Edinburgh, UK, January 14th 2010 – Wolfson Microelectronics (LSE:WLF.L), today announces the introduction of the WM8595, a world-leading multi-channel audio codec, designed to offer a complete high performance audio solution in an ultra thin package for consumer products, including high definition digital televisions, DVD recorders and Blu-ray players.

The WM8595 is a new addition to Wolfson’s Pure Sound audio portfolio and features flexible routing options, six stereo input selectors and two stereo output selectors, as well as both digital and analog volume control. Based around one 24-bit high-performance ADC and two 24-bit high-performance DACs, this comprehensive 2 Vrms audio codec also features channel selection and clocking options to address the audio requirements of leading consumer applications.

The WM8595 provides superior DAC audio performance of 100 dB SNR, -87 dB THD typical, with a sampling frequency of 32 kHz to 192 kHz, and ADC audio performance of 96 dB SNR, -80 dB THD typical, with a sampling frequency of 32 kHz to 96 kHz. Its digital multiplexer interfaces with multiple digital sources, such as DSP, HDMI or a memory card, and it also features a two-wire or three-wire serial control interface with ‘read back’ and hardware reset, mute and emergency shutdown pins.

Barry Paterson, Wolfson’s Director of Engineering for High Performance Audio, said “The WM8595 represents a complete high-performance solution, delivering world-leading audio performance with flexible routing options and channel selection, making it well suited for the world’s leading digital consumer applications.”

Price and Availability

The WM8595 is available for sampling now in a 48-pin QFN package. In 1K quantities, the WM8595 is priced at $2.81. WM8595 customer evaluation boards are available to aid device evaluation and development.

About Wolfson Microelectronics

Wolfson Microelectronics plc is a global leader in the supply of high performance, mixed-signal semiconductor solutions to the consumer electronics market. In the home, in the office and on the move, Wolfson’s innovative technology can be found at the heart of the world’s leading digital consumer goods, including premier hi-fi equipment, mobile phones, mp3 players, flat panel TVs, digital still cameras and portable navigation devices.

Wolfson is committed to the design and supply of ground-breaking products, including ultra low power and high performance audio devices, silicon microphones, power management IC’s and noise cancellation solutions, all of which come together in the Wolfson AudioPlus™ portfolio. This rich portfolio allows Wolfson’s global customers to better differentiate their digital consumer products and create whole new end-user experiences.

Wolfson has blended together many of its successful audio components to develop an architecture-defining family of mixed-signal hub solutions. These feature-rich hubs deliver world-class audio performance, significantly enhance battery life, provide longer music playback time, and offer more end-user features at a lower total cost – all of this whilst enabling designers to optimally manage the complex world of multiple concurrent use cases.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 13, 2010 — Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that Yamagata University in Japan, has selected Agilent’s SystemVue software for use in its emerging communications, physical layer (PHY) research. The electronic system-level software will play a critical role in the university’s ongoing investigations and reduce by up to 30 percent the time required for design and verification of the Yamagata team’s communication PHY
system.

The research at Yamagata University is led by Associate Professor Katsumi Takano and is supported by the Strategic Information and Communications R&D Promotion Program in Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Katsumi and his team are pursuing algorithmic advances to expand the PHY transmission capacity of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) signals over optical fiber backhaul links. Working toward this goal, the Yamagata team is evaluating single-sideband modulation techniques to create and receive OFDM signals. A key point in this process is to examine a variety of OFDM signal processing algorithms to determine how they will affect transmission performance.

Agilent’s SystemVue software is designed to reduce the design and verification time of communication PHY systems and will allow the Yamagata team to create and verify its algorithms more quickly. The software can be used for coding, as well as modulation and de-modulation analysis, and uniquely supports both baseband and RF blocks. Using SystemVue, engineers can quickly and easily evaluate the performance of a PHY system in combination with an RF block.

“Agilent’s SystemVue allows us to easily set up OFDM modulation signals and evaluate transmission performance,” said Takano. “It also lets us easily download the OFDM signal to Agilent’s Arbitrary Waveform Generator. As a result, we now save about 30 percent of the design and verification effort.”

A new feature in SystemVue is especially well suited to the needs of the Yamagata team. The feature — an OFDM-reference blockset — is included in the W1461 SystemVue Communications Architect environment at no extra charge. This new OFDM reference library provides the low-level, parameterized baseband signal-processing blocks necessary to create and receive fully coded OFDM signals that underlie today’s emerging PHYs (e.g., WLAN, WiMAX(tm) and 3GPP LTE). The OFDM library is applicable to both commercial wireless and aerospace/defense applications, and will be available for download, at no charge to supported users of Agilent
SystemVue, in January 2010.

For information about SystemVue, go to www.agilent.com/find/eesof-systemvue, or contact a local Agilent representative. For a free evaluation of SystemVue, please visit www.agilent.com/find/eesof-systemvue-evaluation.

About Agilent EEsof EDA Software

Agilent EEsof EDA is the technology leader and industry’s leading supplier of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software for microwave, RF, high-frequency, high-speed, RF system, electronic system level, circuit, 3-D electromagnetic, physical design and device-modeling applications. Agilent EEsof EDA offers personal, value-priced products as well as enterprise-level solutions that save money, improve design flows and simplify EDA vendor relationships. Agilent EEsof EDA software is compatible with and is used to design the company’s test and measurement equipment. Additional information about all Agilent EDA software offerings is available at www.agilent.com/find/eesof.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world’s premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company’s 17,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $4.5 billion in fiscal 2009. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.