UPPSALA, SWEDEN, 11 April 2017 — Nearly one month after raising over USD $4.85-million from new and current investors, Dirac Research, the global leader in platform-optimized sound enhancement technology, today announced that they’ve been awarded an additional $250K in research funding from Swedish government innovation agency Vinnova for a project pertaining to 3D audio recording for consumer devices. According to Dirac cofounder and CEO Mathias Johansson, the project will leverage the capabilities of their breakthrough Dirac VR audio platform, which debuted in January at CES 2017.
“2016 marked a major breakthrough in photography with the introduction and mass adoption of 360-degree image capturing through consumer devices such as smartphones and 360-degree cameras. No longer is our digital photography confined to the visual plane that exists squarely in front of the photographer,” stated Johansson. “However, an even more exciting breakthrough will occur when consumers are able to capture immersive 360-degree video from their smartphones and share it in real-time with the world, transporting viewers to, say, the front row of a concert or courtside at a basketball game. The aim of this project is to develop the 3D audio platform prototype to make immersive 360-degree video capturing from consumer devices a viable reality.”
For immersive 360-degree video capturing in the consumer market to become a reality, a 3D audio platform must be developed that captures the entire 360-degree sphere of directional sound. That way, as the viewer rotates the device left-right-up-down, the audio delivered through one’s headphones adjusts accordingly and appropriately.
“If you’re watching a 360-degree video of a concert, and you rotate the device to the left – virtually turning your head that same direction – the audio must adjust accordingly to mirror that of reality,” continued Johansson. “With this support from Vinnova, we look forward to delivering a 3D audio platform prototype that will make this technology a consumer reality.”
Dirac has been a leader in platform-optimized sound enhancement technology for more than 15 years, serving a global network of customers in the Mobile, Home, Professional, and Automotive channels. The company’s list of clients includes a blue chip portfolio of technology leaders such as Rolls Royce, Bentley, BMW, Volvo, Harman, Pioneer, OPPO, StormAudio, Datasat, Huawei, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and many more. For high-res photography, click here.
About Vinnova:
Vinnova is a Swedish government agency working under the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation and acts as the national contact agency for the EU Framework Programme for R&D. We are also the Swedish government’s expert agency within the field of innovation policy. Vinnova was founded in January 2001. About 200 people work here and we have offices in Stockholm and Brussels. Our Director General is Charlotte Brogren.
About Dirac:
Dirac is a world-renowned audio technology company on a mission to invent the future of sound. Dirac’s team of engineers and scientists deliver optimized sound solutions for mobile, automotive, residential and commercial environments through inspired innovation and a keen sense of evolving market trends and demands. Dirac’s digital sound optimization technologies have been adopted by some of the most respected and recognizable electronics manufacturers spanning the globe, achieving dramatically improved sound quality and a shortened time-to-market. Dirac Research maintains its headquarters in Sweden and has representatives in Japan, USA, Korea, Germany and China. For more information, visit www.dirac.com.
