Date: 13/05/2012

AVB SoCs from Marvell supports IEEE 802.1's new AVB standards

Marvell has announced AVB enabled system-on-chip (SoC) solutions that combine switching, central processing unit (CPU) and end audio node technology for its LinkStreet family of processors. The Marvell 88E7221, 88E7251, and 88E7251F support IEEE 802.1's new AVB standards and IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) standard, which enables synchronization of nodes across an Ethernet network to less than one microsecond.

The 88E7221, 88E7251 and 88E7251F operate up to 400MHz while consuming less than one watt of power. All three chips feature ARM CPUs with integrated Fast Ethernet switches, USB and SDIO interfaces, and two AVB time-aware TDM/I2S ports that enable synchronized audio playback using the latest AVB standards. The technology is ideal for wireless routers, VoIP adaptors, 3G/4G gateways and wired or wireless-networked speakers.

"These new entrants to Marvell's Link Street family demonstrate a significant step forward in a market shaped by relentless demand for flawless audio and video delivery in homes and enterprises," said Tim Bajarin, president, Creative Strategies Inc. "The solution helps end users derive a better experience from lifestyles increasingly reliant on constant access to content from various cloud services and servers."

"Marvell remains committed to providing connected-lifestyle solutions that are as explosive in performance as they are light-footed in power consumption," said Paul Valentine, vice president of marketing for the Cloud Services and Infrastructure (CSI) Business Unit of Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. "To the extent that today's consumers can easily discern an exceptional multimedia experience from a passable one, Marvell offers the industry its first real chance to deliver outstanding AVB technology in a fully integrated package. The 88E7221, 88E7251 and 88E7251F are central players in Marvell's larger cloud access ecosystem and help our customers significantly expand revenue and overall end user satisfaction."

Product details include:
400 MHz CPU core with 16 KB I and 16 KB D four-way set associative L1 caches
High bandwidth, dual-port DDR2/DDR3 memory interface (8/16-bit DDR2/DDR3 SDRAM at up to 800 MHz data rate)
Integrated four-port (88E7221) or seven-port (88E7251/88E7251F) AVB-enabled Fast Ethernet switch
USB 2.0 port with integrated PHY
SD/SDIO interface running up to 50Mhz
Two AVB-enabled TDM audio interfaces supporting up to eight channels per port with sample rates up to 192kHz
SPI port with multiple chip selects
16550 compatible UART interface
Bootable from SPI, MII, PHY, UART
TWSI port
GPIO pins (up to 16)
Internal real-time clock (RTC)
Interrupt controller
Timers
Integrated reset controller and power monitor
Low power dissipation - <1W
14 x 20 mm 128-pin QFP (88E7251/88E7221) or
20x20 mm 176-Pin QFP (88E7251F)