DSP

Philips ThunderBird Avenger DSP

Bus Interface

PCI 2.1 Bus Master

Industry Specifications

• Exceeds PC98 and PC99 audio requirements
• SNR > 92dB typical

Acceleration

• 96 streams of 3D audio acceleration including position reverb
• 256 streams of DirectSound acceleration
• Full-duplex 48kHz digital recording and playback
• Wavetable and FM synthesis
• DirectInput devices

Connectivity

• 5.1 channel analog output
• Digital S/PDIF input and output
• MIDI in/out
• Additional external inputs: Line in, Microphone in
• Additional internal inputs: CD in, Aux in, TAD in, S/PDIF in

Music Synthesis

• Up to 576 wavetable synthesis voices
• Reverb and chorus
• 96-channel hardware wavetable synthesizer with 5.9MB sample set
• Hardware FM synthesizer (real mode DOS)
• 512 voice soft-synth with XG and GM compatibility

DSP Algorithms

• QSound3Dinteractive positional 3D for 2, 4, or 5.1 speaker setups
• QSound Multi Speaker System for quadraphonic or 5.1 channel output of stereo music, video, and games
• QSound Environmental modeling for EAX and DirectSound3D games
• QSurround virtual 5.1 playback of DVDs using 2 speakers

There has been a definite trend towards the usage of digital signal processors (DSP) due to the enhanced flexibility that the manufacturer has provided. For instance, as audio applications strive for realism, the processing power required increases (calculating acoustic reflections isn't easy, you know). In order to minimize the load placed on the host processor, the DSP is able to dynamically allocate additional resources to the most intensive task. Philip's Acoustic Edge is powered by second generation ActiMedia architecture that combines the strengths of programmable and fixed-function DSPs. The controller that houses all of this technology has been named the SAA7785, or ThunderBird Avenger.