Motorola Offers First DSP Solution With THX Surround EX Technology
Motorola And Momentum Data Systems To Enable First Consumer Implementation Of Latest Cinema Surround Sound Technology THX Surround EXô, a audio technology co-developed by Lucasfilm THXÆ and Dolby Laboratories, will now be available to THX licensees thanks to SymphonyÆ digital signal processing (DS)) technology from Motorola and the expertise of Momentum Data Systems. Motoroalís DSP56362 featuring THX Surround EX technology is the first solution to be approved for use in Home THX Ultra products. This technology will allow for the decoding of specially encoded films which provides surround back channels, in addition to the existing five main channels. Motorola demonstrated the technology at the Audio Engineering Society conference in New York on September 24 and as well THX demonstrated the technology at the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. September 24-26. ""THX Surround EX and the processing power of Motorolaís DSP56362 puts movie theatre sound at consumersí fingertips,"" said Valerie Hase, Operations Manager of Motorolaís Digital Audio Operations. ""Weíre pleased to be the first DSP provider to bring this premium audio advancement to THX licensees and ultimately consumers."" The addition of a new surround channel and rear surround speakers allows a sound designer to create true ""fly-over"" and ""fly-around"" effects that are smoother and more accurately placed. THX Surround EX delivers a precise translation of this movie theatre experience using THX Ultra components in a home environment. This technology was introduced with ""Star Wars: Episode I ñ The Phantom Menace earlier this year. Monica L. Dashwood, General Manager at Lucas film THX says, ""We are pleased that Motorola and Momentum Data Systems through this chip solution will help THX Ultra licensees bring THX Surround EX to consumers in high quality products."" ""This new member of a growing family of products continues a powerful alliance between Momentum Data Systems, a leading developer of software for audio applications, and Motorola,"" said Lester Longley, Vice President, Momentum Data Systems. ""The resulting product enables consumer equipment companies to offer enhanced features and crystal-clear audio solutions to buyers."" Motorolaís DSP56000 and DSP56300 families have been behind the scenes of professional audio in editing and mastering equipment used for a majority of movie soundtracks and CDs. The DSP56362 is also currently being used in a variety of consumer audio products, such as audio/video receivers and DVD, digital television and automotive applications. Motorola provides a silicon and software solution in a single chip that provides multichannel decoding ñ Dolby Digital, DTS Digital Surround or MPEG-2 layer 2 ñ post decoder processing and Dolby Digital Consumer Encoder (DDCE). The DSP56362 was the first Symphony audio DSP to utilize the DSP56300 core. With speeds up to 100 MIPS, the DSP56362 provides the capability to handle all the major multichannel audio decoding standards as well as other audio processing, requirements such as subwoofer management, soundfield effects, 3D virtual surrounds, equalization, Lucasfilm THX Cinema processing and Pacific Microsonics HDCD. For more information on the DSP56362 visit the Motorola Web site at www.dspaudio.motorola.com.