CSR sharpens indoor and in-car navigation with SiRFstarV, SiRFusion and SiRFprimaII

It's been a while since we last heard from CSR, but that changed earlier this week, when the company unveiled its new SiRFprimaII and SiRFusion platforms, alongside its SiRFstarV architecture. According to the UK-based firm, both SiRFstarV and SiRFusion are designed to provide more accurate geographic data and enhanced indoor navigation capabilities across PNDs and other mobile devices. SiRFstarV, the logical follow-up to CSR's SiRFstarIV architecture, culls location data not only from GPS, but from Galileo, Glonass and Compass satellites, as well as a range of radio signals, accelerometers, gyros and compasses. All this information is fed to the user via the SiRFusion platform, which combines data from radio systems and sensors to provide constantly updated location graphics. Together, both SiRFstarV and SiRFusion promise to help users find their way around both indoor and outdoor locales, within an accuracy range of ten to 15 meters.

The SiRFprimaII platform, displayed above, is strictly geared toward in-car navigation and infotainment systems. This system 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. Geared 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 web and manipulate everything via remote control. As for that SoC, it's powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 app processor, features an LCD controller for displays of up to 1280 x 720 resolution, and boasts a pair of 3D graphics and video accelerators. For more details, check out the pair of press releases, after the break.

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CSR Takes Location to the Next Level with SiRFstarV(TM), SiRFusion(TM) and SiRFprimaII(TM)

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 in 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 at the annual Locations & Beyond Summit, the new CSR offerings take location to the next 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 outdoors on mobile devices and SiRFprimaII significantly improving the auto 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 on the go. Regardless of where people are, indoors or outdoors, in their cars or walking about, more accurate and reliable location is essential to enhance the consumer experience with a broad range of applications," said Kanwar Chadha, Chief Marketing Officer for CSR and founder of SiRF. "Since 1995, our vision has been to deliver innovations that bring the benefits of location to mainstream consumers. With our SiRFstarV architecture and SiRFusion platform, we are breaking the barrier to providing a seamless location and navigation experience to consumers, both indoors and outdoors. Our SiRFprimaII auto infotainment platform is designed to enable a premium automotive navigation, entertainment and augmented reality experience that is affordable for everyone."

SiRFstarV Architecture

The SiRFstarV architecture introduces a new approach to location and navigation. Instead of relying solely on GPS to determine position, the SiRFstarV architecture gathers real-time information from GPS, Galileo, Glonass and Compass (when operational) satellites, multiple radio systems, such as 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 data, the SiRFstarV architecture is able to take location and navigation to the next level, providing precise location and navigation indoors as well as outdoors.

CSR is demonstrating the SiRFusion platform on an early implementation of the SiRFstarV architecture at the Summit.

SiRFusion

A breakthrough innovation to enhance the consumer 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 will be able to make a seamless 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 variety of location-enabled services and applications. Unlike other systems that require costly manual surveys to build 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 an essential contextual component for many of the applications they use and depend upon with their mobile devices," said Tim Bajarin President of Creative Strategies, Inc. "The SiRFusion platform will shine a bright light into what until now has been a location dead zone, and should attract a lot of attention from mobile device makers as a way to extend the usefulness of location into any indoor setting for the first 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 improve 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 the ultimate in navigation and entertainment experiences to mainstream consumers. Its graphics and multimedia capabilities are also designed to make new concepts like augmented reality practical for the mainstream automotive market. In-dash or on-dash, the rich multimedia, touch user interface and powerful 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.

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CSR SiRFprimaII™ Platform Brings Premium Navigation and Infotainment System Features to the Mainstream Auto Market

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 the next 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 enrich 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 great step forward in that direction," said Kanwar Chadha, Chief Marketing Officer for CSR and founder 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 are taking the mainstream consumer location experience to the next 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 part of its system platform strategy, CSR is offering a comprehensive solution of pre-integrated and validated hardware and software that provides all the infrastructure necessary to bring navigation and a modern family room infotainment experience into the car. 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 heart of a robust, 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 control everything, connect their laptops via Wi-Fi and much more.

"The second-generation SiRFprimaII SoC and the new 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 cost and enables them to quickly bring innovative auto navigation and infotainment systems to market that are affordable for mainstream consumers everywhere."

The complete CSR platform solution is also supported by all the 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 powerful 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 up to 1280 by 720, PHY/UART/GPIO interfaces and more in a single package.

The powerful ARM Cortex™-A9 application processor, running at speeds up to 1GHz, delivers more than twice the throughput of the original SiRFprima device, providing plenty of muscle to run the latest navigation, entertainment, communication and information apps. And with three to four times more powerful graphics and multimedia acceleration compared to the first 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 an advanced multi-GNSS solution that improves the location 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 take advantage of these satellite systems to improve position availability and accuracy at low cost.

Availability and Pricing

The industrial-grade SiRFprimaII SoC and TriG RF radio devices are available 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, including board-support packages, for the Android™, Microsoft® Windows® CE and Linux GENIVI operating systems. Please contact CSR for pricing information.