iBiquity Digital Approves SRS Labsí Circle Surround 5.1 As Compatible Surround Sound Format For The HD Radio System

SRS Labsí Circle Surround Technology Enables Radio Stations To Broadcast Digital Surround Radio To Millions Of Listeners Across The United States

1-Jul-04

SRS Labs, Inc. and iBiquity Digital Corporation announced the completion of the joint testing of SRS Circle Surround technology as a compatible surround sound format for iBiquityís HD Radio broadcast technology. HD Radio technology is the digital broad-casting system for terrestrial radio, and is the only digital technology authorized by the FCC for broadcasting in the AM and FM band in the United States. Circle Surround technology allows FM radio stations nationwide to deliver digital quality surround sound content to millions of listeners through their home theater systems or car audio entertainment units. More than 300 radio stations in 100-plus U.S. markets across 38 states reaching 67-percent of the US population have already licensed HD Radio technology. This announcement marks the completion of the joint testing process announced in January 2004 at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) where the two companies announced their strategic technology partnership. iBiquity has developed and patented HD Radio technology that transmits digital audio and data alongside existing AM and FM analog signals, allowing listeners to enjoy CD-quality sound and virtually eliminating the static, hiss, and pops associated with todayís analog radio signals. Implementation of the Circle Surround encoding solution for the HD Radioplatform allows radio stations to encode any multichannel content into two-channel output for broadcast over the HD Radio system, which can then be decoded into full-bandwidth surround sound with any decoder found in millions of home theater and automotive systems. Up to a full 6.1-channel surround sound experience can be realized with a CS II decoder, which can be found in a wide variety of home theater products from Kenwood, Marantz, Accuphase and Theta Digital. For those listening to HD Radio receivers in their cars, Circle Surround Automotive technology also includes the latest CS decoder along with several specifically designed technologies that overcome the challenges of speaker placement and other obstacles specific to the automotive environment to deliver the best available surround sound in cars. Mike Lyons, Vice President, Aftermarket Business Development for iBiquity Digital said, ìWe are extremely pleased that SRS has proven Circle Surround sound compatibility with iBiquityís HD Radio system. We feel that SRS Labsí surround sound technology will accelerate the growth and adoption of the HD Radio system across the country and we encourage our broadcast and consumer electronics partners to realize how powerful Circle Surround can be for radio.îOne of the most powerful features of CS encoding is that it is 100-percent compatible with mono and stereo. For radio stations, this means a competitive advantage in the ability to offer surround sound to their listeners. ìAs Circle Surround reaches beyond home theater-based products to automobiles and other HD Radio-enabled receivers, broadcasting in surround sound will quickly become the standard,î said Mike Canevaro, Director of Sales and Business Development for SRS Labs. ìWe are working hard to bring the best available surround sound technologies to HD Radio digital broadcasting and their tens of millions of FM listeners. Broadcasters, automakers, retailers,manufacturers and consumers alike will benefit from the teamwork of Circle Surround and iBiquity, as radio transforms into a full-blown home theater-like experience whether itís in the home or on the road.îThe Circle Surround encoding system accepts any multichannel source, encodes it to a two-channel output, which can then be transmitted over any existing stereo analog or digital broadcasting infrastructure, such as the HD Radio system. The Circle Surround-encoded two channel signal can be decoded back into thrilling 5.1- or 6.1-channel surround sound by any consumer with a multispeaker system that includes a matrix decoder, such as Circle Surround or Dolby Pro Logic. The best results are achieved from the Circle Surround decoder, which currently can be found in a wide variety of home theater products from Kenwood, Marantz, Motorola, Accuphase, Orion Studios, and Theta Digital -- among others. SRS Labs is also working with several leading auto makers, automotive entertainment manufacturers and platform partners to provide a version of Circle Surround that is optimized for an automobile, Circle Surround Automotive.Additional information on SRS Labs, Inc. is also available from www.srslabs.com; More information about iBiquity Digital Corporation can be found at www.ibiquity.com.

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http://www.srslabs.com
http://www.ibiquity.com