2011-01-06
ST to integrate Dirac Research's digital sound-correction IP into advanced TV SoCs
Dirac Research, a premier R&D company specializing in
digital sound correction, today announced its collaboration with
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), one of the world's largest
semiconductor companies and a leader in chips for set-top boxes and
digital TVs. The aim is to bring hi-fi class sound to flat-screen
TVs by including Dirac HD Sound™ audio-correction IP in ST's
digital TV SoCs (System on a Chip).
Thanks to this collaboration, flat-screen TV manufacturers will
benefit from a high-quality sound differentiator and each
end-customer will finally be able to experience premium sound from
their TV.
The benefits of using Dirac HD Sound™ in a flat-screen TV
include:
- Voice correction - voices become clear and intelligible
- Stereo image correction - sound is lifted to the center of the
TV screen
- Bass correction - a deeper and tighter bass
- Listening fatigue minimization
- Tonal & transient correction
"The picture quality of flat-screen TVs has been improved
substantially, while the sound quality is lagging far behind due to
the thinning of the TV cabinet. Dirac HD Sound™ can put sound on a
par with the great picture quality of today's flat-screen TVs,"
said Dr. Mathias Johansson, CEO and CTO at Dirac Research.
"We saw a good match in STMicroelectronics as they have a distinct
policy of continuous innovation, and always aim to provide their
customers with the latest cutting-edge technologies," he
continued.
"With our key focus on both video and audio quality, Dirac HD
Sound™ is an ideal partner to our Emmy® Award winning Faroudja™
video-processing technologies to deliver a wonderful audio-video
experience in each living room," said Luigi Mantellassi, General
Manager of ST's TV and Monitor Division
"Dirac Research is well known for the premium audio quality they
have brought to cars and cinema. They have the expertise of having
created accurate theater sound plus of dealing with difficult sound
environments and we are excited to offer outstanding audio quality
to all our TV customers on our Freeman DTV SoC family," he
concluded.
On a technical level, Dirac HD Sound™ is a premium mixed-phase
sound correction technology. Unlike equalizers and other
sound-correction systems, Dirac HD sound™ optimizes the sound
system's transient reproduction - a factor critical for accurate
staging and clarity. Dirac technology is based on years of research
and is already used in luxury cars and professional cinema theaters
around the world.
STMicroelectronics offers a wide range of TV SoCs, with key focus
on 3DTV; advanced MEMC (motion estimation, motion compensation);
high-performance H.264/MPEG audio/video decoding; and comprehensive
integrated features. Its products deliver an enhanced user
experience with full support for broadband-Internet iDTV
functionality and expanded graphics capabilities, allowing the TV
customer to choose, connect and enjoy rich content and services at
home.
About Dirac Research
Dirac Research is a premier R&D company specializing in
high-performance digital sound optimization, room correction and
sound field synthesis. The company was founded by researchers from
the Signals & Systems Group of Uppsala University, Sweden,
which has fostered 8 Nobel Prize laureates. With Dirac's patented
toolbox for efficient and accurate audio system optimization,
customers such as BMW, Bentley and Datasat Digital Entertainment™
have achieved dramatically improved sound quality and a shortened
time-to-market. Dirac Research maintains offices in Sweden, Tokyo,
Detroit, Shenzhen and Shanghai. See www.dirac.se.