TC Applied Technologies (Risskov, Denmark) introduced its Dice II chip set, which handles all standard pro audio I/O formats, most notably the IEEE-1394 (FireWire) interface.
The company’s managing directory, Morten Lave, said, “With the introduction of the new Dice II technology, we will now be able to offer significantly improved performance and convenience, taking computer integration to a new level. In recording and post-production environments, easy-to-add DSP and I/O modules providing extensive additional processing power, can be plugged in according to your needs. Also, in the installation market, the option of using a single cable to network a large number of audio channels will eliminate the hassle and cost of working with bundles of cables. The Dice II handles audio channels at 96 kHz.”
Features include: total of 96 FireWire audio channels at 96 kHz sample rate; two sample-rate domains, each featuring an on-chip PLL; AES receiver/transmitter handling eight channels in each direction; ADAT receiver/transmitter with S-MUX support for 96 kHz; glueless connection of AD/DA (more than 16 channels in ech direction); glueless connection of a high number of commodity DSP processors; ARM 32-bit RISC processor; and IEEE-1394 Link Layer Controller.
Several recording and installation equipment partners provided input during the development process. These partners will now be implementing the chip in audio gear to be made available in the future. According to Lave, “We have now gone into the synthesis phase and will have physical chips available this summer. Due to the high bandwidth of the streaming engine, combined with the state-of-the-art digital PLL technology and support of 100m Ethernet-style cable, we believe that this solution overcomes the last hurdles for FireWire being broadly applied in pro audio.”
For more, visit www.tcelectronic.com.
