AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 7, 2008--Silicon
Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance,
analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today announced the expansion of
its successful broadcast audio portfolio to include four new FM
receivers. The new additions include full-featured devices with
embedded antenna support to enable FM radio reception without an
external wired headset and the industry's smallest devices for
space-constrained applications. Leveraging Silicon Labs' proven RF
technology, the new FM receivers make it easy to add FM functionality
to an array of applications from low-cost handsets and MP3 players,
where small size and low power are imperative, to stand-alone FM
radios, PCs, PDAs, smart phones and USB FM receivers.
The new Si4704 and Si4705 incorporate all of the world-class
features found in Silicon Laboratories CMOS Si4700 FM tuner family and
are the industry's first to support an embedded antenna. The
patent-pending tunable resonance circuit incorporated on-chip provides
optimal signal reception and excellent sound quality with a short
embedded antenna, such as a wire or PCB trace that can be integrated
inside the end product casing, enabling FM radio to be added to any
portable device without the need for an external headphone cable. This
enables a truly wireless music experience for FM recording, clock
radios and FM over speaker applications where a headset is not
required. It also complements products with integrated Bluetooth®
technology by allowing consumers to listen to radio over wireless
headsets without having to attach a headphone cable to their portable
receiver.
In addition, the Si4705 provides a digital audio interface that
allows easy recording of FM radio without the need for external
analog-to-digital converters, saving power, cost and board space.
Requiring only 15 mm2 of board space, Si4704/05 are layout-compatible
with Silicon Labs' Si4710/11/12/13 FM transmitter, Si4720/21 FM
transceiver and Si4730/31 AM/FM receiver, enabling one common platform
among multiple designs. Both devices provide coverage of the expanded
worldwide FM frequency band from 64 to 108 MHz.
The new third-generation Si4708 and Si4709 FM receivers are the
industry's smallest and highest performance FM receivers, reducing
required system board space by 44 percent compared to competing
solutions to simplify design, save cost and improve manufacturability.
These new devices require only 8 mm2 of board space and are packaged
in a 2.5- x 2.5-mm QFN package that is easy to assemble and forms
robust solder joints without requiring any under fill or mechanical
reinforcement. In addition to the small size, the Si4708 and Si4709
offer advanced FM seek algorithms, allowing consumers to more quickly
seek and lock to available FM stations. The devices provide excellent
selectivity using Silicon Labs' proven digital low-IF receiver
architecture, allowing consumers to listen to more channels with less
interference than competing solutions. The Si4709 is the smallest FM
receiver in the industry to provide RDS functionality.
"Silicon Labs is the leader in single-chip AM and FM solutions and
has shipped more than 100 million units of its proven, patented
technology to customers worldwide," said Mark Thompson, general
manager of broadcast audio products. "Reducing board space and
continually improving the end-user experience are paramount concerns
for our customers who rely on Silicon Labs' products to help them
achieve these goals. With the addition of these four new devices, we
further increase our value proposition in terms of size, performance,
innovative new features and price."
A full reference board with complete schematics, layout files and
a robust software development environment is available to customers to
facilitate evaluation and design and dramatically reduce development
time compared to competing solutions that require a maze of
components, which drives many manufacturers to buy expensive FM
modules. Samples of the Si4704, Si4705, Si4708 and Si4709 are
available now. Please visit www.silabs.com/broadcast for more
information.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories is an industry leader in the innovation of
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a
world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in
mixed-signal design, Silicon Labs' diverse portfolio of highly
integrated, easy-to-use products offers customers significant
advantages in performance, size and power consumption. These patented
solutions serve a broad set of markets and applications including
consumer, communications, computing, industrial and automotive.
Headquartered in Austin, TX, Silicon Labs is a global enterprise
with operations, sales and design activities worldwide. The company is
committed to contributing to our customers' success by recruiting the
highest quality talent to create industry-changing innovations. For
more information about Silicon Labs, please visit www.silabs.com.
Cautionary Language
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on
Silicon Laboratories' current expectations. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could
impact Silicon Laboratories' financial results and cause actual
results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statements, please refer to Silicon Laboratories' filings with the
SEC. Silicon Laboratories disclaims any intention or obligation to
update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
Note to editors: Silicon Laboratories, Silicon Labs, the "S"
symbol, the Silicon Laboratories logo and the Silicon Labs logo are
trademarks of Silicon Laboratories Inc. All other product names noted
herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.
CONTACT: Silicon Laboratories Inc., Austin
Lindsey Starnes, +1 512-532-5349
lindsey.starnes@silabs.com
SOURCE: Silicon Laboratories Inc.