Yamaha Readies An AC'97,

Electronic News, Sept 21, 1998

AMR Compatible Audio Chip Palm Springs, Calif. -- Yamaha Systems Technology has rolled out a PCI digital audio controller chip designed as an integrated modem offering with an AC'97 link that the company claims is compatible with Intel's audio/modem riser (AMR) specification.

Dubbed the YMF738, the chip is said to allow designers to reduce the component count by offering higher quality and lower overall cost by implementing the AMR specification. The AMR spec reduces the implementation costs of audio equipment and modems by eliminating the need for some ISA//PCI slots and by serving as the host for analog circuitry typically reviewed and certified by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and other international telecommunications certification bodies.

Yamaha said 56K modem capability can be added with a host-based modem driver and an AMR add-in card. The YMF738 includes the ability to transfer both audio and modem data through a single PCI bus, reducing even further the number of PCI components in PCs. The YMF738 is sampling with production planned to begin next month priced at $10 each in 10,000 unit quantities.

In another AMR development, PC-Tel has also thrown in its hat as one of the supporters of the specification. The company will soon port its host signal processing (HSP) modem technology to support the specification, opening a slew of market opportunities for products combining the AMR specification with the company's soft modem technology.

PC-Tel said the AMR-complaint HSP modem will provide a new level of flexibility for independent hardware vendors (IHVs) and PC manufacturers by offering cost savings and manufacturing efficiencies by having the integrated audio and modem combination on-board. PC-Tel said the AMR modem will feature a direct access arrangement (DAA) and the codec for a two-chip offering the company claims eliminates dozens of on-board components, thereby reducing cost and power consumption.

The company plans to begin offering its AMR modem products by the end of this year.