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BEATNIK AND TEXAS INSTRUMENTS ANNOUNCE
COLLABORATION TO DELIVER ENHANCED AUDIO APPLICATIONS TO
OMAP™ -BASED WIRELESS DEVICES
Beatnik Audio Engine™ To Be Optimized
for TI DSP-Based OMAP™ Architecture
DALLAS, Texas and SAN MATEO, Calif. - Feb. 27, 2001
- Delivering advanced audio applications to the next generation
of wireless handsets and mobile Internet appliances, Beatnik,
Inc., a leading provider of enhanced audio solutions and
content for digital devices, games and the Web, and Texas
Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:TXN), today announced
that Beatnik will optimize the Beatnik® Audio Engine™
(BAE™) for TI's programmable digital signal processor
(DSP)-based OMAP™ architecture. This strategic relationship
will give consumers using OMAP-based mobile Internet devices
access to high quality music and sound effects without extensive
download times or storage. http://www.ti.com/sc/omap
TI and Beatnik will enable manufacturers to easily design
the next generation of wireless devices with scalable and
high-quality audio capabilities, applications and services.
The BAE provides audio-based personalization and premium
sound quality in consumer entertainment applications. For
example, the BAE dramatically enhances the sound quality
of ring-tones, games and user interface sounds on digital
devices including mobile phones and PDAs.
"Beatnik will take full advantage of OMAP's ultra
low power programmable DSP technology by optimizing the
BAE for TI's OMAP architecture, to enable a wide range of
compelling applications," said Lorraine Hariton, CEO
and president of Beatnik, Inc. "This solidifies our
goal to deliver enhanced audio and music to a broad range
of wireless devices."
The BAE enables users to experience CD-quality audio and
music through a variety of digital devices including mobile
phones, PDAs and set-top boxes using extremely small file
sizes and BAE memory footprint. It does not require special
hardware and provides a low bandwidth audio solution for
digital devices. The BAE can play back popular formats such
as MP3, WAV, AIFF and enhances MIDI by adding custom samples
to recreate the original sound of the music. This expanded
capacity gives developers an unprecedented variety of sounds
to use in their creative productions.
The BAE's true strength is its ability to play Rich Music
Format™ (RMF®) files. RMF files are very compact
and play back instantly when started. This technology makes
it possible to create truly interactive audio environments
and games on the Web and digital devices. RMF files are
typically in the range of 10k to 400K while the equivalent
MP3 file would be 1MB to 4MB.
In TI's DSP-based OMAP architecture, the BAE also functions
as an audio management subsystem to mix and balance various
audio file formats, including streaming audio, into a single
data stream that can be output to the speaker or headsets.
The application program interfaces will be exposed through
various operating systems to allow third party applications
developers to take advantage of the BAE's audio capabilities.
"Beatnik's advanced audio engine and content offers
wireless consumers high quality music and sound effects
without requiring extensive download times or storage"
said Alain Mutricy, TI's director of worldwide wireless
communications. "By leveraging the OMAP processor's
high performance, low power DSP functionality, consumers
will be able to enjoy an enhanced acoustic experience for
significantly longer periods of time."
Unveiled in May 1999, TI's programmable DSP-based OMAP
architecture delivers advanced wireless Internet and multimedia
functionality without compromising the battery life essential
to wireless communications devices such as digital wireless
handsets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and Internet
audio devices. TI's OMAP architecture is quickly becoming
the de facto standard applications platform for 2.5G and
3G with public endorsements by manufacturers such as Nokia,
Ericsson, Sony and Handspring. Additionally, Symbian's EPOC
operating system, Microsoft Window's CE operating system,
Sun Microsystems' Java 2 Micro Edition platform are endorsed
and supported on the OMAP processor available today.
About Beatnik, Inc.
Beatnik offers scalable, high-quality audio solutions for
digital devices, games and the Web through a combination
of technology, content and services. Beatnik's solution
includes a line of platform applications, production music,
sound content and the Mixman software product line, enabling
the integration of enhanced audio. Beatnik develops, markets
and sells its sonification technology to a community of
creative professionals, technology licensees and consumers
- enabling them to build and interact with music and sound.
Incorporated in 1996, Beatnik was founded by musician and
composer Thomas Dolby Robertson. Mixman Technologies, Inc.
was acquired by Beatnik in December 1999.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated is the world leader in digital
signal processing and analog technologies, the semiconductor
engines of the Internet age. The company's businesses also
include sensors and controls, and educational and productivity
solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has
manufacturing or sales operations in more than 25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the
World Wide Web at: http://www.ti.com
© Beatnik, Inc. & ™ or ®
as indicated. All rights reserved. Other names may be trademarks
of their respective owners.
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