Cadence Licenses Fraunhofer AAC Codecs to Further Expand Tensilica HiFi Audio/Voice Software Library

SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS), a leader in global electronic design innovation, and Fraunhofer IIS, a leader in the innovation of audio codec technology, today announced that Cadence has licensed the full suite of MPEG AAC codecs from Fraunhofer IIS for use with the Tensilica^® HiFi DSP. Cadence plans to use the products to enhance the library of over 100 audio/voice software packages optimized for the HiFi DSP family. New standards include the AAC-ELD (Enhanced Low Delay) communication codec, which enables telephone conversations with the highest possible audio quality, and xHE-AAC (Extended High Efficiency AAC), which is the latest upgrade to the MPEG AAC family of codecs.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140102/SF39436LOGO)

The xHE-AAC MPEG audio codec is the first to combine speech and general-purpose audio coding in a unified system, allowing for high quality delivery of any type of audio content at virtually any bit rate. In addition, the library adds full support for DRM Digital Radio Mondiale audio decoding according to the latest ETSI system specification, bundling xHE-AAC and HE-AACv2 for all DRM modes (DRM30, DRM+).

"The growth of multimedia applications and devices creates an opportunity for companies like Cadence to offer signal processors that can provide a richer experience for consumers through enhanced audio and speech quality," said Harald Popp, head of the Business department in the Audio & Multimedia division of Fraunhofer IIS. "Combined with Tensilica's extremely efficient HiFi Audio/Voice DSP architecture, customers can expect a wide range of codecs especially for home entertainment, automotive and mobile multimedia."

"Fraunhofer is the co-developer and innovation leader in AAC technology," said Larry Przywara, director of audio/voice IP marketing, Cadence.  "This agreement with Fraunhofer allows us to offer our customers the broadest range of AAC codecs available on our HiFi product family, further enhancing our library of over 100 software codecs optimized for the HiFi architecture."

For more information on this new IP visit, www.tensilica.com/products/audio.

About Cadence

Cadence enables global electronic design innovation and plays an essential role in the creation of today's integrated circuits and electronics. Customers use Cadence software, hardware, IP, and services to design and verify advanced semiconductors, consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications equipment, and computer systems. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with sales offices, design centers, and research facilities around the world to serve the global electronics industry. More information about the company, its products, and services is available at www.cadence.com.

About Fraunhofer

When it comes to advanced audio technologies for the rapidly evolving media world, Fraunhofer IIS stands alone. For more than 25 years, digital audio technology has been the principle focus of the Audio and Multimedia division. From the creation of mp3 and the co-development of AAC to the future of audio entertainment for broadcast, Fraunhofer IIS brings innovations in sound to reality. Fraunhofer IIS technologies enable more than 6 billion devices worldwide. The audio codec implementations are licensed to more than 1,000 companies.

Fraunhofer IIS is based in Erlangen, Germany, and is an institute of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe's largest applied research organization with over 22,000 employees.

More information is available at www.iis.fraunhofer.de/amm.

© 2014 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Cadence, Tensilica and the Cadence logo are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Cadence Design Systems, Inc.