Audio collaborators show off surround system: News from Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS

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Agere Systems, Coding Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and Philips, the inventors behind the groundbreaking MPEG Surround technique, are jointly demonstrating the full potential of the new surround sound system at the AES (Audio Engineering Society) Pro Audio Expo in Paris. Combined with an underlying audio codec such as MPEG-1 Layer-2, MPEG-4 AAC or MPEG-4 HE-AAC (aka aacPlus), MPEG Surround fundamentally reduces bit rate requirements for high quality multichannel audio compression and maintains backwards compatibility to existing stereo equipment at the same time. MPEG Surround comprises a full set of tools enabling the representation, reproduction and rendering of multichannel audio for a broad spectrum of applications, from digital broadcasting, to mobile entertainment, to Internet music distribution.

In the past month, already a number of real-world demonstrations have been showcased by the developing parties, such as 5.1 surround audio for digital radio and TV via DVB-T, DAB, or HD Radio.

The MPEG Surround demonstration at the AES Pro Audio Expo is the first joint presentation by all four parties, showcasing the full potentialof MPEG Surround across various application fields.

The new MPEG Surround standard will be frozen in July this year.

'We are excited to be jointly demonstrating the MPEG Surround technique'.

'After mono and stereo, MPEG Surround is the next step for sound quality in today's media entertainment', commented Dr Peter Kroon, Chief Multimedia Architect of Agere Systems Mobility Division.

'It brings true surround sound to any media system at next to no overhead in transportation and storage, and preserves consumers' investment as existing home stereo equipment can stay in use'.

'This level of flexibility will be the key for MPEG Surround to be deployed on a global scale'.

'It has been the goal of MPEG to design something really outstanding in the multi-channel space, and thanks to the deep expertise of all four parties a system is available now that fits all needs and provides a remarkable performance', says Martin Dietz, CEO and President of Coding Technologies.

'Asked two years ago, not many experts would have expected this enormous accomplishment, and today it's reality'.

'The surround sound world has been waiting for a technical solution to smoothly integrate multichannel and stereo audio into present and future systems', says Juergen Herre, Chief Scientist at Fraunhofer IIS.

'MPEG Surround does even more than this: it easily outperforms any conventional technique with regards to features, performance, and flexibility'.

'We are proud of our contribution to this exciting new standard'.

'MPEG Surround is a great example how innovatively engineered solutions directly cater to the requirements of the market', says Leon van de Kerkhof, Program Manager Audio, of Philips Applied Technologies.

'Surround sound has proven to be a huge success in packaged media, and has an even stronger potential in new entertainment services'.

'MPEG Surround creates added value and new opportunities for all parties across the chain, from content providers, to device manufacturers, to consumers'.

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Audio collaborators show off surround system

Agere Systems, Coding Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS and Philips are jointly demonstrating a new surround sound system at the AES Pro Audio Expo in Paris.