Tensilica Decoder Implementation Receives Dolby Certification

New Tensilica Processor Dolby Digital (AC-3) Application Solution Package Delivers Superior Audio Capabilities

ShinYokohama, Japan/Santa Clara, Calif., October 31, 2001 … Tensilica Inc., the extensible and configurable microprocessor pioneer, today announced the availability of a new application solution package for the company’s Xtensa processor that provides a high performance Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio decoding capability. The Dolby Digital decoder solution for the Xtensa processor enables designers to incorporate superior Dolby-certified audio performance into their end systems and systems-on-chip (SOCs). The solution was achieved through the combination of special hardware to accelerate the decoding algorithms created in the Tensilica Instruction Extension (“TIE”) language, and an optimized implementation of the Dolby decoder software that utilizes the special hardware.

Tensilica’s Dolby Digital package delivers an excellent dynamic range of 113 dB. This superior fidelity affords the Tensilica solution broad design applicability. Chris Rowen, president and CEO of Tensilica, said, “Our Dolby Digital solution is well suited to cost-sensitive, mass-volume applications where total system cost can be reduced by pairing the ultra-high quality Xtensa core solution with lower-cost analog components yet still meet overall system budgets. Additionally, its exceptional precision is equally applicable to premium grade, ultra-high fidelity audio equipment.”

"We are impressed by the excellent audio fidelity ofTensilica's configurable Xtensa processor," says Roger Dressler, Dolby Laboratories Director of Technology Strategy. "It will be a real benefit to audio product designers to have a technology that fulfills Dolby's highest audio quality requirements combined with the low-power benefits of a highly optimized processor implementation."

Key Features and Benefits

Tensilica’s Dolby Digital application solution utilizes a 32-bit precision floating-point audio data path, and consumes a worst-case 45 MHz of the processor’s available bandwidth on the mostdifficult test case in the Dolby certification suite (48 KHz sample rate, 640 Kbps data rate). In addition, when compared to other 32-bit embedded processors, it uses 40 – 50% less on board RAM/ROM while delivering much higher fidelity output. With these attributes,both system OEMs designing equipment and semiconductor application-specific standard product (ASSP) providers can benefit from deploying this AC-3 solution.

Background on Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital, which debuted in movie theaters in 1992, provides up to five full-range sound channels plus a sixth channel for low-frequency effects. It is currently the most popular digital film sound format, as well as a worldwide standard for both standard and high-definition digital TV (SDTV and HDTV); digital cable systems; and Digital Versatile Disc (DVD). Dolby Digital is also becoming an audio standard in Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems. To date over 57 million products have been sold incorporating Dolby Digital, with significant growth expected as DVD/HDTV video and DVD audio become the de facto standards for multimedia content.

Background on Xtensa IV

The Xtensa IV processor core provides a powerful, integrated hardware and software development environment with thousands of configuration options and an unlimited range of customer-specific extensions. The environment enables designers to carefully tune the processor for specific functionality. Using a highly intuitive graphical interface, designers can take advantage of Tensilica’s processor generator to create customized system-on-chip devices containing one or more Xtensa cores, each with specialized functions and instructions. Because these instructions are recognized as “native” by software, developers can simultaneously tune both application software and processor hardware to meet specific speed, power and feature goals.

The Xtensa processor typically achieves a worst-case operating frequency of 200 MHz when implemented in standard cell methodology SOCs in 0.18-micron semiconductor processes. Xtensa licensees have implemented the core running at 250MHz in 0.18-micron technologies.

Application Solution Packages for the Xtensa Processor

Unlike application software solutions for conventional, rigid processors and processor cores that are “software only” solutions, application solution packages for the Xtensa processor consist of both optimized software and hardware extensions to the processor to accelerate the application code. Applications running on the Xtensa core outperform the same application running on conventional processor cores because the Xtensa processor itself is “tuned” for the target application. The Dolby Digital AC-3 solution for the Xtensa processor is an example of such a package of both hardware and software.

Pricing and Availability

Tensilica will begin offering the Dolby Digital (AC-3) application solution in January 2002 for $90,000. This price includes a source license to both the optimized C source code and the AC-3 specific TIE hardware extensions for the Xtensa processor.

About Tensilica, Inc.

Tensilica was founded in July 1997 to address the fast-growing market for configurable processors and software development tools for high volume, embedded systems. Using the company's proprietary Xtensa Processor Generator, system-on-chip (SOC) designers can develop a processor subsystem hardware design and a complete software development tool environment tailored to their specific requirements in hours. Tensilica's solutions provide a proven, easy-to-use, methodology that enables designers to achieve optimum application performance in minimum design time.

The Company is engaged in research, development, and customer support from its offices in Santa Clara, California; Burlington, Massachusetts; Princeton, NJ; Houston, Texas; Raleigh, NC; Oxford, U.K.; Stockholm, Sweden; Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.; and Yokohama, Japan. Tensilica is headquartered in Santa Clara, California (95054) at 3255-6 Scott Boulevard, and can be reached at (408) 986-8000 or via www.tensilica.com on the World Wide Web.

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Editors Notes:

Tensilica’s announced licensees are Berkeley Wireless Research Center, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Conexant Systems, Fujitsu Ltd., Hughes Network Systems, Ikanos Communications, JNI Corporation, Marvell (Galileo Technology), Mindspeed Technologies, National Semiconductor, NEC Networks, NEC Solutions, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT), ONEX Communications, Osaka & Kyoto Universities, TranSwitch Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC), and ZiLOG.

“Tensilica” is a registered trademark and “Xtensa” is a trademark belonging to Tensilica Inc. “Dolby” is a registered trademark and “AC-3” is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. All other registered trademarks or trademarks are property of their respective owners.