Oak Technology Announces Digital Audio Accelerator with Host-Based Processing V.34/DSVD Modem; OTI-611 Supports Microsoft's DirectSound and Industry's New AC '97 Audio Specification for Affordable High-Quality PC Audio and Communications

Business Wire, June 12, 1996

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 12, 1996--Oak Technology (NASDAQ: OAKT), a leading provider of high-performance multimedia semiconductors and related software, today announced the OTI-611 digital audio accelerator for PC OEMs to bring the highest level of next-generation audio and communications to the desktop. Fulfilling the requirements for the digital controller functions defined by the PC and semiconductor industry's recently announced AC '97 audio system specification, the OTI-611 is an audio hardware accelerator for Microsoft's DirectSound standard and will support future 3-D sound standards.

The OTI-611 incorporates support for the following latest PC audio standards: wavetable synthesis and multichannel digital audio mixing; 3-D positional sound and support for multiple audio and communications codecs. Included with the OTI-611 solution is HSPV34 (28.8 KBPS) software which provides a Host Based Processing (HSP) V.34 and Digital Simultaneous Voice over Data (DSVD) V.70 modem, allowing OEMs to offer state of the art communications at cost-effective prices.

The OTI-611 works with various audio codecs and communication codecs. In addition, Oak is currently developing a special dual audio/communication codec, the OTI-612, that will meet and exceed the AC '97 codec specifications. OEM's implementing solutions with either the OTI-611 and various codecs or with the OTI-611/612 combination will be able to support the latest audio and fax/data modem standards quickly and cost effectively, including those in AC '97.

"The OTI-611 and OTI-612 represent a significant addition to Oak's audio products for OEMs and the first in a series of planned communications solutions directed at the PC and consumer electronics markets," stated David Tsang, president of Oak Technology.

"We are pleased to see Oak Technology's level of component support for the AC '97 specification," said Steve Rutledge, IHV relations manager at Intel Corporation. "Oak's support of the AC '97 specification will help drive compelling, high-quality audio into the mainstream PC platform."

AC '97 Audio System Specification

The AC '97 audio system specification for audio chips was co-developed by Analog Devices, Inc., Creative Labs, Inc., Intel Corporation, National Semiconductor Corporation, and Yamaha Corporation to ensure that high-quality, affordable audio is available to PC manufacturers. This specification describes a PC audio architecture comprised of a digital controller such as the OTI-611 and dual audio/communications codec such as the OTI-612.

The digital controller definition leaves substantial feature implementation options to semiconductor suppliers. The AC-link defines the interface between the digital controller and the audio/communications codec. The audio/communications codec characteristics and pin-out are defined and are expected to be supplied by vendors such as Oak.

"Through our market research, and discussions with Intel, we have been able to define an audio/communications solution which balances the capability of current Pentium processing and upcoming Pentium MMX architecture with the OTI-611/612's dedicated hardware processing to meet demanding OEM performance and price requirements," stated Ken Boyce, director of Oak's Audio/Communications business unit. "Oak plans to continue to introduce products which take advantage of the increasing power of future generations of the Pentium processor."

Oak's Digital Audio Accelerator and Dual Audio/Communications Codec Solutions

Oak's implementation of the digital audio controller is the OTI-611, a programmable DSP audio accelerator with an integrated PCI bus master interface. Audio features provided by downloadable microcode, include: wavetable synthesis; multichannel digital and MPEG decoded audio mixing; and hardware acceleration for Microsoft DirectSound 2-D and true head related transfer function 3-D Sound.

Oak's HSPV34(TM) modem software runs on Intel's Pentium processor, leveraging the power of the Pentium to provide full V.34 fax/modem functionality. This software will support the recently approved V.70 DSVD industry standard for transmitting Digital Simultaneous Voice over Data. The OTI-611 integrates the necessary interface logic, including AC-Link to audio and telephony codecs to reduce the number of discrete interface components.

Oak's implementation of the AC '97 codec, the OTI-612, will not only meet the required functions and pin-out defined by Intel, but also support all vendor-optional modes and additional telephony functions as a standard feature.

Benefits of Oak's Solution

This architecture provides several benefits to the end user. Using software running on the Pentium processor and the OTI-611's high-performance DSP allows the latest audio and modem standards to be added to PCs at minimal cost. As systems can support new features and/or standards by simply upgrading the microcode, end users can then take advantage of the latest standards through software upgrades, extending the useful life of PCs and reducing the cost of ownership over time.