SMSC's New JukeBlox 3.0 Connectivity Platform Delivers a Simple, Robust & Low Cost Platform to Enable WiFi® Speaker Docks at $129 Retail Price Points

SMSC, a leading semiconductor company enabling content rich connectivity systems, today announced its latest generation JukeBlox® 3.0 (JB3.0) platform featuring fundamental enhancements to music streaming features, system integration and user experience. The new JB3.0 platform makes a significant move forward in addressing the critical mainstream adoption needs for networked consumer electronics products, including robust WiFi® performance, ease of use and lower product cost. SMSC will demonstrate its wireless audio family of products at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 10 – 13, 2012 at Booth # MP25766 in the South Hall 2 Meeting Place and at the Hilton Hospitality Suites.

JB3.0 offers a fully-integrated reference design WiFi speaker dock platform that delivers the compelling and user-friendly AirPlay® and DLNA wireless audio streaming experiences at new mainstream price points. The solution is based on SMSC’s DM870A network media processor with integrated 802.11 Wi-Fi combined with the JB3.0 Software Design Kit (SDK) to deliver a fully leveraged, single-chip SoC Wi-Fi speaker solution. The DM870A reduces system BOM costs through integration of the system host MCU functions (using “JB Host” feature) and audio DSP functions (using “JB DSP”) along with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed PHY and required audio and data interfaces. The reference platform provides a low-cost, flexible and scalable electronic design package that addresses the many complexities of bringing an AirPlay and DLNA network-enabled WiFi product to market. It also delivers a robust end user experience featuring “JB Link” easy network setup, “JB Green” automatic wake-up and fast-boot features, as well as increased Wi-Fi link robustness and stability featuring WMM (WiFi Multimedia standard) support and “JB QoS” unique RF robustness enhancements.

The new reference design integrates the main Wi-Fi subsystem including the DM870A processor on to a main board, eliminating the need for a separate “module”. The design also leverages the impressive power in the multi-core DM870A processor with JB Host and JB DSP features to eliminate the need for a separate host MCU and DSP. The result is the most highly-integrated, cost-effective, feature-rich, single-chip networked audio system platform on the market. This aggressive, system-level integration, along with many JB 3.0 feature enhancements, improves the end-user experience and Wi-Fi robustness to deliver a platform that sets a new standard in both price points and quality, enabling products with retail price points down to $129. The design provides a low-risk, low-cost launch pad for differentiated products where designers can add acoustic and ID expertise to create exciting and compelling new AirPlay and DLNA WiFi networked products.

JB3.0's comprehensive SDK offers improved application programming interfaces (APIs) and tools to further simplify product development and customization efforts when enabling these new features and cost-down integrations. Many of the new JB3.0 features can be leveraged in software changes, further extending the investment in existing product platforms. The SDK offers core libraries addressing higher software layers, middleware for media streaming, content access, navigation and system control, configuration files for remote control functions and more.

"We see consumer awareness and demand for streaming music increasing dramatically,” said Gene Sheridan, Senior Vice President and General Manager of SMSC's Wireless Products Group. "With this comes the challenge and opportunity to help open up mainstream adoption – which requires very robust and user friendly products. JukeBlox 3.0 delivers the cost, robustness and ease of use that consumers are looking for in next-generation WiFi speaker docks.”

The JukeBlox platform continues to offer a complete range of audio codecs, Internet radio protocols, popular music apps, a variety of connectivity options and all of the major interoperability standards. JukeBlox also features fail-safe firmware updates that allow for new features to be updated to the consumer over time without hardware changes. The new JB3.0 software and SDK will be available in January 2012.

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