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Advanced microchip designed by NTU team gives ultra-high quality audio at less cost

By Marcus Wong - on 3 Aug 2015, 2:32pm

Advanced microchip designed by NTU team gives ultra-high quality audio at less cost.

Led by Associate Professor Joseph Chang from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), a team of local engineers have developed a pinhead-sized chip that can tolerate a lot more “noise” from other components in a device, such as microprocessors or 4G antennas. (This signal noise usually manifests itself as crackles or hisses, thus degrading the quality of audio.)

"With less distortion, the output is better and the sound is cleaner," said Prof Chang, who is from NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

The team includes research scientists Ge Tong and Guo Linfei, whose design for the chip is based on mathematical formulas that fix the limitations and errors induced in electronic devices by applying complex mathematics to simple electronics.

The new chip is some 20% smaller than what’s commonly found in electronic devices now, meaning a manufacturer producing 300 million pieces a year could save about US$3 million (S$4.1 million) by shifting to these chips.

Said Mr Lau Kim Hang, a senior manager of Ngee Ann Polytechnic's diploma program in audio-visual technology: "The chip's potential is in its power-saving ability, as it is smaller and more efficient."

The NTU team is in talks with at least five chip firms to license the product, and has filed seven patents and published more than 10 papers in academic journals. The chip is currently being tested in radiation chambers at a space components company in the United States for possible use in satellites, and the team is working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US on extending the battery life of 4G smartphones.

It has also teamed up with a local gaming firm to explore using the chip in wireless headphones, giving gamers 30 hours of non-stop play, up from 20 hours with current sets.

Said Prof Chang: "This chip is for the future - it gives ultra-high quality audio at a lower cost, with greater clarity in sound. Once you hear the difference in sound quality, you won't want an inferior product."

Source: The Straits Times

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