The proliferation of tablets, laptops and other multimedia devices has created such demand for improved video quality that high resolution image and 3D video are quickly becoming the norm in many portable applications. But audio has struggled to keep up with the rapid growth in this arena.
It is unlikely that this disparity is due to a dearth of consumer demand as sound technology in general has been successfully addressed in the past by companies like Bose who - with the aim of achieving lifelike sound quality - developed the unique audio processing techniques used in their Direct/Reflecting speakers.
However, despite the presence of an established market for quality sound technology, independent of video, less advancement has been made in the portable device market where sound and video converge.
Texas Instruments hopes to remedy this with their recently introduced spatial array IC, which designers can use to create spatially-enhanced audio systems for multi-speaker portable products including tablets, laptops, sound bars and docking stations. Using this audio processing technology, space constrained devices that suffer from a limited soundstage are capable of providing an immersive cinematic audio experience.
A good example of this is given by the very popular tablet devices which boast high-definition video but fail to provide users with an equivalent audio experience due to the close proximity of the speakers. The LM48901 audio Class D spatial array and companion software tool address this problem with easy-to-use audio effect programming that can turn a small soundstage into an engaging sound experience that can be deployed across a host of portable devices with 2 - 16 speakers.
To learn more about audio spatial array technology check out TI's video introduction.
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