DAB module runs lower power budget

Low cost DAB module offers a week's worth of battery life - when typical DAB modules last only one day.Frontier Silicon is unveiling Venice 5, a low cost DAB module that offers one week's worth of battery life, when typically DAB modules have lasted only one day. Measuring just 52 x 40mm and based on its recently launched Kino 2 baseband processor, Venice 5 is designed for next generation DAB home audio products such as kitchen and clock radios, CD audio systems and hi-fi tuner systems. The new module will be showcased for the first time during the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (13th to 16th October 2006) and will be shipping to customers from December 2006.

The Venice 5 entry level DAB module is 50% smaller than previous Venice modules, the world's best selling DAB module series with over three million already deployed in digital radios worldwide.

It offers a battery life of over 170 hours using six D cells, which is an incredible jump in performance when compared with the typical battery life of a DAB module being around 26 hours.

Another key advantage to manufacturers using Venice 5 is that it is completely self-contained and can be customised through software to allow the manufacturer to deliver a differentiated product in a very short timeframe.

The extensive 640Kbyte of on-chip memory available on Kino 2 also enables functions like FM, clocks, alarms, and timers without the need for additional external memory on the module.

Venice 5 will be supported by three different ready-to-manufacture reference platforms - Jupiter, Quantum, and Mercury - that have been developed by local design partners in China to help meet the needs of an emerging Chinese DAB market as well as local manufacturers designing for global markets.

The platforms are highly configurable and customisable to support a wide range of product segments from basic kitchen and portable radios through to CD-based systems and advanced music server type applications.