The more we get, the more we want, at least in terms of sound quality and entertainment options, and on that premise, Texas Instruments has launched a new 8-channel audio DSP, TAS3108, in both auto and home flavors. It’s currently in production, with the automotive version (TAS3108AIDCP) priced at $4.91 in 10k quantities.

TI sees a trend toward multi-channel sound in its auto audio business. “Multi-channel meant 5.1 until about a year ago; now it’s 7.1,” says automotive audio marketing manager Ryan Reynolds. Besides more channels and higher output power per-channel, there’s a need to accommodate more sources, such as satellite and HD radio, and various compressed audio formats, not to mention rear-seat entertainment. In short, OEMs see infotainment as an opportunity for differentiation, and that leads to the need for greater processing capability.

Packaged in a 4.4 x 9.7mm, 38-pin TSSOP, the TAS3108 is AECQ100-qualified and TS16949 certified, and it operates over the -40 to 105 °C temperature range. Based on a 135MHz, 48-bit fixed-point DSP core and 8051 MCU, the chip is rated at 675 MIPS. It can perform five simultaneous instructions per clock cycle and, with single-cycle, 76-bit (48x28) multiply-accumulate, is capable of 135 million multiple accumulates per-second (135 MMACS) performance.

Application development aids include both a a drag-and-drop graphical development environment (GDE) with pre-optimized components, and a text-based integrated development environment (IDE). Reynolds says the GDE lets customers program and control each component in real time, and to publish their own components, with proprietary algorithms.