Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501) today announced the HD155080TF, providing single-chip 
implementation of high-frequency signal processing conforming to the DAB 
(Digital Audio Broadcasting)*1 standard established by the European EUREKA*2 project.  
Sample shipments will begin in August 2000 in Japan.

Featuring a low power consumption of approximately 430 mW (typ.) at a low voltage of 
3.3 V, and providing an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator), 
and most other functions required by a DAB tuner on a single chip, this new IC makes 
it possible to create a low-cost, low-power system.

DAB, a digital audio broadcasting standardization up by EUREKA Project 147, is currently 
attracting worldwide attention as a replacement for FM/AM broadcasting. 
With experimental or commercial DAB broadcasting already under way, not only in Europe 
but also in dozens of countries throughout the world, including Canada, Singapore, 
and Australia, and evaluation of the system going ahead in many more, a consumer audio 
market is becoming established, especially in the automotive field.  Use of the DAB system
is also expected to expand into the portable receiver market.

Up to now, DAB tuner systems have been made up of a number of chips.  With car audio 
systems, this has made it necessary to connect a separate receiver box to the main 
audio unit.  At the same time, the limited space available for such systems has led to 
a demand for more compact designs.  In the portable audio market, meanwhile, the demand 
for longer running time translates into a need for lower power consumption and smaller size.  
These requirements have in turn brought a need for the devices used in such products to be 
made smaller, with fewer component parts, while achieving lower power consumption.  
Hitachi has developed the HD155080TF, high-frequency signal processing IC for DAB, to meet 
this need.

The HD155080TF is a high-frequency signal processing IC that supports the L-Band 
(1450 MHz to 1492 MHz) and Band III (174 MHz to 245 MHz)- frequency bands widely used 
in various countries-from among the bands in the DAB specification, and provides single-chip 
conversion of the received frequency to a frequency (2.048 MHz/3.072 MHz/38.912 MHz)  that 
can be decoded by a baseband LSI.

The tuner section of a DAB receiver has previously consisted of two or three chips, but 
with most of the necessary DAB tuner functions-including LNA, VCO for Band III, mixers, 
and PLL-now provided on a single chip, the HD155080TF has made it possible to configure 
a tuner section with a mounting area no larger than a business card.The HD155080TF can 
operate on a low voltage of 3.3 V, 
with low power consumption of approximately 430 mW, and the use of a 1.2 mm (max.) thick 
64-pin TQFP package enables systems to be kept small and thin.

Hitachi plans to extend the lineup in the future with HD155080TF-based products designed to 
offer higher performance and lower cost.

Notes:  1.DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting): A digital audio broadcasting standard developed
          chiefly by Project 147 funded by EUREKA (see note 2 below).  
          DAB is the proprietary name of this standard.  Common frequency bands are used 
          worldwide, with the following band allocations: L-Band: 1452 MHz to 1492 MHz, 
          Band I: 47 MHz to 68 MHz, Band II: 70 MHz to 108MHz, Band III: 174 MHz to 240 MHz.  
          Individual countries select frequencies from the above to suit local radio 
          conditions.
          The name decided on for other digital audio broadcasting is DSB 
          (Digital Sound Broadcasting).
        2.EUREKA (European Research Coordination Action): An electronics-related project 
          run chiefly by European private enterprises.

< Typical Applications >
Various kinds of audio systems (car audio, home audio, portable audio)
PC applications (PC cards, portable devices such as PDAs)

< Prices in Japan > (For Reference)

Product Code               Sample Unit Price (Yen)
HD155080TF                 2,000