SRS Circle Surround Delivers 5.1 Multichannel Audio On Standard 2-Channel CDs

SRS Labs today announced that BMG Hong Kong is using SRS Circle Surround® technology to encode multichannel audio on BMG's new double-CD sets entitled The Celtic Circle and The Celtic Circle II.

The Circle Surround encoding system accepts any multichannel source and encodes it to a two-channel compact disc, which can then be played over a regular CD player. When that CD is played through any matrix decoder, such as those included in millions of home theater systems and A/V receivers, the CS-encoded two-channel signal is decoded into full-bandwidth surround sound. Best results are achieved from the Circle Surround II decoder, which can be found in a wide variety of home theater products from Accuphase, Kenwood, Marantz, Motorola, Theta Digital and more.

SRS says that Circle Surround encoding is 100% backward compatible with monaural audio, and even enhances the quality of stereo playback. What's more, when radio and television stations broadcast any CS-encoded content over their standard two-channel infrastructure, they are actually delivering a surround sound broadcast to their listeners without having to do anything additional to the encoded content.

"Circle Surround technology has enabled us to deliver surround sound where we couldn't before," said Edith Mok, marketing and promotion director for BMG Hong Kong. "More and more broadcasters are realizing the benefits of this technology, and in this expanding market, consumer electronics manufacturers are moving quickly to include the powerful Circle Surround decoders in their products to address the increasing market demand for surround sound and give themselves a competitive edge."

The BMG double CD sets, which are now available in Chinese stores, sell for HK $100 (approximately USD $13) and are distributed by BMG Hong Kong. Enclosed with the CDs are information sheets explaining how Circle Surround technology allows listeners with multichannel decoders in their home theater receivers, radios, car audio head units or other consumer electronics that include a matrix decoder to hear the full 5.1 surround sound experience.

About Circle Surround Encoding and Decoding

The patented Circle Surround technology is a highly versatile, multichannel audio encode and decode system capable of supporting a wide range of surround sound creation and playback applications. CS hardware and software encoders can encode up to 6.1 channels of discrete audio for distribution over existing two-channel carriers such as broadcast television, cable, streaming media over the Internet, CDs and VHS tapes. Over the past year, Circle Surround has been adopted as the surround sound format of choice by major broadcasters and content providers both in Asia such as the Guangdong Radio conglomerate in China reaching nearly 100 million listeners and TOKYO FM in Japan. In the U.S., ESPN Productions, Paramount and ABC Sports telecast their sporting events and television programs in Circle Surround.

Circle Surround and Circle Surround II decoding is capable of delivering up to 6.1 channels of audio from mono, stereo, matrix-encoded or CS-encoded source material. CS II features patented post-processing techniques to enhance the surround sound experience, including SRS Dialog Clarity(TM), which improves the intelligibility and clarity of center channel information such as dialog, and SRS TruBass®, which uses patented psychoacoustic techniques to increase bass performance from any playback system, including a subwoofer. CS has been adopted by many of the leading electronics companies as a surround decoding option, including Kenwood, Marantz, Theta Digital, Accuphase, M-Audio, Jaton, and Smart Devices. It is the most powerful, flexible and feature-rich surround decoding format available today.

SRS Labs Web Site