Subject: [NEXTEL-1] SRS Labs Unveils Latest Advanced Technology Solution for Mobile Devices at CTIA 2004 in Atlanta

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 20:29:29 -0400

SRS Labs Unveils Latest Advanced Technology Solution for Mobile Devices
at CTIA 2004 in Atlanta

WOW XT for Mobile Includes Industry First Techniques; Improves Audio and
Voice
Quality and Solves Audio Management Challenges Faced by Handset
Designers

ATLANTA, March 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- From the tradeshow floor of
the largest telecommunications event in the United States, CTIA Wireless
2004, SRS Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRSL) is unveiling a new version of WOW XT
for Mobile, a complete technology solution for mobile devices comprising
three key technology suites: Audio Enhancement, Voice Processing and
Audio Management Utilities. This powerful solution was designed
specifically to improve the audio and voice quality of today's most
sophisticated mobile phones, PDAs and digital media players and provides
the flexibility for any handset maker to solve their particular audio
and voice quality challenges without the need for additional hardware or
a costly handset re-design. In Booth #4875U of the M-entertainment
pavilion, SRS Labs is demonstrating publicly for the first time, the
voice and audio management suite components of the WOW XT for Mobile
solution. CTIA Wireless 2004, the largest and most comprehensive
wireless event in the United States, is being held from March 22-24 in
Atlanta, Georgia.
New suites of technologies being launched at CTIA include:

For Audio Enhancement:

* New single speaker enhancement techniques to create stereo image from
one speaker

* Improved control for greater width over stereo speaker designs

For Voice Processing:
* New in-channel noise reduction technology

For Audio Management Utility:
* New SRS ALMS (Audio Level management Suite) that manages all audio
levels and prevents clipping

"This new version of WOW XT for Mobile solution is now a full menu of
critical technologies to help handset makers overcome the unique audio
quality challenges of mobile handset designs and resource limitations,"
said Joanna Skrdlant, director of product marketing for SRS Labs. "This
menu now includes several suites, made up of patented SRS technologies,
that are scalable and flexible while being extremely resource efficient
for handsets. They are modular in nature and when implemented in a
handset, can deliver the best available quality of audio and voice. With
the WOW XT For Mobile solution, SRS licensees rely on us as their
primary source for music, video and gaming audio enhancements; headset,
speaker phone and push-to-talk voice enhancements; essential in-channel
noise reduction, voice intelligibility and quality techniques; and audio
level management utilities. We are a one-stop-shop for mobile audio
enhancement."

WOW XT for Mobile is the industry's first complete audio and voice
enhancement solution that improves the quality of audio content and
voice communications as well as provides valuable audio management
utility techniques for any imbedded mobile device. It is comprised of
three separate technology suites: Audio Enhancement, Voice Processing
and Audio Management Utilities. Each of these suites are available for
license as a whole or separately, giving semiconductor manufacturers and
handset makers a flexible solution that can be customized for the
requirements of each handset design.  The key benefit of adding SRS
software technologies is that hardware design changes aren't needed to
quickly achieve incredibly fuller, more dynamic audio clearly
discernable by the consumer. Wireless service providers can benefit from
a better consumer audio and voice experience because WOW XT for Mobile
can dramatically improve a subscriber's first impression when trying a
mobilemedia application for the first time. This favorable impression
may help ensure that they come back for more services and music/content
downloads.

WOW XT for Mobile includes three powerful suites of proprietary
technologies and audio techniques:
Audio Enhancement Suite

SRS WOW XT(TM) is the branded audio enhancement technology suite
included inside the complete solution for mobile devices. It is a
combination of 3D audio, psychoacoustic bass and several new proprietary
techniques designed to overcome the physical constraint challenges faced
by handset makers. Whether the device includes one speaker, two closely
spaced speakers or relies on headphone or earbud playback, WOW XT for
Mobile gives handset makers the ability to provide the best sounding
audio experience possible without the need for additional hardware or a
costly redesign of the speaker cabinet or handset.

For single speaker designs:

When music or ringtones are reproduced on a mobile handset over a single
speaker, the audio image sounds very narrow and thin and much of the
original stereo source audio information disappears when mixed down to a
single driver.  Using a new proprietary audio technique, SRS WOW XT
restores this important stereo information and creates a larger and more
accurate audio image "bubble".  Low frequency bass performance is also
greatly enhanced using the patented SRS TruBass(R) psychoacoustic bass
enhancement technology that creates the perception of deep rich bass.
With eight different speaker size settings to match the low frequency
cut-off of a given driver, bass performance can be optimized for any
size speaker or headphone driver, especially small sub-16mm speakers
used in handsets today. By improving the quality and separation of midi
instruments and the definition of polyphonic instrumentation, 32
polyphonic tones now sound like 64 or more and small, tinny speakers
sound more robust in the low frequency ranges.
For two speaker designs:

When designing a two-speaker stereo phone, the drivers are generally
spaced very closely together due to the physical size limitations of the
device. This close spacing virtually eliminates the perception of a
stereo image for normal two-channel sources because the resulting sweet
spot is extremely narrow (or non-existent) and the sound is presented at
a non-standard angle between the listener's ear canals relative to
normal stereo reproduction. Using a new technique designed for closely
spaced speakers, SRS WOW XT creates the perception of a stereo image
that is significantly wider than the device itself, providing an
immersive listener experience. TruBass can also be applied to two
speaker designs, resulting in an impressive stereo image with deep rich
bass.
For designs relying on headphone or earbud playback:
Consumers use a broad spectrum of headphone types, shapes and sizes that
can impact the audio quality of a mobile device. In addition, the
external physical structure of the outer ear (pinna), is bypassed and
the audio is presented directly to the ear canal providing an unnatural
listening condition. WOW XT includes spatial processing techniques to
accomplish the goal of getting the audio image out of the user's head,
creating a much more natural spatial presentation and reducing listener
fatigue. The addition of TruBass also greatly enhances the perception of
low bass from earbuds and supra-aural headphones commonly used today.
Voice Processing Suite
While entertainment audio and video is becoming more prevalent in mobile
phones, the core functionality of the phone is still communication. The
environments in which phones are used, such as airports, street corners
and automobiles, often challenge the ability to clearly hear and
understand the other person.  The WOW XT for Mobile solution includes a
suite of voice processing technologies that provide dramatic improvement
in voice intelligibility, listener comprehension and tonal quality while
improving the signal to noise ratio.

For voice intelligibility:
SRS Labs' VIP(TM) (Voice Intelligibility Processor) is the first
patented voice technology that provides truly significant enhancements
to the intelligibility of the spoken word through real-time digital
signal analysis and processing. It is based on many years of research on
the human hearing system conducted by audio scientists at the Hughes
Aircraft Company.
Intelligibility of the human voice is derived largely from the pattern
of the frequency distribution of voice formants, frequency regions of
differing energy in a sound spectrum, which together determine the
characteristic quality of a sound. Lower frequency formants typically
represent vowels and higher frequency formants typically represent
consonants. The relative positioning of the first and second formants is
usually sufficient to distinguish a sound from the others (Cat versus
Hat), but in areas of high ambient noise, this is usually quite
difficult. By selectively augmenting formants of the voice, VIP provides
greater intelligibility of the spoken word.

VIP is the only proven process that increases speech intelligibility
without degrading the inherent sound quality of the signal or serving as
a voice-band gain control. Independent studies have shown that when VIP
is applied to the receive side of handsets, a listener is able to
understand over 90% of the words spoken in an environment with high
ambient noise, compared to less than 5% when the VIP processing was
turned off. VIP provides this remarkable enhancement with less than 1db
increase in SPL and can provide improved intelligibility to any spoken
language without customization or adjustment of the software. It also
reduces listener fatigue and strain.

For in-channel noise reduction:

Noise reduction has become an important tool for increasing listener
comprehension, comfort and clarity of the caller's voice. In addition,
an effective noise reduction such as SRS technology can reduce
non-essential transmission data crossing the network, a valuable benefit
for all network providers. Within the WOW XT for Mobile solution, SRS
Noise Reduction(TM) is an important companion utility that can help
improve intelligibility and effectiveness of VIP. This spectral
subtraction technology from SRS has been optimized to reduce in-channel
noise without impacting the quality or intelligibility of voice. This
solution is a stable, low delay, low MIPS and low memory footprint
software that can be implemented independently or in front of VIP or
other SRS audio enhancement techniques.

For enhancement of the tonal quality of the voice:

Improving the quality of voice is also important for speakerphone and
push-to-talk 2-way radio features. SRS TruBass can be applied to improve
the warmth and naturalness of voice by ensuring that lower frequencies
from the codec, once cut off by small speaker drivers that can't
reproduce them properly, can be perceived by the listener despite the
hardware limitations. For video content, SRS Dialog Clarity can be
licensed to improve the clarity of the spoken word contained in the
content, making it easier for the listener to discern what is being said
in the video. This technology is often used by SRS licensees in home
theater products.

Audio Management Utility Suite

Handset makers face a variety of challenges in presenting audio material
over a mobile device from both an input and output standpoint. SRS Labs
has developed a powerful new suite of audio management techniques named
SRS ALMS TM (Audio Level Management Suite) that prevents audio content
from clipping, thus ensuring quality sound on the handset regardless of
the size of the speaker driver or the characteristics of the audio
content.  Many of the latest mobile devices, including smartphones,
allow the playback of music and video content, including music playback
and video on demand. Because the source for each piece of content can be
varied, the volume levels widely differ. This condition has created the
need for managing the input signal and the output level to ensure a
consistent audio experience while keeping high sound quality standards.
These utilities can be used in conjunction with SRS audio technologies
or as a standalone utility.  The licensable software for the Audio
Enhancement Suite (WOW XT), Voice Processing Suite and the Audio
Management Utility suite are available today for a wide variety of
popular mobile software solutions, platforms and processors, including
ARM(R), Freescale Semiconductor (Motorola), Intel XScale(TM),
PacketVideo, Symbian and TI OMAP(TM). In a separate announcement today,
SRS Labs announced the availability of low level drivers for the audio
processing suite component of WOW XT for Mobile that are compatible with
ARM-based handsets running Microsoft Windows Mobile Pocket PC 2003 and
Smartphone 2003.
SRS Labs has developed a fast, streamlined system for evaluation,
licensing and implementation of technologies for any manufacturer's
desired platform or application. Interested parties should contact
Joanna Skrdlant, [email-masked] at 949.442.1070 ext. 5138.

About SRS Labs, Inc.

SRS Labs is a recognized leader in the advancement of audio and voice
technology.  The company works with the world's top manufacturers to
provide a richer entertainment experience through patented sound
techniques.  SRS Labs' technologies can be heard through products
ranging from televisions, LCD and Plasma monitors, DVD players, cell
phones, car audio systems, headphones and notebook and desktop
computers.  The company also offers hardware and software tools to
professionals and consumers for the creation, production and broadcast
of content featuring SRS Labs' technologies.  SRS Labs' wholly owned
subsidiary, ValenceTech, is a Hong Kong-based semiconductor company that
designs and sells custom ASICs and standard ICs to leading manufacturers
worldwide. Based in Santa Ana, Calif., the company also has licensing
representation in Hong Kong, Japan, Europe, and Korea.  For more
information about SRS Labs, Inc. please visit http://www.srslabs.com .
The information on the aforementioned website is not incorporated by
reference into this press release.

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