C-Media

C-Media, formally C-Media Electronics, is a Taiwan-based semiconductor and computer-hardware company established in 1991. Its principal identity is as a fabless designer of audio integrated circuits and related controllers rather than as a consumer-facing electronics manufacturer. The company has supplied components for personal computers, sound cards, peripherals, embedded systems, and other consumer-electronics applications. The company's product history spans several generations of PC audio technology. Earlier offerings included ISA sound chips, followed by PCI audio solutions and codecs for AC'97 systems. C-Media later developed HD Audio products and a broad range of USB audio controllers. This progression mirrors the wider transition in PC audio from expansion-card and legacy-bus architectures toward motherboard-integrated, high-definition, and USB-connected audio. Among the company's better-known families are the CMI8738 and CMI8768 PCI audio processors, the CMI8770 and CMI8788 Oxygen HD products, and a large portfolio of USB audio controllers identified by CM-series numbers. Depending on the model, these devices support configurations such as multichannel digital-to-analog conversion, analog-to-digital conversion, 5.1-channel surround output, S/PDIF connectivity, and software or hardware-assisted surround and digital-audio encoding. Some C-Media PCI solutions have also appeared in ASUS Xonar sound cards and other branded sound-card products, allowing the company’s technology to reach end users through partner brands. C-Media has also operated beyond conventional PC sound chips. Its published product range includes Wi-Sonic network-audio devices and USB-storage controllers, indicating a broader component strategy covering connectivity and peripheral-control applications. The company’s positioning has generally been associated with practical, cost-conscious audio solutions suitable for integrated computer audio, add-in cards, USB peripherals, and specialized consumer devices. A notable technology-related development was the expiration of C-Media’s Sensaura license on September 23, 2008. Sensaura-related software and spatial-audio capabilities had been relevant to some earlier C-Media audio products. The expiration affected the availability and support situation for certain driver and software combinations, although later driver releases were reported for selected PCI chipsets. This episode illustrates the importance of third-party software licensing and driver maintenance in the PC-audio component business. C-Media remains identified primarily with audio IC design and associated solutions. Publicly available reference material provides limited detail about its current management, operating scale, financial performance, and product lifecycle. Accordingly, its present corporate status and the current availability of individual legacy product families are not characterized here beyond the information supported by the cited references.

C-Media Electronics was established in Taiwan in 1991 and developed its business around the design of integrated circuits for computer audio and related peripherals. Its history follows the major technical stages of PC sound hardware. The company's early ISA products, including the CMI8328 and CMI8330, served the legacy expansion-card market at a time when dedicated sound cards were common in desktop computers. As the PCI bus became standard in personal computers, C-Media expanded its PCI audio range. Products such as the CMI8338 and the CMI8738 family offered multichannel audio capabilities in several configurations. The CMI8738 variants differed in areas including the number of supported DAC channels, surround-audio output, ADC functions, and digital S/PDIF input and output. These chips were used in add-in sound cards and other PC audio implementations. Later PCI products such as the CMI8768, CMI8768+, CMI8769, CMI8770, and Oxygen HD CMI8786 through CMI8788 extended the range with higher-channel-count features and, for selected models, Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect encoding support. C-Media also supplied codecs for the AC'97 audio standard, which became widely used for motherboard-integrated computer audio. Its CMI9738, CMI9739, CMI9761, and CMI9780 products belong to this phase of the company's portfolio. The movement toward Intel High Definition Audio subsequently led to another group of products, including the CMI9880 and Oxygen Express-series devices such as the CM8888, CMI8828, and CM8826. The company developed an extensive USB audio portfolio as audio increasingly moved from internal expansion cards to external peripherals. The range includes CM102, CM108, CM118, CM119, CM6206, CM6300, CM6400, CM6500, CM6510, CM6523, CM6530, CM6531, CM6533, CM6535, and related variants. These controllers were intended for applications such as USB sound adapters, headsets, microphones, and other audio accessories. C-Media also listed Wi-Sonic network-audio products, including the CMWS-01 and WS-series devices, broadening its activities into networked and wireless audio applications. In addition to audio silicon, published product information identifies USB-storage controllers such as the CM120, CM220, and CM320 families. Support and documentation for some of these storage products may not have remained available through the company's website, so their later lifecycle should not be assumed. C-Media's software and licensing history includes its relationship with Sensaura. The company's Sensaura license expired on September 23, 2008. Although material promoting a newer Xear3D EX implementation with OpenAL support was available, replacement drivers were not immediately available for all affected products. Later information indicated that drivers had become available for selected PCI chipsets by September 2011, including several CMI8738, CMI8768, CMI8770, CMI8787, and CMI8788 models. C-Media's chips have also been incorporated into products sold under other companies' brands. In particular, several of its PCI solutions have been associated with ASUS Xonar sound cards. This reflects the company's role in the component ecosystem: it often supplied the underlying processing technology while board makers and peripheral brands handled product design, distribution, software packaging, and customer marketing. Public reference material does not provide enough verified information to describe later corporate restructuring, current leadership, or the active status of each legacy product line.

1. 2011Drivers reported for selected PCI chipsets

   By September 26, 2011, drivers were reported as available for selected C-Media PCI audio chipsets, including models in the CMI8738, CMI8768, CMI8770, CMI8787, and CMI8788 families.

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2. 2008Sensaura license expiration

   C-Media's Sensaura license expired on September 23, 2008, creating driver and software-support complications for some products.

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3. 1991Company established

   C-Media Electronics was established in Taiwan and began developing semiconductor products for computer audio and related applications.

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4. Expansion from ISA to PCI audio

   The company expanded from legacy ISA sound chips into PCI audio processors, including the CMI8338 and later CMI8738 and CMI8768 families.

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5. Development of HD Audio and Oxygen HD products

   C-Media added HD Audio and Oxygen HD products, including the CMI8786, CMI8787, CMI8788, CM8888, CMI8828, and CM8826 families.

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Component-focused, cost-conscious audio and peripheral silicon for PCs, sound cards, USB devices, and consumer electronics.

• ISA audio chipsetsISA audio

  C-Media's early ISA products included the CMI8328 and CMI8330. These chips belonged to the legacy PC sound-card generation, when audio functionality was commonly provided by a dedicated expansion card using the ISA bus.

• CMI8738 familyPCI audio

  The CMI8738 family provided PCI audio processing in several versions. Depending on the variant, features included four-channel or six-channel 16-bit DAC support, two-channel ADC support, 5.1 surround output, and S/PDIF input and output. The family was used in PC sound-card implementations.

• CMI8768 and CMI8768+PCI audio

  The CMI8768 line extended C-Media's PCI audio portfolio. The CMI8768+ variant is identified with Dolby Digital Live encoding capability, making it suitable for systems that needed to deliver multichannel audio through compatible digital connections.

• CMI8770 and Oxygen HD CMI8788PCI and HD audio

  The CMI8770 and CMI8788 are higher-end entries in the published PCI/Oxygen HD range. Their listed capabilities include Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect encoding. C-Media PCI solutions from this family were also used in branded sound-card products, including products associated with ASUS Xonar.

• AC'97 audio codecsAC'97 audio

  The CMI9738, CMI9739, CMI9761, and CMI9780 were listed as AC'97 audio products. These codecs supported the widely deployed AC'97 generation of integrated computer audio and related motherboard or peripheral implementations.

• HD Audio codecs and Oxygen Express productsHD Audio

  C-Media's HD Audio range includes the CMI9880 and Oxygen Express-series products such as the CM8888, CMI8828, and CM8826. These components were designed for newer high-definition computer-audio architectures and were used in selected third-party sound-card applications.

• USB audio controller familiesUSB audio

  C-Media published a broad collection of USB audio controllers, including the CM102, CM108, CM118, CM119, CM6206, CM6300, CM6400, CM6500, CM6510, CM6523, CM6530, CM6531, CM6533, and CM6535 families. These devices served USB sound adapters, headsets, microphones, and other external audio peripherals.

• Wi-Sonic network-audio productsWireless and network audio

  The Wi-Sonic portfolio included the CMWS-01 and WS-series products such as WS-011, WS-012, WS-021, WS-022, and WS-101. The CMWS-01 was identified as using the CMI8769 for audio, linking the network-audio line to C-Media's core processing technology.

• USB storage controllersUSB storage

  C-Media's listed USB-storage products included the CM120, CM220, CM220F, CM220L, CM220S, CM320, CM320L, and CM320S. These products indicate activity in peripheral-control silicon beyond the company's better-known audio business.

• 2008Sensaura license transitionOther

  C-Media's Sensaura license expired on September 23, 2008. Sensaura-related software and spatial-audio functionality had been relevant to parts of the company's earlier PC-audio ecosystem.

  What changed. The company promoted Xear3D EX with OpenAL support, while replacement drivers were not immediately available for every affected product.

  Aftermath. Later reference material reported driver availability for selected PCI chipset models by September 2011, but the cited information does not establish complete support coverage for all legacy products.

  Source

1. C-Media
2. C-Media official website