NXP Semiconductors, the chip-making arm of Dutch electronics giant Philips, on Tuesday introduced a car-radio chip that allows auto makers to install a single radio that supports AM/FM and multiple types of digital radio.
A single-chip solution could be a major boost for the global terrestrial radio industry. Facing stiff competition from satellite radio, MP3 players, and Internet radio, the industry has seen its market stagnate in most areas of the world.
The industry has been fighting back with digital radio, which affords a much better quality sound akin to satellite radio and gives radio stations the ability to broadcast on multiple channels, as so both satellite and Internet radio.
But despite an aggressive campaign to popularize HD Radio, digital radio has only slowly caught on around the world.
Digital terrestrial radio has emerged under a number of different standards--HD Radio in the United States, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) in Europe, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), a digitized European AM standard, and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) in South Korea.
"Unfortunately we are seeing a lot of different standards emerging across the world and that raises the need for a single solution that can be configured for different areas," said Torsten Lehmann, NXP's director of marketing and sales.
NXP's new chip allows car makers to install a single radio that will incorporate AM/FM along with HD Radio, DAB, and DRM along with intelligent search signal, multiple data feeds such as traffic info, and the ability to stream different broadcasts to separate passengers.
A single chip can potentially save car makers money, time, and effort by incorporating multiple capabilities in a single slim-line radio.
The radio industry has been modestly successful marketing digital radio to car makers. In the U.S. HD Radio receivers are now available in all BMWs, along with the Mini Cooper and Cooper S hardtops.
Volvo has announced that it will make HD Radio receivers available on most of its 2009 vehicles while Hyundai and Jaguar have announced that they will make the technology available on some 2008 models.
Eindhoven, Netherlands-based NXP plans to demonstrate the capabilities of its new chip and software at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2008, which will be held in Las Vegas in January.
NXP, which supplies radio chips to 16 of the top 20 auto makers, expects car makers to begin putting its technology in car radios as early as 2008. The company also plans to include satellite radio in future iterations of the chip.