Improving today's multimedia products with 3rd-party audio IP solutions

In the multimedia market, there is insatiable consumer demand to create, transmit and share digital audio and video content. This demand is driving explosive growth in consumer electronic devices requiring audio post-processing software IP to play digital content without comprising audio fidelity or the consumer listening experience.

There are multiple factors driving the technology needs for audio post-processing solutions in today's multimedia products and they all support how a new 3rd-party audio IP solution can deliver to the market.

• "Thin is in" ... with new multimedia products. Smaller geometries and the condensed form factor of new consumer electronic products are directly impacting audio quality. Smaller, flatter speakers, small enclosures, non-existent speaker cavities, improperly placed speakers, etc. have adverse impact on audio performance.

• Price erosion...stealing gross margins. In many consumer electronic segments gross margins are being challenged by competitive offerings. This forces consumer electronics companies to price their products at or below manufacturing costs resulting in zero profit or worse yet, a loss. Technology solutions that reduce product costs and still deliver a compelling audio experience will be key to these companies.

• Dramatic video improvements, at the sacrifice of audio: The industry has taken great steps forward to improve the visual experience of multimedia content (HD and 3D) and has significantly improved display solutions for consumer products. While these changes have improved the visual experience, because of smaller speakers and thin product designs, audio performance has been diminishing. Consumers are complaining and the industry is open to new audio solutions.

• Using new audio brands to differentiate devices in the market. While the industry has established audio IP solution companies, these companies may have reached a saturation point in the market with consumers. The next-generation of consumers have different brand loyalties and are more willing to consider new brands when making purchasing decisions. This dynamic has forced consumer electronics companies to look at new and innovative audio enhancement technologies for product differentiation.

• True audio expertise in short supply. While many of our engineering schools are graduating premiere DSP programmers, very few of these engineers have expertise in building multimedia products that deliver quality audio. The ability to offer IP-based solutions and powerful tools to help fill that ever widening experience gap in the industry will be a valued commodity.

• Compressed media/content robs the artist. Consumers are beginning to realize that portability of content has a penalty -- compression, transmission, and reproduction degrade the audio quality created by the artist. Consumer electronics companies are looking for ways to recreate the "lost audio quality" in an effort to offer consumers a compelling audio and multimedia experience.

• Growing consumer expectations. Simply put: deliver an audio experience that makes the consumer happy....they will buy more products.

The Technical Challenge
Semiconductor and consumer electronics companies have naturally driven the development to improve video display in a variety of consumer products, now they must address the audio quality which has taken a back seat to video until now. While the video enhancement has improved the visual experience for consumers, there has been little improvement in the audio quality or reproduction.

With the growing HD and now 3D content becoming a reality, consumer expectations for audio quality will only continue to increase. Consumers are becoming more aware of this difference in quality between audio and video and will start to vote more and more with their wallets -- the winners will be the consumer electronics companies that manufacture multimedia products that can deliver audio quality to match the high-quality video experience.

With consumer electronics and semiconductor companies realizing that the end- customers demand high-quality audio in addition to high-quality video, they still face the following technology challenges:

• The integration of the required audio post-processing IP with their hardware platforms is resource intensive and can impact time-to-market for new product launches.

• Delivering a high-quality consumer experience while managing the reduction in Bill-of-Materials (BoM) is not always easy to accomplish.

• While 3rd-party audio IP can be ported (embedded) in the audio hardware, , there are limited tools to support the easy integration and "tuning" of the end products.