The inventors of the MP3 compression format have taken a significant step forward by introducing a new sound enhancement program at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2006 currently being held in Las Vegas, USA.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS from Germany and Thomson SA from France have added two new features to their MP3 Surround software. MP3 SX (MP3 Stereo eXtended) enhances multi-channel playback capabilities for stereo audio files while also supporting the conversion from stereo to surround sound. Meanwhile, Ensonido brings surround sound to stereo headphones. This technology is based on acoustic principles aimed at recreating the natural transmission capabilities of multi-channel audio from speakers to the ears.
Research on audio compression began in the 1980s by a group of scientists at Fraunhofer IIS. The MP3 compression format reduces file size but does slightly compromise quality.
The MP3 Surround software, developed by Fraunhofer IIS in 2004 in collaboration with Agere Systems and copyrighted by Thomson SA, offers high-quality surround sound.
For more information about MP3 Surround and Ensonido, as well as to download the new trial software for free, click here.
