The Silicon Audio an audio-data compression and storage system with a semiconductor memory card

A new audio-data compression and storage system, the Silicon Audio, is presented. It employs the MPEG/Audio Layer II algorithm for data compression, which has been standardized by ISO (International Standardization Organization). A semiconductor memory card is equipped with to store the compressed signal. Decoding is carried out by a general purpose digital signal processor and a specially designed gate array chip. The package includes some special designs with vivid colors for the outdoor and sporting use. Since it has no mechanical movement, it is robust against vibration that has been a serious problem for portable audio players. The recording time is defined as a function of the memory-card capacity and the compression ratio. >