Rockwell's RipTide Chipset Fully Supports Intel's AMR Specification For Cost Optimized Audio and Modem Integration on PC Motherboards

Business Wire, Sept 8, 1998

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 1998--Rockwell Semiconductor Systems today announced that the company's RipTide(TM) audio/modem chipset is the first solution to fully support the Audio/Modem Riser (AMR) and the Mobile Daughter Card (MDC) specifications that Intel announced today.

RipTide will allow OEMs to implement audio and/or modem functionality on the motherboard at a lower Bill of Material (BOM) cost, while leveraging the riser card's hardware scaleability to gain greater flexibility for providing acceleration options.

Intel's specifications will enable the industry to deliver highly integrated audio and modem solutions on the motherboard by decoupling the analog I/O portion of the modem onto a separate riser card. Rockwell introduced RipTide and its unique riser-card architecture last fall, and played a key role in helping Intel to define the AMR specification's easy-to-implement, hardware-scaleable OEM riser board and interface for the desktop PC and the MDC specification for notebooks.

"Rockwell's dual strengths in modem and audio technologies set us apart and have enabled us to bring this solution to market to coincide with the public unveiling of the specification," said Moiz Beguwala, vice president and general manager for Rockwell's Personal Computing Division.

RipTide's unique architecture separates the digital controller and analog audio modem codec (AMC) functions so OEMs can meet global public-network homologation standards independent from their system motherboard design and provide higher quality audio as compared with audio down solutions. Moving the analog audio codec off the motherboard simplifies motherboard designs and allows PC OEMs to more easily meet the new PC98 and PC99 audio quality standards. The result is an affordable and versatile alternative to dedicated audio or modem chips, and one that can very quickly and cost-effectively be integrated directly onto system motherboards.

"Intel's release of its AMR and MDC specifications is an important event for PC OEMs who have long wanted to integrate audio and modem functions directly on the system motherboard," said Tom Eichenberg, product line manager for Rockwell's Personal Computing Division. "We're pleased to be supporting Intel in its drive to integrate audio and modem functions, and reduce the cost of the audio modem subsystem within the PC.

RipTide fully implements Intel's new specifications for audio and modem integration on a PC motherboard. "Intel's Audio/Modem Riser Specification allows IHVs and PC manufacturers to deliver highly integrated audio and modem solutions, while adding greater flexibility, reducing costs and shortening certification and time-to-market cycles," said Russ Hampsten, audio marketing manager for Intel. "RipTide supports the AMR specifications, and is an excellent example of how the AMR approach can remove the obstacles that OEMs previously faced in designing, testing and certifying motherboard-based audio and modem solutions."

Rockwell's RipTide solution includes all standard modem functions including industry-standard 56Kbps V.90. It also includes mainstream audio capabilities, advanced wavetable synthesis and three-dimensional sound placement technologies. For mainstream audio applications, RipTide provides complete legacy audio support over the PCI bus, while boosting system performance and power-management capabilities as compared with ISA-bus audio or modem implementations. For higher-fidelity music playback in games or music applications, RipTide's WaveStream(TM) 64/Mega WaveStream(TM) software wavetable synthesis technology combines the highest level of reliability and efficiency with stunningly realistic music quality. Rockwell's Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTF) 3D technology provides 360 degree placement of stationary or moving sound sources over an ordinary pair of speakers. The HRTF 3D solution is based on Aureal's A3D technology. RipTide also fully complies with Intel's Audio Codec '97 version 2.1 specification, for which Rockwell contributed key modem technology. Rockwell's own enhanced RipTide Audio/Modem 97 (AMC '97) codec builds on the AC '97 foundation and includes unique features such as dedicated handset and microphone support, 3D spatialization/ bass boost and two-line modem support for enhanced communications capabilities.

With RipTide, the PC becomes a command center for a variety of personal communications capabilities including email, telephone answering machine, full-duplex speakerphone, simultaneous voice and data, Internet Phone and Video Phone. The integration of audio and communications hardware and software allows for a greatly improved system solution with total control over the speaker and microphone. RipTide also includes the option for a modem DSP for hardware acceleration of the communications features, and features a scaleable architecture that allows it to be used on the motherboard or in add-in cards or custom form-factor designs.

Based in Newport Beach, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems is a leading worldwide provider of semiconductor system solutions for personal communications electronics products used in personal computing, network access, personal imaging, wireless communications and digital infotainment. These product platforms offer a variety of technology convergence opportunities and each leverages the company's 30-year mixed-signal computing heritage in such key areas as signal-processing algorithms, signal conversion and communications protocols. For more information, visit the Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Web site at http://www.rss.rockwell.com/.