Although reluctant to abandon the "dbx" name, the business unit of THAT Corporation has long evolved beyond the scope of TV sound, while its modern DSP technologies are now applied to all types of audio products with speakers. "I am proud to re-introduce us as Total Sonics, a reflection of both our mission and our core strength — improving audio experiences in the home by creating efficient, easy-to-use audio processing and calibration software," says Timothy Brault, Director of Sales and Marketing.
Following a remarkable run with its original analog signal processing and noise-reduction systems since the company's foundation in 1971, dbx changed ownership multiple times, until its OEM business was spun off, creating THAT Corporation. Later, its professional audio division was sold to Orban, AKG, and subsequently Harman. In 1994, the original dbx-tv licensing program was purchased by THAT and remains as one of the company's three business divisions. Gradually dbx-tv evolved beyond solutions for TV sound, and its growing suite of DSP audio enhancement technologies have now originated the name change to Total Sonics.
A History of Sound Quality
The original dbx-tv audio processing has long enabled fantastic sound quality in televisions, with deployment in over 1 billion devices worldwide. In the early 1980's, the Broadcast Television Systems Committee (BTSC) solicited proposals for companding methods to ensure noise-free stereo sound in its new TV audio broadcast system. The legendary dbx Inc., responded with the "dbx-tv" noise reduction system, unanimously selected by the BTSC over competitors from Dolby, Telefunken, and CBS. The Academy of TV Arts and Sciences selected dbx-tv for a technical Emmy Award in 1984, and dbx went on to license dbx-tv to every manufacturer of TVs, VCRs, and broadcast equipment in the world.
dbx Inc. was later broken up, with different entities acquiring rights to its various businesses. In 1989, the dbx business unit responsible for integrated circuits and analog noise reduction boards was spun off as "THAT Corporation." Until today, THAT continues to produce best-in-class analog audio ICs and offer outside foundry services as the industry's only IC production facility primarily focused on high-performance audio applications.
THAT acquired all of TV sound technology patents in 1994, launching the "dbx-tv" business unit to license technology to the TV industry. dbx-tv then armed the digital TV revolution with digital implementations of the BTSC encoder and all of the world's analog TV audio decoders. Following the digital TV transition, dbx-tv changed its focus to licensing efficient, effective, and easy-to-use audio processing and calibration solutions to improve audio experiences in the home.
The first problem to tackle was obnoxiously obvious – universally scorned, too-loud commercials! World renowned dbx-style compression, now delivered digitally by THAT, provided the perfect solution as Total Volume loudness control. At the same time, TV set designs were trending toward slimmer cabinets and bezels, leaving no room for full-sized, front-facing speakers with proper separation. Audio quality suffered, yet design and budget constraints left manufacturers without viable hardware solutions. Processing to get the best possible sound from challenging drivers was needed, inspiring the patented Total Sonics audio processing suite.
Using clever dynamic EQ, Total Sonics processing optimizes the device’s electroacoustic response to extend bass performance without creating distortion. Total Bass psychoacoustic bass extension, the latest addition to the Total Sonics suite, further extends the perceived frequency response of speakers beyond their physical capabilities by tricking the brain into hearing pitches not actually there. The one-two punch of Total Bass and dynamic EQ ensures low-frequency sounds are enjoyed on products of any size, from portable speakers to mobile devices.
Augmented by novel combinations of Total Surround and Total Volume algorithms, Total Sonics also stabilizes then expands the sound field to create an enveloping experience with consistently clear dialog, altogether solving the primary audio quality issues facing consumers.
The company's next challenge came directly from TV manufacturers - the time needed to tune an incredible number of unique TV models in the face of accelerated design cycles and shrinking budgets. This required automated tuning for the Total Sonics suite, resulting in the Total Cal Pro measurement and calibration system. The genius of Total Cal Pro lies largely within its patented genetic EQ algorithm, inspired by founder Les Tyler’s co-invention of the first automatic EQ. Armed with knowledge of the device's performance, the speedy Genetic EQ adapts Total Sonics' parameters to meet one or more frequency response targets chosen by the designer and delivers a customized tuning for each unique combination of driver, amplifier, and enclosure.
This breakthrough allows manufacturers to achieve "their sound" in minutes instead of days or weeks of trial and error, an achievement which earned the 2012 IMS Research TV Innovation Award in the Audio Experience category.
The Immersive Era
The next opportunity for the company arose as the demand for immersive audio went largely unmet due to its complexity and expense to create, deliver, and reproduce. The Total Immersion universal height rendering system, a customized implementation of technology from partners at Psy(x) Research, solves the issue by delivering an immersive audio experience from any decoded content with as few as two speakers. Unlike metadata-based schemes that require special content and connections, Total Immersion "just works" in any scenario — be it an object-based stream, a low-bitrate stream over Bluetooth, or even a VHS tape!
Total Immersion represents just one piece of Psy(x)'s universally compatible immersive audio chain. Psy(x)'s mixing tools encapsulate spatially discrete immersive content into a single two-channel deliverable compatible with existing broadcast and delivery systems. In the home, the algorithms powering Total Immersion can render an elevating immersive experience - with or without dedicated height speakers.
Total Cal
The next frontier in improving audio experiences for consumers lies in customized audio processing for each unique home environment. The company's Total Cal in-home tuning system brings powerful algorithms from Total Cal Pro to consumers via the cloud to tackle problems created by speaker placement and room acoustics. In seconds, Total Cal guides users through measuring the device's performance at different listening-positions then adjusts the Total Sonics suite’s parameters to compensate for acoustics issues, faithfully restoring the designer’s sonic signature in the product’s new home.
Relying on the mics in the user's phone and the efficient Total Sonics suite running in the SoC already factored into the device's BOM, Total Cal requires no additional hardware to implement – a stark departure from existing solutions. Total Cal’s low integration cost and familiar mobile interface are a significant evolution beyond the traditional approach, bringing room correction into more homes by making it accessible on a wider range of audio products. Total Cal in-home audio tuning system has been selected as a CES 2023 Innovation Award Honoree.
Total Sonics is offering Total Cal to TV and speaker OEM/ODM manufacturers as a companion application to the company's complete suite of audio post-processing solutions. Total Sonics has proven these innovative technologies perform well not just on TVs, but also on professional and consumer speakers, phones and tablets, computers, and other devices.
The new identity as Total Sonics will project this vision.
www.totalsonics.com
