DIRAC INTELLIGENT UPMIXING TECHNOLOGY LAUNCHED AT CES 2022

Dirac intelligent upmixing technology, for transforming stereo content into immersive, multichannel audio, has been launched as part of Dirac Virtuo for automotive audio, at CES 2022.

Swedish audio optimization brand Dirac has introduced the company’s content-based upmixing technology, a critical new feature of the company’s Dirac Virtuo™ solution that enables true, immersive, multichannel audio from existing stereo content.

The new feature will debut as part of the Dirac Virtuo™ spatial audio solution for automotive applications.

Dirac Intelligent Upmixing Technology is a new part of Dirac Virtuo for the automotive industry

DIRAC INTELLIGENT UPMIXING TECHNOLOGY

“With Dirac’s intelligent upmixing technology, creators no longer have to reengineer their content in immersive formats for consumers to enjoy an immersive experience,” said Mathias Johansson, Chief Product Officer at Dirac. “We are able to—in real time—create a new multichannel experience from existing stereo content while maintaining the high-fidelity sound of the original recording.”

HOW IT WORKS

Dirac tells us that the upmixing technology analyzes source content and splits it into component parts with different spatial attributes. From this real-time decomposition, the upmixing technology intelligently generates a multichannel version of the same content and distributes it to multichannel-capable sound systems. No additional surround sound processor is required.

Dirac goes on to say that unlike some multichannel processing solutions, which sometimes create audible distortions and artifacts that were not part of the original stereo recording, Dirac’s upmixing technology employs new patent-pending algorithms to minimize such effects, so the results sound accurate, natural, and immersive.

“The ability to upmix stereo content so that it sounds like a true multichannel recording – while still staying faithful to the intent of recording artist – further strengthens the value of our automotive audio solution,” Johansson continued. “We are pleased to introduce this new capability and expect it to help create new immersive experiences that many more consumers can enjoy.”

AUTOMOTIVE AUDIO

Dirac’s upmixing technology will debut first for the automotive market as part of the Dirac Virtuo spatial audio solution. Dirac Virtuo is a key component of Dirac’s Intelligent Audio Platform, the company’s modular approach to perfecting automotive sound. In cars, Dirac says that Virtuo with upmixing technology “can create a true surround-sound experience at every seat when listening to standard stereo content. The upmixing technology is customizable, so automotive sound engineers can tailor the immersive in-car experience”.

This new technology will be launching in the automotive market in Q2 2022, we shall be keeping an eye on this to see where it goes.

HiFi Pig Says: Dirac has been optimizing audio in the mobile, headphone, HiFi and automotive markets for some years now and it will be interesting to see the effects that their new technology has on creating immersive content directly from stereo.

Get all the latest Hifi News with Hifi Pig here!