology, bundling it into select iBiquity silicon Intellectual Property (IP) offerings marketed to major semiconductor companies.

iBiquity is the sole developer of digital HD Radio technology, providing the innovations that allow the transmission of digital audio and data along with existing AM and FM analog signals. Besides delivering vastly superior sound that virtually eliminates the static and hiss often associated with analog radio, iBiquity’s technology provides a platform for advanced new services including HD2 multicasting, enabling FM stations to broadcast multiple streams of unique programming over a single frequency. More than 3,000 stations in the U.S. are in the process of upgrading to iBiquity’s digital HD Radio technology, with nearly 1,000 on the air and approximately 350 offering HD2 multicast channels. In addition, the technology is gaining visibility throughout the world.

“We chose Tensilica’s configurable processor technology because it provided a common processor platform that could be optimized for both the digital baseband and audio portions of our design,” stated Gene Parrella, iBiquity’s vice president of IC Development. “We were also very impressed with Tensilica’s area and power efficient processor technology. Both silicon area efficiency and low-power for portability are essential for our customers.”