September 11, 2012, Seoul — STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company providing a wide range of electronic applications and the world's largest supplier of digital radio receiver components for terrestrial and satellite vehicles, is introducing a new digital radio chipset. This new product is the industry's first capable of simultaneously receiving and processing multiple digital radio broadcasts, such as AM/FM as well as DAB+. It features a complete software stack and supports various broadcast standards, and mass production began in the second quarter of 2012.

Developed in collaboration with Bosch Car Multimedia, this product is expected to usher in an era of cost-effective yet high-performance automotive infotainment systems. By providing next-generation radio functions and streaming services that synchronize text and visual information, such as real-time weather and traffic updates, it will make driving more enjoyable and enriching.

This chipset is capable of receiving and decoding up to 2 FM phase diversity, 2 terrestrial digital broadcasts (such as DAB), and 4 parallel channels. Therefore, with a car radio, you can receive audio content on one channel while simultaneously receiving real-time traffic or weather information on another channel. In addition, it can seamlessly switch between analog FM and digital radio signals and simultaneously demodulate audio and data from two different digital radio channels (DAB 1.5)[1].

This latest digital radio chipset from ST is a complete receiver solution based on RF ICs supporting up to four multiple standards, and is a baseband processing IC that fully implements the software stack. It not only minimizes low current consumption and electromagnetic interference but also provides excellent real-time performance without bottlenecks during baseband processing. In addition to DAB standards (DAB/DAB+/DMB-A) and DRM[2] open broadcast standards, HD Radio™ technology can also be supported when combined with an external co-processor.

“Considering the outstanding performance, flexibility, and integration benefits of ST products, we have integrated ST’s multi-standard digital radio receivers into our head unit platform,” said Michael Bolle, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Robert Bosch Car Multimedia. “Thanks to ST’s versatile solutions, we are now able to more easily meet market needs for cost-effective next-generation automotive infotainment products and services.”

ST, a leader in digital radio technology for the past 15 years, is the world's largest supplier of digital radio receiver components and has shipped over 80 million chipsets to date. Mass production of ST's digital radio chipset products began in the second quarter of 2012, and further information regarding pricing and products can be obtained by contacting ST Korea.