It has been ages since we last heard from CSR , but that modified earlier this week, when the corporate unveiled its new SiRFprimaII and SiRFusion platforms, alongside its SiRFstarV architecture. In accordance with the united kingdom-based firm, both SiRFstarV and SiRFusion are designed to offer more accurate geographic data and enhanced indoor navigation capabilities across PNDs and other mobile devices. SiRFstarV, the logical follow-as much as CSR’s SiRFstarIV architecture, culls location data not just from GPS, but from Galileo, Glonass and Compass satellites, in addition to a variety of radio signals, accelerometers, gyros and compasses. All this knowledge is fed to the user via the SiRFusion platform, which mixes data from radio systems and sensors to supply constantly updated location graphics. Together, both SiRFstarV and SiRFusion promise to aid users find their way around both indoor and outdoor locales, within an accuracy range of ten to fifteen meters.
The SiRFprimaII platform, displayed above, is precisely aimed toward in-car navigation and infotainment systems. This technique combines a SiRFprimaII SoC and TriG RF multi-GNSS radio with CSR’s Bluetooth and WiFi technologies to create a multimedia rich, touchscreen-based in-car environment. Aimed toward both ODMs and OEMs, this hardware-software combo enables drivers to get more reliable navigation data, while allowing passengers to stream video, surf the net and manipulate everything via handheld remote control. As for that SoC, it’s powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 app processor, features an LCD controller for displays of as much as 1280 x 720 resolution, and boasts a couple of 3D graphics and video accelerators. For more details, look at the pair of press releases, after the break.
Seamless Indoor and Outdoor Navigation for Mobile Devices; Premium In-Vehicle Infotainment Features for Mainstream Auto Markets
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 01, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Locations & Beyond Summit — CSR plc today strengthened its leadership within the mobile and automotive location markets, announcing the launch of its next-generation SiRFstarV architecture, the SiRFprimaII SoC auto infotainment platform and the SiRFusion end-to-end location platform. Introduced to top industry executives on the annual Locations & Beyond Summit, the recent CSR offerings take location to the subsequent level, with SiRFstarV and SiRFusion enabling exciting new products that significantly improve the user experience for a broad range of location applications used indoors and out of doors on mobile devices and SiRFprimaII significantly improving the automobile navigation experience for mainstream consumers.
“Whether it’s localised search, social networking, mobile promotions or an intelligent mobile assistant, location is rapidly becoming a fundamental contextual element for delivering relevant information from the cloud to people at the go. No matter where individuals are, indoors or outdoors, of their cars or walking about, more accurate and reliable location is very important to enrich the patron experience with a broad range of applications,” said Kanwar Chadha, Chief Marketing Officer for CSR and founding father of SiRF. “Since 1995, our vision was to deliver innovations that bring the advantages of location to mainstream consumers. With our SiRFstarV architecture and SiRFusion platform, we’re breaking the barrier to providing a continuing location and navigation experience to consumers, both indoors and out of doors. Our SiRFprimaII auto infotainment platform is designed to enable a premium automotive navigation, entertainment and augmented reality experience this is affordable for every person.”
SiRFstarV Architecture
The SiRFstarV architecture introduces a brand new technique to location and navigation. Rather than relying solely on GPS to find out position, the SiRFstarV architecture gathers real-time information from GPS, Galileo, Glonass and Compass (when operational) satellites, multiple radio systems, including cellular and Wi-Fi(R), and multiple MEMS sensors, like accelerometers, gyros and compasses. It then combines this real-time information with ephemeris data, mapping, cellular base station and Wi-Fi access point database information, and other cloud-based aiding information using the SiRFusion platform. By fusing all this knowledge, the SiRFstarV architecture is ready to take location and navigation to the subsequent level, providing precise location and navigation indoors in addition to outdoors.
CSR is demonstrating the SiRFusion platform on an early implementation of the SiRFstarV architecture on the Summit.
SiRFusion
A breakthrough innovation to improve the patron experience with indoor and outdoor location- and navigation-enabled applications, the SiRFusion self-learning, end-to-end location platform “fuses” multiple radio signals and sensor inputs to constantly provide extremely reliable and accurate location. Mobile products using SiRFstarV and SiRFusion can be ready to make a unbroken transition between outdoor and indoor navigation as people make their way through countries, cities, neighbourhoods, parks, shopping malls, convention centres, airports, train stations or other large structures while continuing to utilise a number of location-enabled services and applications. Unlike other systems that require costly manual surveys to construct and maintain a database of indoor Wi-Fi radio locations, the SiRFusion platform constantly updates its database automatically using crowdsourcing techniques.
“Our research clearly indicates that location has quickly gained traction with consumers as a necessary contextual component for a lot of of the applications they use and depend on with their mobile devices,” said Tim Bajarin President of Creative Strategies, Inc. “The SiRFusion platform will shine a bright light into what in the past was a location dead zone, and may attract numerous attention from mobile device makers that will extend the usefulness of location into any indoor setting for the 1st time.”
SiRFprimaII
The SiRFPrimaII auto infotainment platform brings the features of premium, location-aware in-vehicle infotainment systems to the mainstream market. It integrates a multi-GNSS location engine supporting GPS, Galileo, Glonass and Compass satellites to enhance the navigation system performance in obstructed environments, Combined with SiRFDRive(R) dead reckoning software, the SiRFprimaII delivers seamless navigation experience whether driving in dense urban canyons or through tunnels or multistory parking lots. Its powerful new 3D graphics and video accelerators, ARM Cortex(TM) -A9 application processor and other key components bring without equal in navigation and entertainment experiences to mainstream consumers. Its graphics and multimedia capabilities also are designed to make new concepts like augmented reality practical for the mainstream automotive market. In-dash or on-dash, the wealthy multimedia, touch user interface and strong computing capabilities of the SiRFprimaII SoC combined with CSR connectivity and audio technologies enable OEMs and ODMs to focus their limited resources on creating highly differentiated, feature-rich navigation and entertainment systems at competitive price points.
Innovative Platform Supports Worldwide Satellite Systems, Robust Connectivity and Rich Visualisation
Locations & Beyond Summit, San Francisco, CA – 1 November 2011 – CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ; CSRE) today introduced the SiRFprimaII auto infotainment platform, a comprehensive solution that raises the bar for a better generation of connected, location-aware in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems. The SiRFprimaII platform helps IVI makers reduce their product development, manufacturing and BOM costs and quickly bring the features of premium navigation- infotainment systems to the mainstream automotive market.
“Our vision is to counterpoint the mainstream consumer auto navigation experience, in-dash or on-dash. With its support for all global navigation satellite systems, robust connectivity capabilities and next-generation applications like augmented reality, the SiRFprimaII platform is a smart leap forward in that direction,” said Kanwar Chadha, Chief Marketing Officer for CSR and founding father of SiRF. “With today’s simultaneous launch of the SiRFprimaII platform for the automotive market and the SiRFstarV™ and SiRFusion™ platforms for mobile devices, we’re taking the mainstream consumer location experience to the subsequent level.”
The SiRFprimaII platform launch includes the SiRFprimaII SoC and TriG RF multi-GNSS (global navigation satellite system) radio, which together can support all global navigation satellite systems. As portion of its system platform strategy, CSR is offering a comprehensive solution of pre-integrated and validated hardware and software that gives each of the infrastructure essential to bring navigation and a trendy family room infotainment experience into the automobile. This comprehensive platform solution combines the CSR SiRFprimaII SoC and the TriG RF radio with the CSR8311™ Bluetooth® and CSR6031™ Wi-Fi® solutions and CSR Synergy™ integrating software to form the guts of a powerful, touchscreen-based system that lets drivers navigate reliably and passengers entertain themselves with DVDs or streaming video, enjoy hi-fi stereo audio through speakers or wireless headsets, use a remote to manipulate everything, connect their laptops via Wi-Fi and lots more and plenty more.
“The second one-generation SiRFprimaII SoC and the hot TriG RF front end form the nucleus of a pre-integrated hardware and software platform solution that embodies all our core competencies in location, connectivity and multimedia technologies and is designed to support the features and quality needs of our automotive customers,” said Charlie Lesko, General Manager of the Automotive Business Area at CSR. “Our comprehensive platform reference design helps our customers reduce their product development time and price and enables them to quickly bring innovative auto navigation and infotainment systems to market which are affordable for mainstream consumers everywhere.”
The full CSR platform solution also is supported by the complete CSR location, connectivity and audio enhancement software, including aptX® high-fidelity wireless audio technology, CVC™ noise reduction and echo cancellation, SiRFInstantFix® and SiRFDRive® location advances and more.
SiRFprimaII SoC
Utilising 40nm CMOS process technology, the CSR SiRFprimaII SoC combines a magnificent application processor, multi-GNSS baseband location processor, DDR3 and NAND flash memory controllers, analog power management functions, superior audio codec, hardware accelerated full 1080p HD multimedia decoding, hardware 3D graphics acceleration, LCD touchscreen controller for displays as much as 1280 by 720, PHY/UART/GPIO interfaces and more in one package.
The powerful ARM Cortex™-A9 application processor, running at hurries up to 1GHz, delivers greater than twice the throughput of the unique SiRFprima device, providing numerous muscle to run the newest navigation, entertainment, communication and data apps. And with three to four times more powerful graphics and multimedia acceleration when compared with the primary generation, the SiRFprimaII SoC delivers crisper, smoother operation for a more pleasing user experience and enables emerging technologies like augmented reality.
TriG RF Multi-GNSS Radio
Utilising 40nm CMOS process technology, the TriG RF front-end global navigation satellite system (GNSS) radio is a sophisticated multi-GNSS solution that improves the placement and navigation performance of SiRFprimaII and other CSR auto navigation SoCs. Supporting all currently planned global navigation satellite systems, including GPS, Glonass, Galileo and Compass (when operational), the TriG RF radio’s multiple GNSS positioning technology is designed to milk these satellite systems to enhance position availability and accuracy at cost-effective.
Availability and Pricing
The economic-grade SiRFprimaII SoC and TriG RF radio devices can be found now for products slated for manufacturing starting in 2012, and auto-qualified parts are planned for 2013. An evaluation board and form-factor reference design are available in, including board-support packages, for the Android™, Microsoft® Windows® CE and Linux GENIVI operating systems. Please contact CSR for pricing information.
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