MAX•D Sound has developed an audio process that improves sound quality in all forms of entertainment, from music and movies to video games, without increasing the size of the original file. In its quest to identify real-time applications of this audio processing capability, MAX•D has ported its its algorithm to Qualcomm Inc.’s Hexagon™ DSP. As a result of this engagement with Qualcomm, MAX•D says it is experiencing several business and technical opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be available.
“Working with Qualcomm Technologies has opened doors to big companies in this space whose attention we wouldn’t normally get. As a result of the Uplinq conference alone we’ve become engaged with over a dozen companies that can see the value of having MAX•D audio technology in their devices,” John Blaisure, CEO of MAX•D previously stated.
MAX•D in the past had demonstrated its ability to improve quality on cellular voice calls. To maximize this feature, the company needed an app-level player that ran audio streams through MAX•D’s algorithms with deep integration into the mobile device.
Qualcomm earlier this fall opened its Hexagon DSP core to third-party programmers and was asked to license the technology for others to use. So when MAX•D approached Qualcomm for licensing or partnership opportunities, the industry giant noted that improving cellular voice calls was an unaddressed opportunity.
“At first, Qualcomm Technologies told us that some established names were already licensed to provide audio processing on Snapdragon,” says John Blaisure, CEO of MAX•D. “But nobody was yet licensed to improve the cellular voice call, and they suggested we start there. Considering how much of the mobile device ecosystem we could cover by developing for Snapdragon™ and Hexagon, this was an opportunity well worth pursuing.”
Through further research, MAX•D decided that the best way to integrate the MAX•D technology would be in the post-processing modules in Snapdragon, through which all Android audio streams passed. MAX•D then obtained the Hexagon SDK and began porting its libraries into the DSP.
Upon testing the first working proof of concept on the Snapdragon S4 mobile development platform, MAX•D found the sound quality to be just what it was looking for, and continued its plans to test the integration on the newer Snapdragon 800 MDP/Tablet.
The company continues to advance its applications and transform a traditionally expensive hardware upgrade into a simple and lower-cost software upgrade.
“At Uplinq this year, we demonstrated that MAX•D makes a clearly audible difference,” says Blaisure. We also showed Qualcomm Technologies’ OEM customers that it’s possible to brand the technology, chip and company behind that difference and, even more important, measure consumer response to that difference. We’ve proved to the industry that we can educate consumers about audio on the device and create a consumer buying decision around it.”
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