28th Annual New Year's Eve 'Toast of the Nation' Program Features Broadcast in Full Neural-THX(R) Surround

28th Annual New Year's Eve 'Toast of the Nation' Program Features Broadcast in Full Neural-THX(R) Surround

NPR MUSIC AND WBGO/JAZZ 88.3FM MUSIC SPECIAL TO AIR NATIONALLY AND STREAM LIVE ONLINE

KIRKLAND, Wash. and SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Neural Audio Corporation, a market leader in developing advanced audio and surround sound technologies, and THX Ltd., the leading provider of technologies, certification programs and quality assurance standards for the entertainment industry, announced today that Toast of the Nation, the annual nine-hour New Year's Eve music special produced by NPR Music and WBGO/Jazz88.3 FM in Newark, NJ, will be broadcast in 5.1 Neural-THX(R) Surround.

"Toast of the Nation is the premier audio-only live New Year's Eve event reaching one of the largest audiences worldwide for more than 25 years," said Geir R Skaaden, Neural Audio's CEO. "Once again, it is great to work with NPR, WBGO and our home entertainment system partners to broadcast and stream world-class talent to public radio's large listener base."

Toast of the Nation will be presented live from the new Yoshi's Jazz Club in San Francisco and will feature other live performances from across the U.S., including New York, Minneapolis and Boston. Host Rhonda Hamilton, of WBGO's Midday Jazz, will anchor the nine-hour event to an audience of millions in more than 140 countries. The event will feature music from artists such as: pianist Danilo Perez and His Big Band; the great Patti Austin; Trio de Paz and pianist Kenny Barron; Nachito Herrera and the Steele Family Singers; sextet Convergence; and sensational young singer Ledisi with the Count Basie Orchestra.

Toast of the Nation will be broadcast on NPR Member stations nationwide from 8:00PM-5:00AM (ET); many stations will also offer the program on their websites as live streaming audio, as well as on http://www.npr.org/ It will also air on NPR Worldwide; NPR Berlin FM channel; Radio Netherlands in Amsterdam; American Forces Network; and Voice of America in Latin America.

Neural-THX Surround is now found in more than 70 percent of new AV receivers from companies such as Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, Integra, Inkel and Sherwood. The technology delivers surround radio broadcasts to an audience of more than 11 million through XM Satellite Radio and the Classical Public Radio Network (CPRN). More than 200 TV stations in four countries, including affiliates of all US major networks, use Neural-THX Surround within their transport and distribution infrastructure, helping to make surround broadcast a reality. Through Neural Music Direct, Neural-THX Surround is leading the way for Internet music streaming in full surround sound directly to Internet-ready AV receivers and radios worldwide.

About THX LTD.

Born out of George Lucas' vision to improve the movie-going experience, THX is a driving force in cinema, post-production, car audio and home entertainment. THX is dedicated to developing new ways to make the creation, delivery and presentation of entertainment content more efficient, more powerful and more enjoyable. Today, the world's premier commercial cinemas, post-production studios, car audio systems and home entertainment products incorporate THX technologies and have achieved the coveted THX Certified status. For more information, visit http://www.thx.com/.

About Neural Audio Corporation

Neural Audio, through its Neural-THX(R) Surround technology and unique audio optimization technologies, has become the key enabler in the delivery of high quality content for the TV, radio, game, Internet, home theatre and mobile markets. Key broadcast partners and customers such as XM Satellite Radio, Yamaha Corporation, Sony Corporation, Pioneer Electronics, Onkyo Corporation, Denon Electronics, Marantz America, Inkel, Sherwood and Harris Corporation have adopted Neural Audio's technologies to provide the best quality audio available today to their customers. For more information, please visit http://www.neuralaudio.com/, or http://www.neuralsurround.com/.

About NPR Music

Toast of the Nation is the capstone of NPR Music's holiday offerings, available on-air and online at the new NPR Music multimedia website: http://www.npr.org/music/ The newly-relaunched website includes broadcast and original-to-online content from NPR and 12 NPR Member stations, including WBGO. The NPR Music site offers interviews, lives performances, artists index, reviews, blogs and other features for fans of rock, jazz, classical, urban, folk and world music.

Neural Surround(TM) is a trademark owned by Neural Audio Corporation, THX is a trademark of THX Ltd., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All rights reserved.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: THX Ltd.

CONTACT: Jackie Broo, Communications Manager, +1-425-814-3200, ext. 116,
cell, +1-513-304-9514, jackie@neuralaudio.com, or Dakx Turcotte, Director,
Marketing and Business Development, +1-425-814-3200, ext. 135, cell,
+1-206-499-5855, dakx@neuralaudio.com, both of Neural Audio Corporation; or
Graham McKenna, PR Manager of THX Ltd., +1-415-492-3946, gmckenna@thx.com; or
Sunok Pak, PR Manager of Hill & Knowlton, +1-415-281-7129, cell,
+1-415-999-4646, sunok.pak@hillandknowlton.com, for THX, Ltd.; or Anna
Christopher, Manager, Media Relations of NPR, +1-202-513-2304,
achristopher@npr.org

Web site: http://www.thx.com/
http://www.npr.org/
http://www.neuralsurround.com/
http://www.neuralaudio.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment