Creative announces Xi-Fi audio processor

[Thresh]

Creative has just announced their successor to Audigy, Xi-Fi. CREAF claims the new chip is 24 times more powerful than its predecessor. Here's the PR:

 

MILPITAS, Calif. May 12, 2005 Creative Technology Ltd. (NASDAQ: CREAF), a worldwide leader in digital entertainment solutions for PC users and the creator of Sound Blaster?, today announced two major breakthroughs in audio technology: Xtreme Fidelity, the new standard in audio, and the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor. The combination of Xtreme Fidelity and the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor provides dramatic improvements to the recording and playback of MP3 music, accelerates and improves PC game play, enhances listening experiences for movies, and improves the capabilities, performance and quality of audio creation.

 

Xtreme Fidelity

Xtreme Fidelity sets a new standard for audio by supporting a combination of 24-bit quality, stunning audio clarity with a minimum of 110db SNR and the new CMSS? (Creative Multi Speaker Surround) 3D headphone and surround speaker technology. Consumers will be able to upgrade their existing CD and MP3 music to the Xtreme Fidelity standard, using applications that can run on the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor. Being able to upgrade an existing library of music to Xtreme Fidelity differentiates it from other high-end music standards such as DVD-A and SACD, which offer limited selection and require consumers to repurchase their music in that specific format. When consumers upgrade their CD or MP3 music to the new Xtreme Fidelity standard, they will be able to experience playback that sounds better than its original CD recording.

 

Xtreme Fidelity is the result of our vision of a new audio standard which would provide a dramatic improvement in MP3 music, PC game play and digital movies, thereby setting the stage for a whole new platform for digital entertainment in the home, said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. To deliver on the vision of Xtreme Fidelity we created the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor, which makes a quantum leap in quality, power and performance that cuts across the entire audio space. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor is truly awesome, and the experience of Xtreme Fidelity will astound people.

 

The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio Processor The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor has more than 51 million transistors, and is capable of 10,000+ MIPS. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor is 24 times more powerful than its predecessor, and is designed with multiple engines, so it can dynamically direct resources through a modular architecture to completely change the way audio is managed for any application. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor provides key modes that are optimized for experiences with MP3 music, gaming, movies and audio creation. Each mode is configured to dynamically dedicate the processors power to deliver only the features, quality and capabilities that the user requires.

 

CD and MP3 Music

All CD music is in 16-bit resolution, which is typically compressed from an original 24-bit studio recording. When converting CD music to MP3 format, the music is compressed yet again. These types of compression result in a compromise of audio quality and clarity. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor drives new applications that can enhance MP3s by bringing them back to 24-bit quality, and allows the user to upgrade the music to multi-channel surround sound. This enhancement enables virtually all MP3 music to sound even better than it did on the original CDs.

 

PC Gaming

Game developers and PC gamers want their games to run at the fastest frame rate. This has at times caused them to compromise audio quality and realism by reducing the number of simultaneous effects or turning off audio altogether, because the audio requires so much processing power that it slows the frame rate. This significantly reduces the quality of the gaming experience and can put gamers at a competitive disadvantage. With the power and performance of the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor, gamers will actually be able to experience accelerated frame rates during game play with all the effects turned on. In addition, game developers will now be able to make their audio environments in games even more realistic as they can build to the powerful new platform of Xtreme Fidelity.

 

The Xtreme Fidelity standard provides a new extension of the EAX? Environmental Audio standard that was invented by Creative and is found in virtually all top PC game titles used today. With the new Xtreme Fidelity platform, Creative will deliver the fifth generation of EAX, which will immediately support hundreds of top games that are already available.

 

DVD and Downloaded Movies

Many people who watch DVDs or downloaded movies on their PCs want to use headphones so they can listen at whatever volume they want without bothering others. Although this keeps the volume from disturbing others, the headphones do not deliver the compelling surround sound experience available with a multi-channel speaker system. With the processing power and performance of the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor, listeners will be able to enjoy the Creative Multi Speaker Surround 3D headphone technology, which provides the experience of a multi-channel speaker system through virtually any headphones.

 

Enhanced Audio Creation

The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor is designed to deliver pristine audio recording quality, with advanced features and effects for music and audio creation. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor features an SRC engine that is so precise that any audio resolution is converted to any other resolution at near transparency with 136db THD+N and digital-matched recordings in resolutions from 44.1kHz to 96kHz. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor also supports ASIO recording with latency as low as one millisecond with zero CPU load. The Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor delivers so much power, performance, quality and capability that it will be also used by E-MU Systems, the Creative Professional audio business, for future desktop authoring solutions designed for professional musicians.

 

Experience Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Audio Processor Applications at e3 Creative will be providing a sneak preview of the new applications made possible by the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor at e3 2005 in Los Angeles, from May 18-20. To view the demonstrations, or to get more information about the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor and Xtreme Fidelity, visit booth 2228 in the West Hall during show hours.

 

For more information about the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor and Xtreme Fidelity, visit http://www.soundblaster.com

 

Ante gia na doume...8a vgoun kapote?

[leukonas]

Petamena leyta.....

[Dark Scizor]

Αν κάνει όσα ισχυρίζεται η Creative, θα αξίζει και το τελευταίο σεντ!

[Narayan]

Άραγε ισχυρίζονται ότι το Xi-Fi έχει ανώτερη ποιότητα από DVD-Audio και SACD για να κουκουλώσουν την απώλεια της συμβατότητας με τα συγκεκριμένα φορμά; Ας βγουν δισκάκια που υποστηρίζουν Xi-Fi πρώτα (που δεν θα βγουν αν δεν γίνει πρώτα αμιγώς κονσουμεράδικο σαν στάνταρ, όπως τα mp3 και DivX) και μετά κουβεντιάζουμε.

 

Όσοι έτρεξαν να πάρουν την Audigy4 πάντως θα τρίβουν ήδη τα χέρια τους. Η πίστη σε ένα συγκεκριμένο consumer brand μπορεί να κάνει πολλούς να ακούν "παπάδες"

[Papajohn]

Δηλαδή να μη πάρω κάρτα ήχου και ηχεία αυτη τη περίοδο ε;

[papadakn]

πριν 5 μέρες αγόρασα την audigy 2 zs 67 ευρώ. Σε σχέση με την Onboard Που είχα πριν (nf2 mobo) παρατήρησα μεγάλη διαφορά στην ένταση του ήχου και σημαντικα μικρότερη στην ποιότητα(καλύτερη μεν αλλα όχι εντυπωσιακά δε). Πραγματικά θα το σκεφτώ πάρα πολύ για να αγοράσω νέα κάρτα ήχου και αυτό μόνο εαν πειστώ πως θα έχει μετρήσιμη διαφορά απο το τωρινό μου setup.

[tzinos]

kserei kaneis pote peripou bgainei kai poso peripou tha kostizei? Exo onboard sound kai hxeia logitech z680, nomizo oti xaramizontai ta hxeia xoris mia kalh soundcard. An einai mexri kana 150 ri euro isos aksizei na perimeno na bgei anti na paro mia audigy zs.

[coby]

Creative Technology Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital entertainment solutions for PC users and the creator of Sound Blaster, announced that early testing of the Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity audio processor revealed that it delivers a 17 percent frame rate increase in this summer’s hottest PC games.

 

http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=1946&cid=2

[Thresh]

kserei kaneis pote peripou bgainei kai poso peripou tha kostizei? Exo onboard sound kai hxeia logitech z680, nomizo oti xaramizontai ta hxeia xoris mia kalh soundcard. An einai mexri kana 150 ri euro isos aksizei na perimeno na bgei anti na paro mia audigy zs.

 

agagaga edw den exoun anakoinwsei ta montela pou 8a vgoun 8a 3eroume kai timh? :p

[tzinos]

ftouuu

 

eida sto site kai elege

 

"time to next release of xi-fi info" 19 meres

 

kai nomiza oti htan time remained gia na kykloforhsoun oi kartes kia oxi gia info! gi auto rotisa timh.