STMicroelectronics with Kenwood and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (Fraunhofer IIS) presented at IFA Consumer Electronics this week a working prototype of a Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) receiver that would be suitable for low power applications such as fixed and portable radios, car receivers and software receivers.

Digital Radio Mondiale is an open standard digital radio system with FM-like sound quality available to markets worldwide for long-wave (LW), medium-wave (MW), and short-wave (SW) frequencies.

In addition to better audio quality, the DRM system supports digital-like content features such as track title, artist, and station name. But unlike digital radio systems that require a new frequency allocation, DRM uses the existing AM broadcast frequency bands (below 30MHz).

“Working closely with Kenwood and Fraunhofer IIS, and collaborating with them from the early stages of the project, allows us to provide a complete, fully functional infotainment solution for Digital Radio Mondiale that will excite the radio market in the coming years," said Riccardo Ferrari, general manager, digital broadcasting radio division, STMicroelectronics.

The prototype uses an existing ST chipset and a field programmable gate array (FPGA). “So conversion of the prototype into a marketable solution would be straightforward, as the same hardware and software IPs can be easily integrated into a dedicated DRM Asic,” said Ferrari.