Gain control keeps TV volume steady

Cirrus Logic is the first chipmaker to feature SRS Volume IQ, which will be made available through its CS485xx family of audio DSPs for TV, home theatre and automotive entertainment markets.

SRS Labs has released SRS Volume IQ, a highly efficient Automatic Gain Control (AGC) designed to accurately maintain a steady audio volume level on flat panel TV's, set-top boxes, PCs, mobile media phones and portable media devices.

Cirrus Logic is the first chipmaker to feature SRS Volume IQ, which will be made available through its CS485xx family of audio DSPs for TV, home theatre and automotive entertainment markets.

Its TruSurround XT is the most widely deployed virtual surround technology in flat panel TVs to date.

Fluctuating volume on broadcast TV, particularly between the program and commercials and when switching from analogue to digital TV channels, is a common complaint of consumers.

While certain solutions exist, the artifacts they introduce only exacerbate the problem.

SRS Volume IQ is the first audio process to minimise these artifacts while accurately maintaining the target volume level.

While the primary, most obvious use for SRS Volume IQ is for televisions and set-top boxes, other products including mobile phones, portable media devices and personal computers will also greatly benefit from the audio process.

Cirrus Logic's CS485XX audio DSPs are designed to enable audio software features for flat-panel digital television, home theater and automotive entertainment applications.

The CS48520 and CS48540 ICs give OEMs a cost-effective and simple-to-design solution capable of providing an extensive selection of audio features, including the new SRS Volume IQ, SRS TruSurround XT and TruSurround HD, which allow TV OEMs to offer consumers enhanced audio features that maximise the flat-panel television's overall audio system.

"SRS is the leader in audio enhancement technology for televisions, so we are pleased to be the first IC supplier to feature Volume IQ through our CS485XX audio DSP family", said Terry Ritchie, DSP Marketing Director, Cirrus Logic.

"TV manufacturers are seeking this type of technology in an efficient and cost-effective solution because it solves consumer frustrations with inconsistent volume levels".

SRS Volume IQ uses psychoacoustic principals to analyse and address the perceived level (volume) changes in an audio signal.

The process is designed to minimise undesirable artifacts while accurately maintaining a reference volume level and producing a high-quality audio experience.

Unlike traditional AGC processes, SRS Volume IQ is based on human loudness perception models and multiband signal analysis.

Additionally, SRS Volume IQ is extremely efficient in resource and memory usage compared to other solutions on the market and it supports mono, stereo and multichannel processing.

SRS Volume IQ can be applied to any audio-enabled device including televisions, set top boxes, AV Receivers, PCs, mobile phones and portable media devices.

In a study done by MarketTools, over half the respondents (56%) indicated it was extremely to very important for them to have a feature that would control the audio level between TV programs and commercials.

"Our TV partners asked us to develop an advanced AGC-like technology that uses minimal processor and memory resources but provides maximum sound quality and the SRS brand at a reasonable per unit royalty price", said Tom Yuen, CEO for SRS Labs.

"We have delivered on all four requirements, making Volume IQ the obvious choice for OEMs, ODMs and TV chip makers to address this long-standing consumer TV issue".

"Volume IQ solves the common problem that plagues consumers when the volume from a commercial is significantly louder than the main program".

"Also, there are often major volume differences from one channel to another and Volume IQ minimises those variations".

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