Changing the Audio Landscape
Today's complex audio systems require more than just high-performance hardware to create a quality, cost-effective home theater environment. Software is playing an increasingly critical role since not only does implementing functionality in software provide the flexibility to support a wide range of features with the same hardware architecture, it enables designers to work with multiple software partners and select the best-of-class audio processing components.
In order to take advantage of the unlimited innovation available from an open marketplace, development tools that abstract audio equipment development away from particular software and hardware implementations are required. For example, the primary differences between two soundbar product lines might be the quality of the speakers used and a more advanced virtualization algorithm. Rather than designing two independent soundbar architectures, designers need to be able to easily modify speaker and algorithm choice from an application perspective. This can be achieved by creating software modules specifically for each speaker set and sound feature, allowing developers to re-use the entire hardware platform and differentiate products by using different ‘drop-in’ software modules as interchangeable components. Similarly, developers can swap out virtualization and other post-processing algorithms.
Through a combination of versatile Audio SoC hardware and advanced software development tools, developers will be able to leverage a single audio processing hardware platform across multiple product lines through the ability to optimize audio features and performance for different product price points by switching out software components in the DSP pipeline. Designers will have the option of both developing their own software components – and thereby gaining an edge from a proprietary implementation of an algorithm – or using modules available from other companies. Speaker companies, for example, will be able to gain a competitive edge by supplying the appropriate software components (i.e., abstracted driver and algorithmic code) with their speaker hardware.
An added benefit of abstraction is that of inherent protection of intellectual property. Since algorithms are treated as a ready-to-use software component, designers no longer require access to source code, so companies can freely share software components with potential partners without having to worry about compromising their intellectual property.
In addition to differentiating on virtualization technique, audio features and overall sound performance, there are several different categories of soundbar products. At one end, soundbars will focus on delivering a simple, clean ‘one-cable’ (or even wireless) connection from the TV. At the other end, soundbars will include a DVD/BluRay player, audio decoding and input source switching. Here, the soundbar the will function as the center piece of the A/V system as it is included in the video source, with inputs for cable/satellite set-top boxes and gaming consoles as well as power amplifiers and speakers. As such, this product can be considered the next generation HTiB system.
Some consumers, however, might want an even simpler installation – typically wall mounted below a new sleek flat-panel TV with minimum cabling that delivers a full rich (virtual) surround sound experience. Developers can implement such a product at a very attractive price point using a bare minimum of SoC components while fully benefiting from the previously discussed software abstraction for feature differentiation.
The Anatomy of a Soundbar
At this time, soundbars and sound projectors are typically external to flat-panel monitors. However, there will most certainly be a trend to integrate these devices into the monitors in the near future to further simplify configuration. While lower-end sound bars will still typically need a separate DVD player and surround sound processor, higher -end systems will include both of these trends nonetheless providing consumers better quality and ease of use for a given price or, alternatively, a better price for a given quality.
Integrated soundbars and sound projectors promise to bring quality surround sound to the consumer market by significantly reducing installation and configuration complexity as well as price. Through development tools that abstract the audio equipment design, developers will be able to concentrate on differentiating their products and achieving the best possible quality sound for the money.
Claus Neesgaard, Marketing Manager, MSAV Business Group, TI Vineet Ganju, Marketing Manager, Performance Audio Business Unit, TI
