Broadcom Adds Low Power Media Processing in New Bluetooth(R) + GPS + FM Combo Chip

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Broadcom Adds Low Power Media Processing in New Bluetooth(R) + GPS + FM Combo Chip Solution

New Built-in Media Processor Offloads MP3 Decoding from the Baseband to More than Double Audio Playback Time

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ:BRCM) , a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new Bluetooth® + GPS + FM combination ('combo') chip solution that integrates advanced media processing, providing a power-efficient connected audio subsystem for multimedia smartphones and other handset devices. This new single-chip solution delivers high performance Bluetooth connectivity while enabling a range of media playback and recording functions that would otherwise have to be performed by the phone's host processor.

The new Broadcom® InConcert® BCM20751 combo chip is a powerful communications and media subsystem that enables key smartphone connectivity (including GPS and FM radio) while also providing sophisticated audio processing. It offloads host processing from the phone's baseband processor to achieve significant power savings, increasing playback time by as much as 100 percent in multimedia handsets. This new combo chip solution will be demonstrated at next week's 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Highlights/Key Facts:
-- Technology advancements are driving high quality multimedia
functionality from single function personal music players into
smartphones and other handsets. In most cases, music playback requires
processing by the device's baseband processor which typically consumes
substantial power, reduces battery life and often discourages
extensive use of this functionality on handsets.
-- With the introduction of the Broadcom BCM20751 combo chip, smartphones
will now be more readily used as music players and Bluetooth stereo
headsets without significantly affecting battery life. The new chip
can perform music recording, playback and Bluetooth functionality
while minimizing the use of the phone's baseband processor, resulting
in very low power operation for media capabilities.
-- The BCM20751 is based on the Broadcom BCM2075 InConcert combo chip,
and includes the technologies that enable the total phone system to
consume less power with the following capabilities:
-- The processor includes additional memory buffering (up to 90 Kb)
and integrated MP3 and ACC+ decoders, as well as an on-chip 5-band
audio equalizer that enables the BCM20751 to perform high quality
music playback of popular music file formats while the baseband
sleeps.
-- It enables an increase in total estimated music playback time so
that a mobile handset with the BCM20751 could support about 70
hours of music playback (in comparison to 40 hours of music
playback for popular standalone MP3 players).
-- It includes Broadcom's Stereo Headset emulation that allows the
handset to operate as a Bluetooth stereo headset using the wired
earphones, and provides up to 50 hours of Bluetooth music
listening.
-- The BCM20751's integrated FM radio technology enables innovative MP3
recordings of FM music, sports and news programming with up to 50
hours of recording time possible. The recording and playback
capabilities also facilitate FM radio 'time-shifting' functions that
are similar to digital video recorders (DVRs) in which they allow
'pause' and 'rewind' functions on live FM programming.
-- Broadcom's combo chip approach enables OEMs to add innovative audio
processing capabilities to smartphone devices while also adding the
most sought after wireless connectivity options:
-- The Bluetooth portion of the BCM20751 is Bluetooth 3.0 with
Broadcom's light stack operation that offloads typical Bluetooth
functions from the host.
-- The FM radio capabilities are among the most advanced in the
industry with integrated receive and transmit functions that
enable live programs as well as transmission for playback in a car
or home audio system.
-- The GPS core uses a host-based integration architecture that
splits the processing duties between the BCM20751 and the host
CPU. It provides the lowest power consuming GPS available,
delivering 50 percent better power performance when compared to
today's leading solutions.
-- Broadcom InConcert technology enables wireless devices to
collaboratively co-exist within the same radio frequency, providing
products enabled with Broadcom wireless connectivity chips the ability
to intelligently share the radio frequency spectrum, synchronizing
transmissions to maximize throughput and performance for both
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi® standards.
-- The addition of the Maestro(TM) software platform, a new component
of InConcert, also enhances the customer experience by eliminating
the need to manually choose, establish and manage the underlying
wireless network.


Supporting Quotes:

Craig Ochikubo, Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom's Wireless Personal Area Networking line of business

"We continue to find unique ways to deliver a better end-user experience for connected devices like smartphones and media players. By combining Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio and audio processing into a single chip solution, we provide a vital low power subsystem that can enable dramatically longer battery life for multimedia phones, making these devices increasingly viable as consumer's primary media player."

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About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment. We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices. These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom, one of the world's largest fabless communications semiconductor companies, with 2009 revenue of $4.49 billion, holds more than 3,800 U.S. and 1,550 foreign patents, and has more than 7,800 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video, data and multimedia.

A FORTUNE 500® company, Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at Broadcom.com - Home.