SRS Labs, Inc. announced today that SRS Labs’ Circle Surround® (“CS”) technology is currently being used by ESPN to deliver 5.1 surround sound to its viewers nationwide during live sporting event telecasts. SRS Labs’ subsidiary, SRSWOWcast Technologies has provided ESPN with professional Circle Surround equipment for telecasting the programs in Circle Surround. ESPN will use CS during ESPN’s National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) games and the network will display the Circle Surround logo before and after each CS-encoded telecast.
Circle Surround is an optimum surround encoding solution for television because it enables networks to encode up to 5.1 channels of discrete program material for transmission over existing stereo production/distribution infrastructure with no modifications. Circle Surround technology is also the only surround sound format that can encode 5.1 channels of surround sound for transmission using any two-channel medium.
“ESPN is happy to deliver the Circle Surround 5.1 technology to our viewers to further enhance the viewing experience for our fans,” said Donald Colantonio, Jr., ESPN coordinating director, remote production.
“We are pleased ESPN will use our Circle Surround professional audio encoder on NFL and NBA telecasts and look forward to working closely with them on additional events,” said Thomas C.K. Yuen, chairman and CEO of SRS Labs. “Circle Surround is a high quality, powerful technology that is universally compatible with current production/distribution infrastructure — making immediate delivery of 5.1 channel content possible to audiences around the world.”
Yuen continued, “This new relationship also provides tremendous brand exposure for SRS Labs through the display of our CS logo to millions of viewers. As a licensing company, our ultimate goal is to license our technologies to manufacturers of home theater products. Televising CS-encoded material is an important element in this strategy.”
An important point for telecasters is the fact that CS encoding is backward compatible with other matrix surround decoders subject to the limitations of the specific decoder. This flexibility means that CS-encoded sports programming is compatible with any system viewers may own, from the use of a television’s internal speakers to a full home theater installation. However, for the ultimate experience in surround sound playback, it is recommended that home theater enthusiasts use a surround sound receiver that includes either Circle Surround or our premium Circle Surround II decoding, available from manufacturers such as Kenwood and Marantz. CS II not only creates up to 6.1 channels of superior sound, but also includes SRS Labs patented techniques to provide dialog (center channel) enhancement and high quality bass enhancement.
About the CSE-07
The CSE (Model CSE-07) Circle Surround Pro Encoder enables audio professionals to encode up to 6.1 channels of discrete program material (Left, Center, Right, Left Surround, Center Surround, Right Surround, LFE) for transmission via any consumer stereo medium. It delivers a remarkable “home theater” audio experience at bandwidths as low as 44 kpbs. CS-encoded material is backwards compatible with the standard consumer audio formats (from mono to Dolby Pro Logic II(R)).
About SRSWOWcast Technologies
SRSWOWcast Technologies is the Internet and broadcast subsidiary of SRS Labs, Inc., one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and patented audio and voice enhancement technologies. With exclusive Internet and broadcasting rights to SRS Labs’ intellectual property portfolio, SRSWOWcast Technologies develops and licenses audio and voice technology solutions for Internet streaming, on-demand material, online radio, as well as for traditional television broadcasting and cable transmission.
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