SiPort SP1010

SiPort’s SP1010 single-chip HD Radio solution is an RF receiver capable of analog FM as well as HD radio in the FM band, 88 to 108 MHz (Fig. 1). It also includes HD AM reception in the 530- to 1700-kHz range, and it can receive Europe’s Eureka 147 Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) and Japan’s Digital Multimedia Broadcast (T-DMB) signals in the 174- to 240-MHz range.

Additionally, the SP1010 offers a receiver for the U.S. 162.4- to 162.55-MHz weather band, though it isn’t implemented in the Zune. Still, multicast reception is a given. And the good news is that this programming is all free over the air. HD Radio now implements many new features including searchable content by genre, pause, rewind, and play functionality, song tagging for future online purchase, and digital data services too.

The SP1010 was designed with mobility in mind. It only consumes 90 mW, which is lower than any other HD solution. SiPort also paid attention to design issues like receiving weak radio signals in an MP3 player environment with multiple digital processors, on-chip dc-dc converters, a high-bit-rate color LCD, Wi-Fi, and several high-speed interfaces. Furthermore, the chip offers:

• A good chip floor plan to keep noisy digital signals away from RF inputs
• Design blocks with high common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR)
• A pin out to minimize bond wire to bond wire noise coupling into the receiver
• Good use of substrate isolation techniques
• Attention to ground returns and supply decoupling
• A proper frequency plan to reduce spurious mixing products that land in the IF band
• An on-chip low-dropout regulator (LDO) for good supply rejection
• A proper quad flat no-lead (QFN) package with a large ground slug
• Proper board layout to maintain high ground isolation
• A good understanding of dc-dc switching noise under different load conditions and electromagnetic interference (EMI) mitigation techniques of output inductor

If you’re looking to add HD Radio to any product, the SP1010 is worth consideration.

The Zune HD

The Zune HD is Microsoft’s latest iteration of its digital media player (Fig. 2). In addition to the HD Radio feature, it’s a big step up in portable multimedia players. Its 3.3-in. OLED touchscreen offers 480- by 272-pixel resolution in a 16:9 HD format. Also, it plays standard and HD movies that can be purchased or rented through the Zune Marketplace online store, storing and playing back 720p HD video files. It has video support for jpeg, WMV, MPEG4, and H.264 standards as well.

As for audio, the Zune HD handles WMA, AAC, and MP3 with data rates to 48 kHz. It also provides Wi-Fi in the form of 802.11b/g connectivity. The built-in browser lets users connect to hot spots and download songs or videos, do e-mail, and even browse the Web.

The Zune HD comes in two basic versions. The black one has 16 Gbytes of memory ($219.99) and can store five hours of HD video or 4000 songs. A platinum silver version boasts 32 Gbytes of memory ($289.99) and can store 10 hours of HD video or 8000 songs.