NXP Brings Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to the Masses with its New Immersiv3D Audio Solution

Following a showcase at CES 2019, NXP Semiconductors announced its Immersiv3D audio solution, combining NXP software on its i.MX 8M Mini applications processor with support both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive audio technologies. The i.MX 8M Mini SoC also brings smart capabilities like voice control to a broader range of consumer devices including soundbars, smart speakers, and AV receivers with the option for adding additional speakers to distribute smart voice control and immersive audio throughout the home.

Google announced it is scaling back Android Things as a general-purpose IoT platform. Android Things will now focus solely on OEM-built smart speakers and displays. Google is discontinuing public access to i.MX8M, Snapdragon, and MediaTek based production modules for the OS. The ARM-based production boards from Innocomm, Intrinsyc, and MediaTek that Google was reselling to vendors with pre-loaded Android Things will no longer be publicly supported.

During CES 2019, CEVA, a leading licensor of signal processing platforms and artificial intelligence processors, introduced WhisPro, a Neural Network based speech recognition technology targeting the rapidly growing use of voice as a primary human interface for intelligent cloud-based services and edge devices. WhisPro provides Trigger Phrase SDKit for always-on devices, extending CEVA's intelligent sound IP portfolio, and offering developers a holistic solution for cloud-based or edge voice-controlled devices.

At CES 2019, Voxtok, the Sound division of entertainment software platform Netgem, will be showing Music Avenue, a fully personalized audio service designed for TV, which operates through the Smart Soundbar of iconic brand Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Combining the two best-selling speaker categories currently in the market, the RCA Smart Soundbar supports Amazon Alexa voice interactions and will be unveiled also at the annual Las Vegas consumer electronics show.

There was a time when listening to a radio station meant being within the antenna coverage area, which for low power FM stations also meant a restricted local audience. Today, all that changed and radio content is available on-demand over the Internet. But while tuning a radio was not so hard, getting the right audio content online still needs some work. Enter VOIZ, which combined the latest audio and voice-control technologies in a "retro futuristic" receiver, using premium materials to create VOIZ AiRadio, the first “Radio You Can Talk To”.

The CES Innovation Awards is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. As in previous years, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced the CES 2019 Innovation Honorees, including those products recognized as Best of Innovation Honorees, during the annual CES Unveiled event in New York. This year's nominees have a strong focus on sustainable and eco-friendly concepts. Audio products highlighted in the Innovation Awards include many surprises, including a Best of Innovation tube amplifier!