STS Announces Fourth-generation Chip, Enabling a New Era in High-definition Wireless Audio

STS’s Uncompromised HD Wireless Audio Is Music to CE Manufacturers’ Ears

Sunnyvale, Calif. ‘” Dec. 19, 2007 ‘” STS Inc., the leader in semiconductor technology for the wireless transmission of high-quality audio, has today announced the availability of its fourth-generation chip (DARR81) for digital wireless audio platforms. STS’s technology sets a new bar for high-definition multi-channel uncompressed wireless audio, bringing all of a user’s devices to life in the connected home or office.

The STS DARR81 chip enables simultaneous audio connections of consumer electronics (CE) devices, such as headphones, speakers, home theater systems, flat panel TVs, game consoles, iPod and portable media player docking stations, and PCs for uninterrupted streaming of HD uncompressed wireless audio with crystal-clear quality. STS wireless audio technology offers consumers a zero-effort, out-of-the-box entertainment solution, delivering the highest quality of experience (QoE).

STS supplies chips to leading CE and professional equipment manufacturers and a growing number of original design manufacturers (ODMs) around the globe. CE manufacturers and ODMs develop STS-based products for a host of applications, including: home entertainment, PC multimedia, portable media and automotive.

‘STS provides a perfect HD wireless audio experience delivered to multiple listening devices. Existing technologies were developed to transfer data, but they simply do not work for robust, high-quality, high-definition uncompressed multi-point audio applications,’ said Hans van Leeuwen, co-founder and CTO of STS. ‘Our technology was built to work in complex wireless consumer environments such as the home, where everything from your laptop and mobile phone to the microwave in the kitchen operate simultaneously.’

STS takes a unique wideband RF approach, and is the only available HD wireless audio technology that offers the following set of rich wireless functionality and features on a single chip:

‘¢ Single-platform chipset: Enables CE manufacturers and ODMs to configure their chips for particular applications. For example, headphones, portable devices and complex multi-room entertainment systems.
‘¢ Bi-directional: Allows HD audio to be both transmitted and received with a single device simultaneously, enabling HD headsets for quality-demanding VoIP and gaming applications.
‘¢ High-definition audio: Ensures the highest-quality 24bit/96ksps wireless experience.
‘¢ Multi-channel: Allows streaming of up to eight different concurrent single streams or four bi-directional streams of HD audio, enabling 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, headphone and multi-room applications at the same time.
‘¢ Whole-home: Offers a range of up to 150 feet indoors and 500 feet outdoors. For extended range requirements, a repeater function is available.
‘¢ Synchronization: The human ear creates a 3-D audio experience and is sensitive to jitter. To realize a reproducible constant 3-D experience, STS’s extremely low-jitter specifications satisfy demanding CE and professional applications.
‘¢ Low power consumption: Provides design-in flexibility for a full range of audio devices, including portable media players, headphones and headsets.
‘¢ Competitive pricing: Offers a minimal additional system cost to wirelessly enable a full range of consumer products.

Several major CE and ODM manufacturers will be demonstrating wireless products based on STS’s technology at the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas, January 7-10, 2008. CES attendees interested in hearing STS’s audio innovation and experiencing true HD wireless audio can visit the STS suite in The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.

STS offers chips, system-in-packages (SiPs) and modules, as well as all of the required software and design-in support to its customers to provide a solution that meets all of their wireless needs with the shortest time to market. Companies, engineers and developers interested in additional information should contact STS at info@sts-wireless.com.

About STS

STS is a fabless semiconductors company and the leading specialist for wireless solutions for consumer streaming audio applications. The company has offices in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Singapore; China; and Japan.

STS delivers a wire replacement, robust, guaranteed-QoS wireless platform, capable of delivering multi-channel uncompressed CD-quality audio to multiple receivers with very low latency, with a range of up to 150 feet (50 meters) indoors (500 feet/150 meters line of sight), capable of supporting a wide application envelope, including home theatre, stereo, surround sound, multi-room, lifestyle, portable, automotive, headphone and microphone applications. More information is available at www.sts.sg.