BEAVERTON, Ore. – Dec. 21, 2009 – Continuing the tradition of developing breakthrough advances in “wired-quality” wireless audio, Avnera™ Corporation today announced AudioMagic™ 2G: the company’s next-generation wireless analog-system-on-chip (ASoC) technology. AudioMagic 2G is the world’s first solution to enable multiple, simultaneous streams of uncompressed HD-quality audio in any wireless send/receive combination. AudioMagic 2G employs seven wireless audio technology breakthroughs to enable a “wired-quality” wireless audio experience in both fidelity and ease of use at affordable prices for the everyday consumer.

AudioMagic 2G is currently available in four products from Best Buy as the enabling technology behind all products bearing the Rocketboost™ wireless audio logo (See today’s press release: Best Buy and Avnera Unveil Rocketboost Wireless Audio Platform that Enables Products to Operate Across Categories and Brands).

“Avnera recognizes that consumers demand uncompromised audio quality, but want to lose the wires,” said Manpreet Khaira, CEO, Avnera Corporation, “With AudioMagic 2G OEMs can, for the first time, develop affordable whole-home audio products that deliver multiple ‘wired quality’ wireless audio streams to any room of the house, without compromising acoustic performance.”

AudioMagic 2G is the second generation of the AudioMagic family, originally announced in 2007. The AudioMagic 2G platform includes a family of ASoCs and a high level multipoint to multipoint software protocol stack. All generations of AudioMagic solutions incorporate the original “AvneraAudio” sound quality innovations that reconstruct corrupted packets when they arrive rather than re-sending them, improving signal reception and virtually eliminating interference.  AudioMagic 2G adds an additional seven major technology breakthroughs to “AvneraAudio”, extending the point to multipoint 1G technology to a true multipoint to multipoint 2G technology. The seven breakthroughs are:
• Multipoint to Multipoint Audio
AudioMagic 2G systems support up to 10 nodes that can send or receive wireless audio simultaneously. AudioMagic 2G is the first wireless audio solution that supports up to ten simultaneous streams of audio. Any of the receiver nodes can receive audio streams from any of the sender nodes using AudioMagic 2G’s dynamic control capability.
• True HD Digital Audio
• Simultaneous Support for Varying Qualities of Audio Sources
AudioMagic 2G is the first and only solution to support simultaneous audio streams of varying audio qualities; like one audio stream at CD quality (16 bit, 48 KHz) with another simultaneous stream at HD quality (24 bit, 96 KHz).
• Ultra-Low Fixed Latency
AudioMagic 2G is the industry's first digital wireless system that achieves a sub-10 millisecond (10ms) fixed latency in the 2.4 GHz ISM band while providing wired-quality wireless audio.
• Inter-node Synchronization
Multi-channel applications such as 7.1 surround sound require perfect synchronization between all receiving nodes, meaning no jitter or latency between the speakers. AudioMagic 2G provides perfect synchronization between all receiving speakers.
• Co-existence with Wi-Fi
• Harmony with Other Devices Operating in the 2.4GHz Band

Additionally, Avnera has announced the availability of the AvneraAudio Link™ (AAL) software protocol stack. AAL eliminates the low-level details typically required to implement a multipoint to multipoint network, significantly reducing the time to market. It also provides manufacturers with a way to establish interoperability between all AudioMagic 2G-enabled wireless audio devices independent of product category or brand. In particular, AAL enables a simple, flexible yet powerful framework for tasks such as:
• setup of the multipoint-to-multipoint network;
• automatic configuration through a smart connect capability;
• remote control of devices through playback control commands;
• sending and receiving display metadata (album art, track information).

AudioMagic 2G provides consumer electronics manufacturers with a cost-effective, high-fidelity platform from which an entire roadmap of differentiated wireless audio devices can be created.  Some of the AudioMagic 2G products currently available include:
• Rocketfish Wireless HD Audio Starter Kit- Model: RF-RBKIT
• Rocketfish Wireless Sender/Receiver- Model: RF-RBAUX
• Rocketfish Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Speaker with Wireless Sender/Receiver- Model: RF-RBWS02
• Rocketfish Wireless Amplified Audio Receiver- Model: RF-RBREC.

Avnera’s technology includes the AudioMagic and VoiceMagic families of ASoCs and associated technology, and are currently enabling more than 30 products from leading brands.

About Avnera Corporation
Avnera is a venture-backed fabless semiconductor company based in Beaverton, Oregon that has pioneered Analog Systems-on-Chip (ASoC) technology for wireless audio consumer electronics. The company’s ASoC, which delivers “wired-quality” wireless high-fidelity audio, incorporates the highest level of system integration, enabling fast time to market. Avnera is funded by Altien Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Best Buy, DAG Ventures, Intel Capital, JAFCO Ventures, Panasonic Venture Group, Polycom and Redpoint Ventures. More information is available at www.avnera.com.

For more information, please contact
Tara Sims
siliconPR for Avnera
tara.sims@siliconpr.com
415 310 5779