Dual-Core Audio DSPs Support Multiple HD Applications

With increased performance and more on-board memory, a pair of dual-core, 24-bit digital signal processing chips target advanced audio applications with support for multiple high-definition (HD) audio standards. The Freescale Semiconductor DSP56720 and DSP56721 support Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players, A/V receivers, guitar amplifiers, and more. Using two DSP56300 24-bit cores, they meet the performance requirements of HD audio standards such as DTS-HD, Dolby Digital+, and Dolby TrueHD. According to Freescale, many of today's high-performance audio products use multi-chip DSP solutions, but the single-chip DSP56720 and DSP56721, which also integrate a rich set of peripherals, save board space and reduce costs.

Each core operates at 200 MIPS with a 200-MHz clock. On-board memory includes a 608k-by-24-bit-word ROM and a 248k-by-24-bit-word RAM, which eliminate the need for external memory in most consumer applications. Both devices integrate an SPD/IF transceiver and a 10-channel asynchronous sample-rate converter. Also, the direct memory access (DMA) controller has been expanded to support eight DMA channels per core for higher bandwidth and more processing. The DSP56720 adds an interface for audio applications that use external memory to accommodate long delays (reverb, lip sync, and so on). Code compatibility with the company's existing 24-bit DSP devices lets designers migrate quickly and easily to a higher-performance solution.