GENEVA –HARMAN, the premium global
audio and infotainment group (NYSE:HAR), is showcasing a new,
proprietary software solution at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, which
automatically analyzes and improvesthe audio quality of compressed,
digitized music sources. The technology, called Clari-Fi, leverages
HARMAN’s experience in music recording, signal processing and
psychoacoustics to naturally restore the full sound that is forfeited in
the compression process. With a strong reception from automakers and
mobile device providers at the Consumer Electronics Show in January,
Clari-Finow is featured in HARMAN’s new JBL Authentics Series wireless
home entertainment sound systems and will be incorporated into a range
of Home, Multimedia, and Automotive products in the coming year.
In today’s
increasingly mobile world, audio formats have morphed from vinyl LP’s
and CD’s to digitized data files downloaded to smartphones and streamed
through satellite radio and music services like Pandora® and Spotify™.
This maximum mobility is made possible by compression processes that
create smaller, more portable digitized music files. While compression
technology enables easy access to audio content on the go, this process
fundamentally alters the music source, discarding up to 90 percent of
the audio content captured during the original recording. Clari-Fi was
developed to address this deterioration of audio quality.
“With
compressed digitized files, we are often deprived of enjoying our music
the way the artist intended,” said Dinesh C. Paliwal, Chairman,
President and CEO of HARMAN. “We know from our research that listeners
-- even Millennials, who have grown up with compressed music as their
reference -- prefer the best possible sound quality from their devices.
Clari-Fi is a significant and unique technological advancement that
brings music back to life for a richer, uncompromised listening
experience whether at home, in the car or on the go.”
Clari-Fi
is superior to competitive solutions because it does not blindly add
equalization, bass boost, or other effects that alter the intended
listening experience. It encompasses a proprietary predictive model that
intelligently and accurately recreates the lost information based on
the existing compressed content. It also does not require any user
intervention because it is designed to run in the background,
automatically adjusting the amount of correction it applies based on the
quality of the input signal. For example, while it will add no
correction to a CD-quality signal, Clari-Fi will add a heavy dose of
correction to the most compressed signals, such as satellite radio.
Specifically,
Clari-Fi removes unwanted added effects like echo and distortion; it
restores the crisp detail and clarity of high frequency sounds like
cymbals, which can be muddied in compressed sources; it sharpens dynamic
sounds like percussion instruments, which can be smeared or dulled by
compression; it takes a flat, compressed vocal and brings back the
intimacy of the original performance; it rebuilds the stereo image that
is often compromised by compression, creating a natural, wide
soundstage; and it restores the musical depth that is lost when
instruments and vocals are compressed to the same volume.
Clari-Fi
can be integrated into any HARMAN in-car audio system via the amplifier
or head unit, providing automakers limitless possibilities to further
enhance in-car listening experiences. It is available to all automakers
and also will begin launching in vehicles in 2014.
HARMAN at Geneva Motor Show 2014:
Visit
HARMAN during the Geneva Motor Show 2014 at its joint booth 6240 with
Rinspeed in hall 6 for a demonstration of HARMAN’s portfolio of
infotainment and in-car audio solutions. Follow HARMAN online during
the Geneva Motor Show 2014:
- Find more Geneva news at the HARMAN Newsroom
- Like HARMAN on Facebook
- Check out our YouTube Channel
- Follow HARMAN on Twitter @harmannews
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