CSR Reference Design for Bluetooth Stereo Headsets Reduces Costs By More Than 20%

21 July 2005

CSR plc (LSE:CSR.L) today announced the availability of a new reference design for Bluetooth stereo headphones that offers the lowest ever total bill of materials (BOM) cost for this type of product. The new design exploits several features in CSR's BlueCore3-Multimedia chip, including an internal codec, minimal external components and smaller PCB footprint, to achieve the break-through BOM. By using BC3-MM's internal CODEC alone, the bill of materials is reduced by around 20%.

BlueCore3-Multimedia is the only Bluetooth chip available with a high quality internal stereo CODEC, achieving a SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) of up to 85dB. It is also compatible with a wide range of external CODECs. The chip also requires fewer than half of the external components of alterative solutions, thereby reducing costs directly through shorter assembly time and the need for fewer components to be purchased.

BC3-MM offers market-leading energy efficiency by using an advanced Digital Signal Processor (DSP) which greatly reduces the power consumption of the headphones. It uses half the power of alternative solutions based on general purpose RISC microprocessors, meaning that product designers can use cheaper, smaller and lighter batteries, while maintaining the same extended battery life demanded by customers.

The new design offers many leading edge features including support for MP3 streaming. MP3 streaming improves audio quality and reduces power consumption in music players such as the Apple iPod or the latest mobile phones with integrated hard disk drives. By incorporating CSR's stable headset software, currently used in 85% of all Bluetooth headsets, the reference design offers the ability to make and receive calls as well as playing music.

Luke D'Arcy, product marketing manager, CSR commented, "The new reference design offers great sounding audio at a great price. It's fully tested and production ready, allowing stereo headset designers to get to market fast" He continued, "Many handset manufactures are now shipping Bluetooth mobile phones with stereo streaming capability. The new platform will help designers to take hold of this enormous opportunity."

CSR is the market leader in both Bluetooth mono and stereo headset markets. BlueCore silicon is the force behind virtually all upcoming stereo headsets as well as recently launched models which offer call and music management in addition to Bluetooth dongles for compatibility with the iPod.

The new BlueCore3-MM stereo headphone reference design is now available to download from the CSR support website.

About CSR

CSR plc is the leading global provider of Bluetooth technology and has developed expertise in other single-chip wireless communication standards such as Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11). CSR offers developed hardware/software solutions for Bluetooth based around BlueCore, a fully integrated 2.4 GHz radio, baseband and microcontroller.

CSR is now producing its fourth generation BlueCore devices. BlueCore4 supports the Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) standard which was ratified at the end of 2004. BlueCore4 remains the only EDR silicon to be shipping in volume today. In November 2004 CSR launched UniFi, the first single chip 802.11a/b/g embedded solution specifically targeting the mobile phone and consumer electronics markets.

BlueCore features in over 47 per cent of all Bluetooth devices shipped and over 60 per cent of all qualified Bluetooth enabled products and modules listed on the Bluetooth website with industry leaders including Nokia, Dell, Panasonic, Sharp, Motorola, IBM, Apple, NEC, Toshiba, RIM and Sony using BlueCore devices in their range of Bluetooth products.

In March 2005, CSR acquired Clarity Technologies Inc., for its Clear Voice Capture (CVC) technology that enhances the audio performance of any voice-based product or system. Applications for CVC include wireless headsets, handsets and automotive hands free systems.

CSR has its headquarters in Cambridge, UK, and offices in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden and both Texas and Detroit in the USA.

More information can be found at www.csr.com and the partner web site www.btdesigner.com

More information about Bluetooth technology can be found on the SIG web site at www.bluetooth.com