Press Release
QSound Labs, Inc. and VIA Technologies, Inc. Announce Licensing Agreement for Audio Technology
Technology Partnership Leverages High Performance Line of VIA Vinyl Envy24 Audio Controllers to Deliver a Spectacular 3D Audio Experience to PC Users
Calgary, AB - December 3, 2004 - QSound Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: QSND), a leading developer of audio and voice software solutions, today announced a licensing agreement with VIA Technologies, Inc., a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions. VIA has incorporated QSound's leading edge audio technologies so as to further enhance VIA Vinyl Audio solutions.
Under the agreement, VIA will bring its award winning Vinyl Audio Controllers together with QSound's unique audio enhancement technologies to deliver ready-to-market solutions for VIA's audio partners. Powered by VIA Vinyl Audio Hardware, QSound offers unmatched audio technologies that transform the PC audio experience with enhancements for games, music, and movies as well as advanced feature controls that allow users to fully customize and enrich their audio experience.
"In order to best complement our advanced Audio Controller technology, we are very happy to be working with QSound as we strongly believe they offer the most comprehensive audio software features and stellar performance," commented Steve Chen, Executive Assistant to the CEO, and head of VIA Audio and Video Division, VIA Technologies, Inc. "This technology partnership will enable VIA's Audio partners to offer PC audio solutions with unmatched quality, further defining products integrating VIA Vinyl Audio solutions as the unparalleled leader in audio for the PC."
"We are very proud to be working with VIA. We believe that this partnership will allow consumers to truly experience the strengths of QSound's audio technologies through VIA's acclaimed Audio Hardware portfolio," commented David Gallagher, President and CEO, QSound Labs. "As consumers increasingly use their computers to experience multimedia content, features such as our patented Q3D, QXpander and QEM allow them to experience audio in ways they never thought possible."
QSound Technologies:
- Q3D: Complete DirectSound, DirectSound3D, A3D and I3DL2-compatible digital audio mix engine with advanced 3D positioning, including 2D to 3D remix for non 3D games, for headphones and 2 to 7.1 channel speaker systemsQEM: EAX and EAX2.0-compatible acoustic environment simulation, for headphones and 2 to 7.1 channel speaker systemsQXpander: Mono to 3D and stereo to 3D stereo sound stage synthesis and enhancement for headphones and stereo speakersQVerb: reverberation optimized for music and movies, for all configurations
- QEqualizer: 8 band equalizer
About VIA Audio
VIA has developed a broad spectrum of silicon solutions for enhancing the PC audio experience, including the highly respected, studio performance VIA Vinyl Envy24 line of audio controllers. The VIA Vinyl Envy Line of Controllers introduced 24-bit standards, and 96/192kHz sampling rates to the consumer and professional markets and is used by some of the world's leading audio card makers for a variety of high end professional applications. VIA also offers a range of AC'97 audio codecs, such as VIA Vinyl Six-TRAC and Eight-TRAC that enable theatre quality sound in both audio-on-motherboard and soundcard applications.
About VIA Technologies, Inc.
VIA Technologies, Inc. (TSE 2388) is the foremost fabless supplier of market-leading core logic chipsets, low power x86 processors, advanced connectivity, multimedia, networking and storage silicon, and complete platform solutions that are driving system innovation in the PC and embedded markets. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, VIA's global network links the high tech centers of the US, Europe and Asia, and its customer base includes the world's top OEMs, motherboard vendors and system integrators. http://www.via.com.tw
About QSound Labs, Inc.:
Since its inception in 1988, QSound Labs, Inc. has established itself as one of the worlds' leading audio technology companies. The company has developed proprietary audio solutions that include virtual surround sound, positional audio and stereo enhancement for the mobile devices, consumer electronics, PC/multimedia, and Internet markets. QSound Labs' cutting-edge audio technologies create rich 3D audio environments allowing consumers to enjoy stereo surround sound from two, four, or up to 7.1 speaker systems. The company's customer and partner roster includes Broadcom, Qualcomm, Vodafone, PacketVideo, Toshiba, Philips, Panasonic, Sharp, Aiwa, and Electronic Arts, among others. To hear 3D audio demos and learn more about QSound, visit our web site at http://www.qsound.com.