Virage Logic intros new Sonic Focus PC audio enrichment IP

2010 COMPUTEX TAIPEI, TAIWAN & FREMONT, USA: Virage Logic Corp. announced that ASUSTeK Computer Inc. has licensed Virage Logic's new Sonic Focus PC audio enrichment IP. The entire line of Sonic Focus audio software, including the new Sonic Focus PC, will ship on the new ASUS N43, N53, NX90 and N73 notebooks as part of ASUS’ exclusive SonicMaster audio suite—a raft of hardware and software enhancements developed in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower.

Enriched by Virage Logic's Sonic Focus IP, ASUS notebook PCs with SonicMaster technology count among their industry-leading audio capabilities the ability to deliver a lifelike audio listening experience with the sensation of a live performance.

"ASUS’ exclusive SonicMaster technology made its debut on the NX90 notebook at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January, and Virage Logic’s Sonic Focus audio enrichment IP contributed to the unanimous acclaim it garnered,” said Henry Huang, Senior Specialist, ASUS.

"Virage Logic’s new Sonic Focus PC forms an integral part of our SonicMaster audio enrichment solution, which can now be found on our new series of notebooks, including the N43, N53, and N73. SonicMaster addresses the handicaps plaguing notebook audio in the past by providing oversized resonance chambers and specially-placed speakers, which eliminate vibration and audible distortion.

"Through the inclusion of the new Sonic Focus PC audio enrichment IP, ASUS notebooks with SonicMaster are capable of delivering audio with enhanced spatial and dynamic impact, ensuring that consumers hear vocals and surround true to the artists’ original intent."

“We are delighted to bring this next generation Sonic Focus PC audio enrichment IP to ASUS’s expanding notebook customer base,” said Dr. Yankin Tanurhan, vice president and general manager of Virage Logic’s Processor, SoC Infrastructure and NVM Solutions business units.

“Virage Logic’s new Sonic Focus PC delivers best-in-class audio post processing software providing listeners with audio reproduction that has been missing on legacy products: an immersive, life-like audio experience that does not promote user fatigue during extended listening, the problem most observed with competitive PC audio technology solutions. ASUS’ selection of Virage Logic’s Sonic Focus PC as part of its SonicMaster suite for three additional notebook products (combined with a Bang & Olufsen ICEpower-designed audio reproduction system) is an indication of the value that ASUS places on audio quality as a differentiating competitive solution.”

According to Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research: “In 2009, 96 million people worldwide bought PCs for entertainment purposes.”

While PC manufacturers have concentrated on enhancing the visual experience, innovative manufacturers such as ASUS recognized that enriching the audio experience offers as much if not more competitive differentiation. Every notebook PC shipped today contains tiny speakers mounted in cramped enclosures.

ASUS SonicMaster with Virage Logic’s Sonic Focus PC is the only audio enrichment solution that can compensate for these shortcomings and produce a listening experience resembling that from a much larger home theater system.