Source: NXPSmart home product designers and OEMs may be interested in the Immersiv3D audio solution announced at CES 2019 by NXP Semiconductors. According to NXP, Immersiv3D is poised to dramatically reduce system cost, enable advanced audio pre/post processing and accelerate time-to-market.
The solution will support both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X in devices that integrate the company’s i.MX 8M Mini system-on-chip (SoC), which enables smart capabilities like voice control to a range of consumer devices. These include sound bars, smart speakers and AV receivers, as well as additional speakers that can be optionally added to distribute smart voice control and immersive audio throughout the home.
The key here is affordability: NXP characterizes the Immersiv3D solution as “bringing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to the masses.” Dolby Atmos, for the uninitiated, is designed as a leap forward from surround sound; its moving audio fills a room and flows around listeners to create a realistic sensation of being “inside the action.” Similarly, DTS:X is designed to create multi-dimensional audio and adapt to speaker layout to best fit an individual space, transporting sound around to specific locations within the viewing environment to create immersive audio experiences.
While conventional audio system design approaches use digital signal processors (DSPs) to enable audio and video synchronization, such systems are not designed to take advantage of modern, advanced processor cores. The Immersiv3D approach features scalable processing into SoC Arm cores, eliminating the need for costly discrete DSPs and once-proprietary DSP design foundations.
Martyn Humphries, vice president of i.MX applications processors for consumer markets at NXP, noted that the evolution of television technology has produced thinner panel designs that lack the depth to incorporate high-quality speakers. As a result, 3D audio experiences need to be provided by complementary home speaker systems — ideally, ones that will be “friendly on consumer wallets.” The Immersiv3D solution is designed to give consumers the flexibility to add different audio speakers, regardless of brand, to stream simultaneous and synchronized audio with voice control from their systems.
CES 2019 attendees can get a demonstration of the technology at the NXP booth, CP-18. The show runs Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas.
