DTS' and Coding Technologies' MPEG-4 aacPlus/DTS transcoding solution gains major support by chip set manufacturers

Availability of chip sets spurs the adoption of aacPlus for multi-channel audio in digital TV

Las Vegas, CES — Coding Technologies and DTS (NASDAQ: DTSI) announced that the companies’ 5.1 multi-channel aacPlus/DTS transcoding solution has gained major support in the hardware industry. Conexant (NASDAQ: CNXT) and Analog Devices (NYSE: ADI), two additional key semiconductor players, now offer aacPlus/DTS transcoding on chip sets for digital TV set top boxes. This will enrich the available choice of chipsets for set top box manufacturers looking to incorporate this technology into their product and will increase the selection of 5.1 solutions for network operators. Besides the new offerings from Conexant and Analog Devices, STMicroelectronics and Broadcom provide chip sets supporting the aacPlus/DTS transcoding solution.

aacPlus/DTS transcoding allows broadcasters to utilize the high quality, high efficient MPEG-4 audio codec in the emission path for their SD and HD services to deliver more movie, sports, documentary and drama content in improved sound quality to consumers. By transcoding from aacPlus to DTS in the consumers set top box, the entire installed base of home theater systems can be reached without a transition period.

“Coding Technologies’ high-performance aacPlus/DTS solution is an important technology tool that allows operators to deliver additional high quality audio content using their existing infrastructure, which expands their revenue-generating opportunity,” said Lewis Brewster, executive vice president and general manager of Conexant’s Broadband Media Processing business. “DTS transcoding also helps to ensure that nextgeneration set-top box products will interoperate with existing home theater systems, which is an important consumer benefit.”

“Working with Coding Technologies to offer 5.1 compatible decoder chips as an available technology to the market, we are helping to turn the theory of better quality, higher efficiency audio into practice,” said Mike Haidar, General Manager, Software & Systems Technology Division, DSPS, Analog Devices, Inc. “Responding to the growing industry need for more 5.1 transmission alternatives, we have turned this viable audio option into a product which will serve the interests of both STB manufacturers and operators alike.”

“We see requests coming from a lot of operators for the aacPlus/DTS transcoding solution since it allows them to benefit from the high compression of aacPlus while keeping the digital output compatible with virtually all home theater systems in the market,” adds Laurent Rémon, chief system architect, Home Video Division ST Microelectronics. “We are now able to offer aacPlus/DTS transcoding on all advanced chip sets such as STi7100 and STi7109, and we are very pleased by the cooperation with Coding Technologies and DTS on this technology.”

“The improved bandwidth efficiency resulting from aacPlus/DTS transcoders will enable broadcasters to deliver DVD-quality audio services to subscribers, support more audio channels and free up network bandwidth for additional revenue generating services”, comments Aidan O’Rourke, Marketing Director, Broadband Communications at Broadcom Corporation. “We look forward to continuing our support and development of these new audio technologies and to work closely with service operators and set top box vendors to bring them to market in the near future.”

“We are excited by the tremendous support our transcoding solution gains within the industry”, said Stefan Meltzer, vice president business development and consumer electronics of Coding Technologies. “After less than 18 month of cooperation with DTS we see final products and a clear demand for them in the market, giving us a strong indication that we hit the right buttons at the right time.”

Coding Technologies and DTS demonstrate the aacPlus/DTS transcoding solution at CES, January 8- 11, booth #1 21544, South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center.