DSP IP core for SoC 32-bit audio/voice processing

8th January 2015

Barney Scott

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The Cadence Tensilica HiFi 4 audio/voice DSP IP core for SoC designs offers what Cadence hails as ‘the industry’s highest performance licensable DSP core for 32-bit audio/voice processing’. This 4^th gen HiFi architecture enables emerging multi-channel object-based audio standards and doubles the performance of the HiFi 3 DSP, making it suitable for DSP intensive applications including digital TV, set-top box, Blu-ray Disc and automotive infotainment.

With emerging object-based audio standards, individual sounds become objects that can be placed anywhere in a room. Instead of being mixed at a recording studio, these sounds are mixed on the fly at each location where they are played back. The object-based audio system calculates where the sound should emanate so that it appears in roughly the same space, no matter where speakers are located. This provides a more natural and immersive sound experience, and requires much more DSP processing power.

Instead of having to use multiple DSPs to accomplish this, designers can now get the DSP power they need from one core - the HiFi 4 DSP. Cadence’s Tensilica HiFi 4 DSP is an optimised audio/voice processor geared for efficient execution of audio and voice codecs and pre- and post-processing modules as well as other demanding DSP functions in areas such as wireless communications.

Key features of the Tensilica HiFi 4 include support for four 32x32-bit Multiplier-ACcumulators (MACs) per cycle with 72-bit accumulators, support for eight 32x16-bit MACs per cycle under specified conditions, four Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) slot architecture capable of issuing two 64-bit loads per cycle, optional vector floating-point unit and software compatible with the existing HiFi DSP family consisting of over 140 HiFi-optimised audio and voice codecs and audio enhancement software packages.

“Audio processing requirements continue to increase, particularly as we move to object-oriented audio in the home,” stated John Couling, Senior Vice President, Dolby Laboratories. “Cadence’s HiFi 4 provides the processing power required to help enable a better, more immersive and personalised experience for users of high-end home entertainment systems who want to take advantage of the sound improvements inherent in object-oriented audio.”

“Our Maxx technologies utilise Waves’ 20+ years of professional audio expertise and innovation to dramatically improve sound quality on a broad range of devices from TVs and PCs to mobile and automotive infotainment,” said Tomer Elbaz, EVP and General Manager, Consumer Division, Waves. “The Cadence Tensilica HiFi 4 DSP is ideal for efficiently running our all our technologies in the highest performance mode to provide the best user experience.”