Wolfson Microelectronics plc:

Wolfson Introduces First Family of Audio Devices for Internet Appliances

Monday, January 29, 2001

Edinburgh, UK - Wolfson Microelectronics, the technical leader in developing audio ICs for multimedia and communications applications, today introduced the first three products in its family of devices for internet appliances. The products, which combine low power consumption with superior audio quality, were designed specifically to meet the needs of portable internet appliances, like MP3 players, PDAs, digital still cameras, and camcorders. Unlike competitive offerings, these ICs are DSP independent, providing designers with a wider degree of flexibility.

'Portable digital consumer products provide instant access to information, entertainment and communications anywhere and at anytime', said David Milne, president and CEO of Wolfson Microelectronics. 'Consumers like the freedom this provides, but that freedom requires a different approach to product development. Wolfsons expertise in mixed signal technology is bringing advanced solutions to the portable audio market.'

The Market Makers Choice for Analog I/O
The first product in Wolfsons family of Internet audio 'Media Delivery Devices', the WM8731, is a complete solution for portable audio applications that is fully compliant with the Secure Data Management Interface (SDMI) for copy write protection. The WM8731 integrates up to five discrete components into a single low power stereo CODEC (coder-decoder). It combines a high performance DAC, ADC, headphone amplifier, analog volume control and a unique 12MHz USB clocking scheme. The WM8731 can generate all the commonly used audio sample rates, including 44.1kHz, 48kHz and 96kHz, directly from its on-chip clock oscillator, eliminating the need for an external PLL circuit to support these sample rates.

Taking into account that not all applications require a full CODEC, Wolfson has also developed two Internet audio DACs (digital to analog converters). The WM8711 is a complete replay-only device that is pin-compatible with the WM8731 and includes an analog input path through to a volume control and headphone driver for sources such as external tuners or microphones. The WM8721 is a subset of the WM8711 in a smaller package without the analog input.

The WM8731 is available for sampling now and scheduled to be in full production by Q1. It is supplied in a 28-in SSOP package.

About Wolfson Microelectronics
Wolfson Microelectronics plc is a privately held, award winning, fabless semiconductor company based in Edinburgh, UK. Wolfson develops and markets high performance mixed signal semiconductors for multimedia and communications applications worldwide. The company currently has sales offices in the USA, Japan and Taiwan. For further information please contact: sales@wolfsonmicro.com