CSR launches credit crunch beating Bluetooth solution for consumer electronics products

The combination of BC5120 IC with BCSM Software reduces development costs and brings Bluetooth products to market in weeks

Cambridge, UK – CSR (LSE: CSR) launched BC5120, CSR’s latest Bluetooth device optimised for consumer electronics. CSR’s BC5120, together with BlueCore Session Manager (BCSM) software, provides the most cost effective and easy to integrate solution for digital TVs, hi-fis, DVD players handheld games consoles and other consumer products. The BC5120, combined with BCSM software, enables the fastest time to market for integrating Bluetooth connectivity into consumer products: A typical design takes a matter of weeks thus saving development costs. CSR will be giving demonstrations of the BC5120 IC and BCSM at CES, Las Vegas from 8-11 January 2009.

Demand for Bluetooth connectivity in consumer electronic products such as hi-fis and DTVs continues to grow, as does its application in handheld games consoles. Initial consumer application areas for Bluetooth in this market include music streaming to stereo headphones from digital televisions and hi-fis and streaming music to hi-fis and DTVs from Bluetooth MP3 player and music phones. Once Bluetooth is in the hi-fi or DTV then functionality can extend to Bluetooth enabled remote controls with two way communication, and even the ability to act as a hands free device and answer calls in speaker-phone mode from Bluetooth enabled mobile phones.

Typically an application processor in a consumer electronics device is tailored to a specific task and does not have enough on-chip resource to run additional Bluetooth host software. CSR’s BC5120 with BCSM software is specifically designed to tackle this problem and offers a quicker and lower cost alternative to current standalone Bluetooth chips. CSR’s BCSM software acts as a thin control layer to allow a main host processor to control the Bluetooth functions of BC5120 with minimum resource implications on the host. This solution does not change current product system architectures or processor and hence minimises cost of hardware re-design.

The BC5120 IC features an embedded RISC processor and CSR’s on-chip Kalimba Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The powerful DSP enables designers to boost the functionality and performance of their products by adding superior audio enhancement and echo and noise cancellation technologies including CSR’s proprietary Clear Voice Capture (CVC). The flexible BC5120 device also integrates CSR’s FastStream, a low latency high-quality music and voice CODEC which significantly reduces the latency of the audio link to avoid “lip-sync” issues when listening to music or watching videos using Bluetooth headphones. CSR’s BC5120 supports Bluetooth v2.1+EDR of the Bluetooth specification for simple secure pairing and lower power consumption, also benefits from multiple simultaneous Bluetooth connections.

Karen Parnell, Marketing Manager in CSR’s Audio and Connectivity Business Unit commented, “BC5120 with BCSM provides consumer electronics designers with a solution designed with their needs in mind: a cost effective, easy to implement solution for integrating Bluetooth. Whether it’s for a digital TV, remote controls or handheld games consoles, the new BC5120 and software package provides OEMs with the best solution to satisfy a growing demand for Bluetooth in consumer products at minimum cost.”

CSR’s complete solution is available in Q1 2009 and includes BC5120, BCSM application software, a hardware development board and a software development kit (SDK).