SRS Labs and Micronas create strategic alliance to deliver SRS audio technologies to global television market (0213)
Largest supplier of TV DSPs enables licensing of SRS Labs' popular stereo audio enhancements
SANTA ANA, Calif./FREIBURG, Germany, June 10, 2002 - SRS Labs, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRSL), a leading provider of patented audio and voice technologies and Micronas (SWX: MASN, Neuer Market Frankfurt: MNSN), a leading global semiconductor company, today announced a strategic alliance that will make SRS Labs' technologies vastly more available to the global television market. Under the terms of the first licensing agreement between the two companies, Micronas will feature SRS Labs' WOW™ stereo audio enhancement technology in two families of digital signal processor (DSP) semiconductors that target low-to-mid priced TVs, the highest unit volume segments of the global TV market. These two chip families, MSP34xy and MSP44xy, sold more than 130 million chips in total to date.
"This new relationship creates a powerful partnership," said Lenka Koloma, director of European sales and marketing, SRS Labs, Inc. "With Micronas' deep penetration in the TV market and our strong portfolio of audio technologies, this new alliance brings significant business opportunities to both companies. Micronas is the world's leading TV-Audio chip supplier with a market share of 60 percent worldwide. By working closely with Micronas, we can leverage the sales teams of each company and aggressively co-market the solution to the TV market."
Micronas supplies chips to all of the world's leading television manufacturers. The global stereo-TV market reached 53 million units in 2001 and is expected to grow to 90 million by year 2005. The SRS WOW feature will be available on the Micronas TV audio processors in June 2002 and will be marketed by the global sales force of both SRS Labs and Micronas. SRS Labs will receive a per unit licensing fee for each television shipped with WOW and expects licensing revenue from this new DSP solution to begin as early as Q3 2002.
"Our alliance with SRS Labs enables Micronas to be once more the first semiconductor supplier to offer a great sound improvement technology in a single-chip TV-Audio solution," said Stefan Hepp, marketing manager TV audio & IF of Micronas. "SRS Labs has a good reputation for quality, WOW is a strong brand and our customers have been requesting the technology as a feature in our TV chips. As a result of this partnership, existing Micronas customers can now immediately license and use WOW to improve the audio performance of their television products without the need to change their current product designs."
SRS Labs' WOW technology uses patented audio processing techniques to enlarge the sound image field and dramatically improve the bass performance of television speakers. Manufacturers can save costs by licensing WOW while utilizing smaller speakers and still provide a higher quality audio experience.
WOW has already shipped in over 200 million consumer hardware and software products globally including products from Sony, Olympus and Microsoft. To hear an online demonstration of WOW, visit http://www.srslabs.com/techdemo.asp#WOW.
Key features of WOW include:
- Wider and taller sound image field
- Larger sweet spot
- Deep, rich bass tones
- Dramatic quality improvements to audio listening experience
- Improved clarity of speech from TV programs, videos and DVD movies
- Superior game audio from stereo video game consoles connected to the television speakers
About SRS Labs, Inc.
SRS Labs, Inc. (www.srslabs.com) and its subsidiaries provide advanced technology solutions for high growth consumer markets, including home theater, DVD, portable audio, wireless devices, game consoles, automotive, broadcast, Internet and personal computer software. SRS Labs, the parent company, develops the core audio and voice technologies and licenses these patented technologies to over 200 well-known manufacturers and semiconductor companies. ValenceTech, Ltd., (www.valencetech.com) SRS Labs' Hong Kong-based subsidiary, is a leading fabless application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design and manufacturing company providing analog and digital ASIC solutions to the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, gaming, telecommunications and computer products. SRS Labs' subsidiary, SRSWOWcast Technologies, (www.srstechnologies.com) focuses on the Internet and broadcast markets by developing and licensing customized hardware and software products incorporating SRS Labs' patented technologies. The information on the above-referenced websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.