[Orange County Register]
A revolution in surround sound might be one step closer to reality as the combination of DTS and SRS could accelerate the creation of a next-generation audio format delivering surround sound in a completely new way.
The paradigms of entertainment delivery are changing — there may never be another generation of physical media to deliver movies and music. And with the evolution to cloud-based media, new ways of delivering sound might be possible.
The $148 million purchase of Santa Ana-based SRS Labs by DTS Tuesday comes after the release of a next generation audio format developed by SRS that could deliver immersive 3D audio.
Multi-dimensional audio (MDA) is an audio format being developed by SRS Labs that thinks of pieces of audio as objects in 3D space. The format recently hit version 1.0 with tools being developed for audio mixers that could allow professional movies and music to be created in the new format.
With MDA an audio mix would no longer be built for specific channels. No more thinking about 2, 5 or 7 specific speaker setups because instead of audio mixers splitting audio to the left, right, back or side channels they would place sounds at X, Y and Z coordinates. The format could mean the more speakers added to a room — even some in the room or floor — and the more immersive sound begins to feel as more speakers provide additional detail. …
Read the full story here: http://ocunwired.ocregister.com/2012/04/17/dts-purchase-of-srs-about-next-generation-3d-and-cloud-based-sound/14325/