SAN JOSE, Calif. -- SiPort Inc.--a supplier of digital terrestrial broadcast receiver ICs that is partly backed by Intel Corp.--said that its device has received ''HD Radio Ready'' certification from iBiquity Digital Corp. IBiquity is the developer and licensor of HD Radio technology.
SiPort's device, dubbed the SP1010, is a single-chip, HD radio receiver said to provide digital and analog FM performance for the mobile, tabletop and automotive aftermarket segments.
SiPort will begin shipping the receiver chip in volume in September of 2008. LG-Innotek is currently sampling its HD Radio module based on SiPort's SP1010. The company will be in production by year's end.
HD Radio was developed by iBiquity Digital. The technology allows digital radio signals to ride the same airwaves as today's analog AM and FM radio broadcasts, bringing additional content, crystal-clear sound, and location-based data services, the companies said.
That company is neither a content owner nor broadcaster; rather, its technology lets radio stations simulcast compressed digital audio and traditional analog audio without shifting to new frequency bands.
IBiquity recently claimed that the $100 price point for HD Radio receivers has been ''smashed.'' The new HD Radio receivers are made by Coby, iLuv, JVC, Pioneer, Radiosophy and Sony. The latest prices represent a 30 percent reduction compared to a year ago.
This could also be a major event for startup SiPort. "HD Radio certification is an important milestone for SiPort and validates our commitment to delivering the highest performance HD Radio solution," said Sid Agrawal, CEO of SiPort (Santa Clara, Calif.), in a statement. "The certification of the SiPort single-chip SP1010 HD Radio solution gives our customers a best-in-class solution for audio and data services on both mobile and traditional radio platforms."
Formed in 2004, SiPort is a fabless semiconductor company developing mixed signal RF and digital baseband wireless receiver chips supporting multiple Digital Broadcast Standards. Investors in the startup include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Morgenthaler, New Venture Partners and Intel Capital.
The startup is reportedly betting the first application for its chip will be portable GSP devices, given HD Radio's ability to datacast real-time traffic information from local radio stations in far more detailed and comprehensive fashion than is currently available via the analog FM band.
