Broadcom's New Bluetooth Chip Family Enables Stereo Headsets With Voice Recognition Capabilities

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 2011 Mobile World Congress -- Broadcom Corporation (Nasdaq: BRCM), a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new family of Bluetooth system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions targeting stereo headset products. Combining the ability to enjoy streamed stereo music with traditional Bluetooth hands-free phone call capabilities, the new chip family also provides Broadcom's leading suite of built-in SmartAudio® technology that delivers appealing features for multiple tiers of headsets. The Broadcom® BCM2077x family includes three Bluetooth chips to enable entry-level, mainstream and high-end stereo headsets.

As the industry's first stereo Bluetooth SoC solutions designed in the 65 nanometer (nm) CMOS manufacturing process, the new BCM2077x family delivers these capabilities with the lowest power consumption available to ensure longer battery life, which is critical in stereo applications.

Highlights/ Key Facts:  

• By integrating both stereo audio and hands-free capabilities into this new BCM2077x chip family, Broadcom is helping to drive expansion of the existing Bluetooth market to include multi-functional products that will appeal to consumers interested in one headset design for both listening to music and for talking on the phone.
• Key features of the BCM2077x Bluetooth family:
  • ROM-based solution that eliminates the need for costly and bulky external memory components to enable more compact, cost-effective designs.
  • Far-end echo and noise cancellation that significantly improves 'double-talk' performance to deliver clearer conversations.
  • Built-in voice-recognition technology that allows device makers to include support for spoken commands that enhance the user experience.
  • 'Near-end' speech intelligibility enhancement that automatically enhances the quality and loudness for the wearer of the headset.
  • Integrated multiple language voice prompts (in on-chip ROM) that increases ease-of-use and lowers bill-of-materials (BOM) cost.
  • An integrated 'fast-charging' power management unit (PMU) that is capable of recharging the headset in only a few minutes.
  • Highly tunable audio algorithms that enable further differentiation and a unique capability to adapt to various form factors.
• The BCM2077x family consists of three chips targeting different tiers of headsets:
  • BCM20770 – optimized for entry-level headsets and provides a basic suite of features and audio enhancements
  • BCM20771 – targeted to single-microphone mainstream headsets and features more advanced SmartAudio capabilities to deliver a higher level of audio clarity for both ends of the cellular conversation
  • BCM20772 – designed for high-end headsets and includes Broadcom's complete SmartAudio implementation with support for dual-microphone headsets that deliver the highest level of mono audio quality while also delivering the best stereo SNR (signal to noise ration) in its class
• Broadcom's SmartAudio technology intelligently analyzes digital audio streams within the Bluetooth hands-free device and differentiates between voice and non-voice characteristics while eliminating background noise to deliver a clearer and distortion-free conversation.
  • Special wind-noise reduction technology can distinguish and significantly reduce this annoying audio interference for clearer and more intelligible conversations.
• Designed in a very small chip package, the BCM2077x family enables innovative industrial designs that includes 'behind the ear' and 'pendant' headsets that are comfortable and easy to wear.
• The BCM2077x family of Bluetooth SoC solutions is now sampling to early access customers.

Craig Ochikubo, Vice President & General Manager, Broadcom's Wireless Personal Area Networking line of business

"Broadcom continues to help drive Bluetooth into wider ranges of devices, with our new stereo solution serving as a catalyst for new headset form factors and designs. Our low power, small sized family of Bluetooth solutions and comprehensive suite of audio and user interface enhancements, make these new Bluetooth solutions ideal for the next generation of dual-purpose stereo hands-free headsets."

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About Broadcom

Broadcom Corporation is a major technology innovator and global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications.  Broadcom products enable the delivery of voice, video, data and multimedia to and throughout the home, the office and the mobile environment.  We provide the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip and software solutions to manufacturers of computing and networking equipment, digital entertainment and broadband access products, and mobile devices.  These solutions support our core mission: Connecting everything®.

Broadcom, one of the world's largest fabless communications semiconductor companies, with 2010 revenue of $6.82 billion, holds more than 4,800 U.S. and 2,000 foreign patents, and has more than 7,800 additional pending patent applications, and one of the broadest intellectual property portfolios addressing both wired and wireless transmission of voice, video, data and multimedia.

A FORTUNE 500® company, Broadcom is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe.  Broadcom may be contacted at +1.949.926.5000 or at www.broadcom.com.

Cautions regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

All statements included or incorporated by reference in this release, other than statements or characterizations of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry and business, management's beliefs, and certain assumptions made by us, all of which are subject to change.  Forward-looking statements can often be identified by words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "predicts," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "would," "could," "potential," "continue," "ongoing," similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words.  Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the demand for stereo capable Bluetooth headsets, our position in that space, and the impact of the BCM2077x family of Bluetooth SoC solutions on the hands-free and stereo music user experience.  These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statement.

Important factors that may cause such a difference for Broadcom in connection with the BCM2077x Bluetooth SoC family, include, but are not limited to:

• the rate at which our present and future customers and end-users adopt Broadcom's Bluetooth technologies for mobile applications;
• trends in the wireless networking markets in various geographic regions, including seasonality in sales of consumer products into which our products are incorporated;
• the gain or loss of a key customer, design win or order;
• the volume of our product sales and pricing concessions on volume sales; and
• competitive pressures and other factors such as the qualification, availability and pricing of competing products and technologies and the resulting effects on sales and pricing of our products.

Additional factors that may cause Broadcom's actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the list that can be found at http://www.broadcom.com/press/additional_risk_factors/Q12011.php.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss the foregoing risks as well as other important risk factors that could contribute to such differences or otherwise affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.  The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.

Broadcom®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, the Connecting everything logo and SmartAudio® are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU.  Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Mobile & Wireless