Dirac Research and STMicroelectronics to Deliver Extended Sound Performance in Ultra Thin TVs

Dirac Research and STMicroelectronics to Deliver Extended Sound Performance in Ultra Thin TVs

ST to Integrate Dirac Research's Digital Sound-Correction IP into Advanced TV SoCs

UPPSALA, Sweden, January 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- Dirac Research, a premier R&D company specializing in digital
sound correction, today announced its collaboration with STMicroelectronics
(NYSE: STM), one of the world's largest semiconductor companies and a leader
in chips for set-top boxes and digital TVs. The aim is to bring hi-fi class
sound to flat-screen TVs by including Dirac HD Sound(TM) audio-correction IP
in ST's digital TV SoCs (System on a Chip).

Thanks to this collaboration, flat-screen TV manufacturers
will benefit from a high-quality sound differentiator and each end-customer
will finally be able to experience premium sound from their TV.

The benefits of using Dirac HD Sound(TM) in a flat-screen TV include:

- Voice correction - voices become clear and intelligible
- Stereo image correction - sound is lifted to the center of
the TV screen
- Bass correction - a deeper and tighter bass
- Listening fatigue minimization
- Tonal & transient correction

"The picture quality of flat-screen TVs has been improved
substantially, while the sound quality is lagging far behind due to the
thinning of the TV cabinet. Dirac HD Sound(TM) can put sound on a par with
the great picture quality of today's flat-screen TVs," said Dr. Mathias
Johansson, CEO and CTO at Dirac Research.

"We saw a good match in STMicroelectronics as they have a
distinct policy of continuous innovation, and always aim to provide their
customers with the latest cutting-edge technologies," he continued.

"With our key focus on both video and audio quality, Dirac HD
Sound(TM) is an ideal partner to our Emmy(R) Award winning Faroudja(TM)
video-processing technologies to deliver a wonderful audio-video experience
in each living room," said Luigi Mantellassi, General Manager of ST's TV and
Monitor Division

"Dirac Research is well known for the premium audio quality they have
brought to cars and cinema. They have the expertise of having created
accurate theater sound plus of dealing with difficult sound environments and
we are excited to offer outstanding audio quality to all our TV customers on
our Freeman DTV SoC family," he concluded.

On a technical level, Dirac HD Sound(TM) is a premium mixed-phase sound
correction technology. Unlike equalizers and other sound-correction systems,
Dirac HD sound(TM) optimizes the sound system's transient reproduction - a
factor critical for accurate staging and clarity. Dirac technology is based
on years of research and is already used in luxury cars and professional
cinema theaters around the world.

STMicroelectronics offers a wide range of TV SoCs, with key
focus on 3DTV; advanced MEMC (motion estimation, motion compensation);
high-performance H.264/MPEG audio/video decoding; and comprehensive
integrated features. Its products deliver an enhanced user experience with
full support for broadband-Internet iDTV functionality and expanded graphics
capabilities, allowing the TV customer to choose, connect and enjoy rich
content and services at home.

About Dirac Research

Dirac Research is a premier R&D company specializing in high-performance
digital sound optimization, room correction and sound field synthesis. The
company was founded by researchers from the Signals & Systems Group of
Uppsala University, Sweden, which has fostered 8 Nobel Prize laureates. With
Dirac's patented toolbox for efficient and accurate audio system
optimization, customers such as BMW, Bentley and Datasat Digital
Entertainment(TM) have achieved dramatically improved sound quality and a
shortened time-to-market. Dirac Research maintains offices in Sweden, Tokyo,
Detroit, Shenzhen and Shanghai. See http://www.dirac.se.

Source: Dirac Research AB

Contact: Christoffer Ahlén, Director, Consumer Division & Marketing, Dirac Research AB, christoffer.ahlen@dirac.se, +46-18-18-56-47

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