Interactive Spatial Audio Composition Technology and EAX 4.0 API Demonstrated
At Game Developers Conference
MILPITAS, Calif., March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Creative Technology Ltd. (Nasdaq: CREAF), a worldwide leader in digital
entertainment for PC users, today announced groundbreaking new audio
technologies for simultaneous rendering of multiple environments and creation
of interactive multi-channel content for PC game development. Creative will
demonstrate its newest audio innovations in exhibit #ES234 at the Game
Developers Conference in San Jose, California from today through March 8.
EAX(R) 4.0
With the introduction of the new Sound Blaster(R) Audigy(TM) processor in
2001 and the quick adoption of the first EAX(R) ADVANCED HD(TM) API (EAX 3.0)
by the game development community, the Sound Blaster Audigy sound cards, which
support EAX ADVANCED HD, have become the premiere PC gaming audio platform.
Taking 3D game audio to even greater levels of realism and detail, Creative is
introducing the fourth generation of its highly successful PC 3D audio
enhancement API, and is further increasing its lead over basic EAX-capable
soundcards and host-based audio systems.
EAX 4.0 introduces the spatialization of multiple reverberant environments
along with an extensible library of audio effects algorithms. The
Multi-Environment(TM) feature of the EAX 4.0 API allows for the rendering of
multiple, simultaneous audio environments and effects in real time.
Developers can now create tremendously rich and highly defined audio
landscapes, by placing different 3D environments around the listener. The EAX
4.0 API also offers a host of new effects algorithms, allowing developers to
incorporate studio effects such as chorus, flanger, frequency shifter, echo
and many more, within a mixing framework analogous to traditional studio
production systems.
"Game audio is moving forward in leaps and bounds," says George Thorn,
director of developer relations for Creative Labs. "More and more developers
are making significant investments in the time they spend on audio
implementation for their games. By offering authoring tools that make
realistic audio development simple and easy, we are helping game developers
push the limits and take full advantage of our unique EAX ADVANCED HD audio
platforms. Based on the success we've had with the first EAX ADVANCED HD API,
we expect to see game titles with EAX 4.0 support later this year."
Like previous versions of EAX, EAX 4.0 can be used with either OpenAL(TM)
or Microsoft(R) DirectSound(R) 3D.
ISACT
Along with the release of the new EAX 4.0 API, Creative is introducing a
revolutionary new 3D audio format called the "Interactive Spatial Audio
Composition Technology" (ISACT). There is also an accompanying authoring tool
called the ISACT Production Studio that can be used for creating interactive,
multi-channel, 3D spatialized music and sound effects for games and other
multimedia applications. This innovative new audio format can save content
providers significant development time without sacrificing quality or forcing
compromises.
Traditionally, a developer would have to create multiple versions of the
same content for different speaker configurations -- one for 5.1 speaker
set-up, one for 4.1, and yet another for 2.1. With ISACT, developers only
need to deliver one set of multi-channel content, because ISACT will
automatically scale to the number of speakers connected to a playback system.
Unlike other formats, which assign audio tracks to a specific output, ISACT
pans the audio tracks using 3D spatial coordinates. Playback systems such as
the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 sound card then mix the audio tracks using these
ISACT coordinates and deliver content according to the speaker set up.
ISACT content is not limited to games. Any applications requiring
multi-channel audio can benefit from this exciting new audio format.
Creative's EAX 4.0 and ISACT Production Studio will be made available to game
developers in the summer of 2003. For more information about these
revolutionary technologies, contact Creative's Developer Relations at
http://developer.creative.com/leftmenu/DC_LM_Contact.asp .
About Creative
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC
users. Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the
multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC
platform with products like its highly acclaimed NOMAD(R) Jukebox MP3 player.
Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and
services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality
digital entertainment -- anytime, anywhere.
This announcement relates to products launched in the United States of
America. The product names, content, prices and availability are subject to
change and may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and
requirements. Sound Blaster, EAX, Audigy, EAX ADVANCED HD, OpenAL and
Multi-Environment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative
Technology Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. NOMAD is a
registered trademark of Aonix and is used by Creative Technology Ltd. and/or
its affiliates under license. All other brand and/or product names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are hereby
recognized as such.
SOURCE Creative Technology Ltd.
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Related links:
http://www.creative.com
CONTACT:
USA, Phil O'Shaughnessy, Public Relations of
Creative Technology Ltd., +1-408-546-6773, or
poshaughnessy@creative.com
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