Philips' New Class D Amplifiers Bring Superior Performance to the Home Theater Experience

Business Wire, Jan 21, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 2003

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG)(AEX:PHI), has boosted the home theater experience with the launch of the TDA892x family of single-chip Class D audio amplifiers. The TDA892x family of Class D amplifiers will have particular value for DVD receivers and lifestyle micro systems, where space is very limited. Philips' Class D technology is being applied to develop smaller, lightweight designs for DVD receivers to complete the home theater sound and vision experience.

"Integrated power amplification enables DVD players to provide an all-in-one surround-sound system and key to this function is the Class D amplifier to drive the all-important sub-woofer," said Paul O'Donovan, senior analyst with Gartner Dataquest. "We estimate that worldwide semiconductor revenues in 2003 for all digital consumer products will be worth almost $20 billion, representing an 18 percent increase over 2002. Crucial to the growth in consumer semiconductor revenues in 2003 is the convergence of digital video and audio functionality in a variety of end-product configurations. Any semiconductor vendor supporting this evolution is well placed to increase their share of the total available market."

"Class D is the leading technology for audio amplification and enables DVD receivers to offer a true home cinema experience," said Jeroen Keunen, regional market segment manager, consumer and multimedia at Philips Semiconductors. "The TDA892x family of Class D amplifiers will enable the DVD receivers to offer a true home cinema experience, which is key to what Philips has been developing for the Home of Tomorrow."

"Tuner compatibility within the new Philips DVD receivers is achieved with the Class D amplifier from Philips' semiconductor division," said Peter Straker, function manager for power amplifiers in BCU Audio at Philips Consumer Electronics. "The design flexibility offered by the Class D amplifiers has enabled us to bring innovative, technologically advanced DVD receivers to market."

Philips' semiconductor division is one of only a few companies to manufacture a one-chip Class D device using the innovative SOI Audio-BCD process. As a result the Class D chips are versatile, with the ability to handle analog and digital power simultaneously. In addition, the ICs fabricated in A-BCD have the advantage of inherent robustness and greater temperature tolerance.

The one-chip Class D offers best-in-class performance (THD [Total Harmonic Distortion] 0.02%) because of closed loop construction. Compared with open loop systems, used in current full digital solutions, power supply costs are minimized and the excellent EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) performance of the Philips one-chip enables integration of the tuner and amplifier in receiver systems. Furthermore, the pin-to-pin scaleable power level ensures a high level of flexibility, enabling manufacturers to upgrade their designs by simply changing the IC.

Pricing and Availability

Samples are available now. Pricing is based on a rate of US$1.50 to US$3.65 for volumes in excess of 200,000 pieces, depending on the product specification.

About Philips

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of $28.8 billion (EUR 32.3 billion) in 2001. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 184,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.semiconductors.philips.com