Analog and DSP chip solutions provider Cirrus Logic, Inc. last Thursday announced the availability of its Wireless Spigot reference design. The company states that the platform will be used to rapidly develop inexpensive consumer devices that support multiple, high-quality video streams over home WLANs.
The Wireless Spigot uses the company’s Whitecap2 802.11b technology. Whitecap2 technology is what allows audio/video streaming throughout the house, enabling multiple televisions and devices to view the material simultaneously. Whitecap2 also provides Quality of Service (QoS) control on the WLAN, plus built-in resistance to interference from typical consumer home devices such as microwave ovens and cordless phones – which can operate in the 802.11b 2.4 Ghz band. Whitecap2 also incorporates what Cirrus Logic calls Channel Agility, enabling wireless products to automatically switch channels when competition is detected.
Wireless Spigot, according to Cirrus Logic, supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 standards.
The Cirrus Logic Spigot reference design is included at no charge with the Maestro Home Media Center reference design, which acts as the server on the home network. The complete Maestro package of designs for the Home Media Center and Spigot is available now for a one-time charge of $25,000 and includes a board, software, schematics, Gerber files, and a bill of materials. It is available with both Ethernet and wireless connectivity.
The Spigot reference design is described in a product brief at the Cirrus Logic Web site.
Matthew Peretz is Managing Editor of 802.11-Planet.com
