Google Extends License Agreement for AAC Codec Range With Fraunhofer IIS

As the primary developer of the xHE-AAC audio codec and co-inventor of the MPEG AAC family of audio codecs, Fraunhofer IIS announced the extension of its AAC family software license agreement with Google. The MPEG AAC codec family is widely used in over 10 billion consumer products globally and provides use-case-optimized features such as high-quality multi-channel audio, ultra low bitrates for all audio content types, low delay, adaptive streaming and metadata support.

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, the inventor of mp3 and primary developer of the xHE-AAC and MPEG-H Audio standards, announced that NXP Semiconductors has licensed Fraunhofer’s MPEG audio SDK. The complete software package covers four generations of audio codecs, from legacy MPEG Layer-1/2/3 to the next-generation MPEG-H 3D Audio standard and the AAC codec family, including xHE-AAC. NXP will incorporate these codecs in home entertainment product development, from set-top boxes and soundbars to smart speakers.

With the release of the Android P beta 3 preview, Fraunhofer IIS announces a new version of the popular FDK library which has been a part of Android since 2012. The FDK2 version will bring several new technologies to Android OEMs, service providers and developers, including xHE-AAC for video and music delivery down to 12kbit/s for stereo sound and MPEG-D DRC dynamic range control for better listening in noisy environments. An important update for a very fragmented platform.