Microchip announces its fourth-generation JukeBlox® platform, which enables audio brands to develop high-quality, low-latency products such as standalone or multi-room wireless speakers, AV receivers, mini and micro systems, and soundbars.Microchip's new JukeBlox 4 software development kit, along with its CY920 Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® network media module, features next-generation dual-band Wi-Fi technology, multi-zone/multi-room functionality, AirPlay® and DLNA® connectivity, and integrated music services to enhance the consumer listening experience. Added cost-reduction features reduce the bill of materials and enable competitively priced consumer products.
The CY920 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Network Media Module is based on Microchip's new, low-cost DM920 Wi-Fi Network Media Processor, which integrates 2.4 GHz and
5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, high-speed USB 2.0, and Ethernet. Speakers using the 5 GHz band avoid the RF congestion present in the 2.4 GHz band, resulting in fewer audio dropouts and the ability to use a significantly larger number of speakers in multi-room/whole-house audio systems.
The DM920 Wi-Fi network media processor also integrates two 300 MHz DSP cores, which can reduce or eliminate the need for expensive standalone DSP chips. An easy-to-use graphical user interface for PCs simplifies the use of a pre-developed suite of standard DSP algorithms for speaker tuning, including a 15-band equalizer, multi-band dynamic range compression, equalizer presets, and various filter types. Engineers with no experience writing DSP code can easily add DSP to their designs, while experienced DSP engineers can take full advantage of the power of a standard DSP architecture.
With JukeBlox 4, product developers can build solutions equipped for direct streaming of cloud-based music services such as Spotify® Connect, Qobuz, Rhapsody, Deezer, and many others, using mobile devices as remote controls. This allows mobile devices to be moved anywhere within the Wi-Fi network without interrupting music playback, significantly increasing battery life. JukeBlox technology continues to offer seamless support for various platforms, including iOS, Android™, Windows® 8, and Mac®, as well as a full range of audio codecs and user-friendly features to simplify network setup.
The software development kit also incorporates whole-house (multi-zone/multi-room) audio functionality for simultaneous audio streaming to control multiple JukeBlox platform devices throughout the home. The combination of new hardware and software technology improves synchronization and reduces network bandwidth usage for a powerful audio streaming experience.
The JukeBlox 4 software development kit, along with the JukeBlox CY920 module, are now available for sampling and volume production.
