THX Joins the Alliance for Open Media to Help Develop Immersive Audio Open Format

The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) announced that THX has joined the organization and its efforts, currently being promoted by Google to create an alternative immersive audio open format to rival Dolby Laboratories’ widely successful licensed technologies. As a member of AOMedia, THX says it will collaborate with the Alliance’s community of Internet and media technology member companies to drive open standards for cutting-edge video, audio, and multimedia advancements worldwide.
The Alliance for Open Media was launched in 2015 to define and develop technologies to address marketplace demand for open standards for media compression and delivery spanning video, audio, still images, and immersive technologies. Current board-level members include Amazon, Apple, Cisco, Google, Intel, Meta, Microsoft, Mozilla, Netflix, NVIDIA, Samsung Electronics and Tencent. In 2023, the organization proposed an Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF) Container Specification that the organization says will enable ecosystem-wide innovation in the Immersive/Spatial audio domain. The initiative has been mainly driven by Google Open Media, looking at an open format alternative for User Generated Content (UGC) and professional audio applications, which Google will support for Youtube content.

Founded in 1983 by filmmaker George Lucas to focus on cinema sound, then rivaling Dolby, THX today licenses its THX Spatial Audio and patent-rich THX AAA audio technologies, apart from continuing to offer its THX Certification commercial services for cinema, home, and mobile lifestyle electronics. Since 2016, THX is owned by Razer, the global lifestyle brand for gamers.

THX audio and video technology experts will contribute to advancing the development and adoption of high-performance video codecs, including AV1, which is the Alliance’s main current technology achievement, enabling high-quality video streaming. THX says that it will aid AOMedia’s efforts in creating open audio codecs that deliver high-quality sound for modern multimedia applications.

“Since our inception, THX has remained dedicated to helping consumers enjoy content the way the creator intended it to be enjoyed. This has made us the leading experts in audio and video fidelity for all entertainment,” shares Tuyen Pham, chief executive officer, THX. “Immersive media formats are a key component to experiencing true-to-life entertainment. We are pleased to join other leaders in the field to bring an open-source approach with AOMedia to make this mission a reality. This new format will help to bring to market many new innovative features fostering outstanding new user experiences.”

THX also says that its efforts will help AOMedia explore new use cases, technical advancements, and adoption strategies that promote a more open media ecosystem.

"We’re excited to welcome THX to AOMedia, reflecting our joint commitment to improve open media in new and cutting-edge ways,” states Matt Frost, chairperson of AOMedia. "We look forward to collaborating with THX in our shared goal of developing and encouraging the rapid adoption of open web media technologies while ensuring the quality of those new media experiences across various devices and platforms." THX has joined several AOMedia working groups, including the group focused on IAMF (Immersive Audio Model and Formats), the new open-source immersive audio technology being developed by Google for integration in its own YouTube streaming services and proprietary browser Chrome. THX brings to the working group more than four decades of cinematic experience developing high-fidelity certifications, technologies, and standards for the proliferation of excellent entertainment experiences everywhere. “THX supports AOMedia’s belief that an open-source approach will help expand the use of next-generation immersive multimedia formats by creators across all entertainment categories,” the company states in the announcement.
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