PhatNoise and Kenwood Announce Breakthrough Digital Music Technology for New Product Line-Up

PhatNoise and Kenwood Announce Breakthrough Digital Music Technology for New Product Line-Up New Kenwood CD Receivers to Feature Patent-Pending PhatNoise mCD(TM) Search and Play Music System and Integrated Support for a Wide Range of Latest Digital Music Codecs LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- PhatNoise, Inc., an industry leader in digital media technology, and Kenwood Corporation, premier manufacturer of car audio products, today announced that the partners are introducing PhatNoise's advanced new digital music functionality to Kenwood's premium automotive CD receiver products worldwide. PhatNoise mCD(TM) embedded software technology offers Voice Index(TM) on-the-fly music browsing, an industry first for the receiver market and a major step forward for digital music enjoyment in the car. In addition, PhatNoise mCD(TM) technology supports playback of CDs burned with AAC, WMA, MP3 and lossless audio formats in Kenwood receivers, allowing consumers to enjoy a large choice of the latest digital audio options available. Kenwood will begin distributing new model CD Receivers featuring PhatNoise mCD(TM) on the Advanced Codec Drives globally beginning in January 2005. The new units will be showcased by Kenwood at the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. PhatNoise mCD(TM), which runs on Cirrus Logic Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CRUS) EP7410 embedded processor, brings the company's innovative Voice Index(TM) Search and Play system to the CDR market. Instead of hearing songs in alphabetical file order, or drilling down into fixed directories and folders, the Kenwood receivers can access and organize music by artist, album, genre, or custom playlist at the touch of a button, and announce selections aloud for distraction-free browsing and instant customization. With Voice Index(TM), hear a song you like during random playback, touch a single button, and the system can cue up the full album or a mix of songs from that artist automatically. This enhanced functionality is enabled by an integrated embedded software solution from PhatNoise in the Kenwood receiver, and by companion PC software which creates and burns PhatNoise mCD's for enjoyment in the car. The receivers also play traditional CDs and compressed audio using MP3, AAC or WMA compressed-format discs, giving consumers an enormous range of options for digital music enjoyment. PhatNoise mCD(TM) is also the first embedded automotive CD receiver software that is user-upgradeable, allowing Kenwood and PhatNoise to seamlessly introduce additional codec support or other product enhancements in the future. "Kenwood's decision to integrate PhatNoise(R) technology with our products sets a new benchmark for ease of use, making it simple to store, access and playback all of the digital music in your collection," said Dan Petersen, Executive Vice President, Kenwood USA Corporation. "We are excited to introduce the new Kenwood PhatNoise mCD(TM) system and believe this groundbreaking technology opens the door to a whole new digital entertainment driving experience," said Dannie Lau, co-founder and EVP at PhatNoise. "We will continue building new digital media entertainment solutions as part of our enduring Kenwood partnership." Lau continued, "Cirrus Logic's EP7410 was the ideal embedded processor IC for the new Kenwood system, as it combines both a RISC-based processor, DSP and servo control logic into a single, low-cost head-end system-on-a-chip solution." "Cirrus Logic is a leading IC supplier for the consumer digital entertainment market, driving innovation in home theater audio and greater mobility and features in automotive entertainment applications," said Tom Lee, vice president, Embedded Products and Digital Audio Marketing. To learn more, visit http://www.phatnoise.com/ . About PhatNoise, Inc. Based in Los Angeles, Calif., PhatNoise, Inc. ( http://www.phatnoise.com/ ) is a leading-edge developer of next-generation hardware and software technologies for digital media enjoyment in the automobile. The company's technology takes consumers beyond current concepts in digital music and media by introducing easy and efficient ways to locate, manage, play and interact with digital content across multiple devices and environments. PhatNoise licenses its technology platforms to strategic partners to develop next generation multimedia products. About Kenwood As a leading manufacturer of home and car audio components, car navigation systems, mobile phones, and communications systems, KENWOOD is boundless in its exploration of the information technology era. With its newly developed digital products, KENWOOD readily accommodates today's PC-oriented lifestyles to satisfy users around the world. Further information may be obtained from http://www.kenwood.com/ . About Cirrus Logic Inc. Cirrus Logic is a premier supplier of high-performance analog, mixed-signal and digital processing solutions for consumer entertainment electronics, automotive entertainment and industrial product applications. Building on its global market leadership in audio ICs and its rich mixed-signal patent portfolio, Cirrus Logic targets audio, video and precision mixed-signal applications in these growing markets. The company operates from headquarters in Austin, Texas, with offices in California, Colorado, Europe, Japan and Asia. More information about Cirrus Logic is available at http://www.cirrus.com/ . Source: PhatNoise, Inc. CONTACT: Kirsten Osolind of re:invention, inc., +1-312-421-0311, or kirsten@reinventioninc.com Web site: http://www.phatnoise.com/ http://www.kenwood.com/ http://www.cirrus.com/ http://www.cesweb.org/default_flash.asp ------- Profile: International Entertainment