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CEVA Acquires Spatial Audio Business from VisiSonics to Expand its Application Software Portfolio for Embedded Systems targeting Hearables and other Consumer IoT Markets

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — CEVA, Inc. (NASDAQ: CEVA), the leading licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies and custom SoC solutions, today announced the acquisition of the RealSpace® 3D Spatial Audio business, technology and patents from VisiSonics Corporation. Based in Maryland, close to CEVA’s sensor fusion R&D development center, the VisiSonics spatial audio R&D team and software extend the Company’s application software portfolio for embedded systems, bolstering CEVA’s strong market position in hearables, where spatial audio is fast becoming a must-have feature.

Spatial audio will also drive innovation in many other end markets, including gaming, AR/VR, audio conferencing, healthcare, automotive and media entertainment, all which CEVA can further address following this acquisition. Future Market Insights estimates that the market for 3D audio will grow 4.1X from 2022 to 2032, reaching nearly $31.9 Billion in 2032.

Amir Panush, CEO of CEVA, commented: “The acquisition of the VisiSonics’ spatial audio software and business builds on an already strong relationship and allows us to better serve OEMs who wish to enhance the audio experience of their products with a best-in-class immersive spatial audio solution with such world-class providers as THX Ltd. The software is market-proven with industry leaders in gaming and hearables and presents us with an opportunity to expand our customer base by delivering on the true potential of this technology, including entry into the burgeoning consumer IoT and automotive markets.”

RealSpace spatial audio rendering software provides the most accurate digital simulation of real-life, immersive sound in the industry. Its proprietary algorithms create a realistic aural experience through as little as two-channel stereo audio while supporting full multi-channel and ambisonics. With dynamic head tracking enabled, the RealSpace user experience is even more immersive, as the sound sources are held stationary while the users head is moving, simulating listening experiences in the real world. This allows the user to experience theater-like sound through headphones or earbuds when watching movies, playing video games or listening to music, podcasts or conference calls.

By integrating VisiSonics’ spatial audio software with CEVA’s MotionEngine™ sensor fusion software, RealSpace provides a complete spatial audio solution with dynamic head tracking. This combination can be implemented directly on headphones or earbuds, as it is available as an embedded library for use on wireless audio SoCs, and is already ported to both DSPs and Arm Cortex-M class MCUs. This gives OEMs and semiconductor companies a seamless and simple way of incorporating high performance spatial audio with precise head tracking in their products, with impressively low power and minimal system requirements.

Ramani Duraiswami, founder and Chief Executive Officer of VisiSonics, stated: “For more than a decade, we have pushed the boundaries of innovation in the areas of capture, rendering, and personalizing spatial audio to create our spatial audio software. Now as spatial audio is set to become mainstream, CEVA is the right company to take our technology forward and fully exploit its potential through their global presence and synergistic technologies, and with key partners like THX Ltd.”

VisiSonics’ partner THX®, the world-class audio and video certification and technology company has utilized this technology in its tools for game developers and music producers, and in advanced THX audio personalization for headset manufacturers. Also, CEVA and VisiSonics collaborated to bring the complete RealSpace spatial audio solution to boAt, India’s #1 hearable and wearables company, as they announced their first spatial audio headphones with dynamic head tracking – boAt Nirvana Eutopia – earlier this year.

Chief Executive Officer of THX Ltd, Jason Fiber added: “We have enjoyed a successful relationship with the VisiSonics 3D spatial audio team, incorporating their leading-edge software into our spatial audio solutions for gaming, music, and hearables. CEVA is an ideal company to work with THX to take spatial audio solutions to the next level given its synergistic voice, audio and sensor fusion solutions and embedded systems expertise. I look forward to working with CEVA to create further enhanced entertainment experiences for our customers.”

For more information on CEVA’s RealSpace spatial audio solution, visit www.ceva-dsp.com/product/ceva-realspace. For further information about THX, please visit THX.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that if they materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of CEVA to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the impact of and potential benefits of the ViviSonics 3D Spatial Audio acquisition, market trends related to 3D audio, and potential opportunities for expanding CEVA’s relationship with ViviSonics. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause differing CEVA results include: any difficulty associated with integrating the 3D Spatial Audio team and technology into CEVA’s existing business; the scope and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic; the extent and length of the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on customers, consumer demand and the global economy generally; the ability of CEVA DSP cores and other technologies to continue to be strong growth drivers for us; our success in penetrating new markets, including in the base station and IoT markets, and maintaining our market position in existing markets; our ability to diversify the company’s royalty streams, the ability of products incorporating our technologies to achieve market acceptance, the maturation of the connectivity, IoT and 5G markets, the effect of intense industry competition and consolidation, global chip market trends, including supply chain issues as a result of COVID-19 and other factors, the possibility that markets for CEVA’s technologies may not develop as expected or that products incorporating our technologies do not achieve market acceptance; our ability to timely and successfully develop and introduce new technologies; our ability to successfully integrate Intrinsix into our business; and general market conditions and other risks relating to our business, including, but not limited to, those that are described from time to time in our SEC filings. CEVA assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.

About CEVA, Inc.
CEVA is the leading licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies and custom SoC solutions for a smarter, safer, connected world. We provide Digital Signal Processors, AI engines, wireless platforms, cryptography cores and complementary embedded software for sensor fusion, image enhancement, computer vision, spatial audio, voice input and artificial intelligence. These technologies are offered in combination with our Intrinsix IP integration services, helping our customers address their most complex and time-critical integrated circuit design projects. Leveraging our technologies and chip design skills, many of the world’s leading semiconductors, system companies and OEMs create power-efficient, intelligent, secure and connected devices for a range of end markets, including mobile, consumer, automotive, robotics, industrial, aerospace & defense and IoT.

Our DSP-based solutions include platforms for 5G baseband processing in mobile, IoT and infrastructure, advanced imaging and computer vision for any camera-enabled device, audio/voice/speech and ultra-low-power always-on/sensing applications for multiple IoT markets. For motion sensing solutions, our Hillcrest Labs sensor processing technologies provide a broad range of sensor fusion software and inertial measurement unit (“IMU”) solutions for markets including hearables, wearables, AR/VR, PC, robotics, remote controls and IoT. For wireless IoT, our platforms for Bluetooth connectivity (low energy and dual mode), Wi-Fi 4/5/6 (802.11n/ac/ax), Ultra-wideband (UWB), NB-IoT and GNSS are the most broadly licensed connectivity platforms in the industry.

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RealSpace3D featured in boAt Nirvana Eutopia premium headphones

VisiSonics is excited that India’s leading consumer electronics brand, boAt, in partnership with CEVA, is launching its Nirvana Eutopia headphones. These headphones feature our industry-leading spatial audio engine, RealSpace3D and will be demo’d at CES 2023. This is boAt’s first headphones with headtracking; we are excited to see headtracking adding to the premium spatial audio experience.

VisiSonics continues innovation in our 3D audio rendering and personalization offerings. In addition, ports of RealSpace3D are available on a number of DSP platforms. Our latest audio advancements further personalize the user experience. Contact us to license RealSpace3D, Audiogram and HRTF personalization for integration on your devices.

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Validation of Acoustical Performance Testing

USG Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions, engaged an acoustic testing facility for testing of its gypsum products in a variety of construction systems. Manufacturers of construction and building materials regularly test their products for acoustical performance in walls, floor-ceiling assemblies, roof systems, etc. Building codes and design standards specify minimum acoustical requirements for these construction systems and assemblies, so accurate testing is vital.

Challenge

USG conducted airborne sound transmission loss testing of partition systems containing its gypsum products.  Testing was conducted in an accredited acoustical laboratory per the ASTM E90 Standard Test Method for Laboratory Measurement of Airborne Sound Transmission Loss of Building Partitions and Elements.  Sound was generated on one side of the test partition and sound levels were measured on both sides of the partition to determine how much noise was blocked by the specimen.  However, the measured performance was lower than anticipated and anomalies in the resulting data indicated potential issues with the installation of the specimen.  Visual inspection of the test partition did not immediately identify any issues or sound flanking paths.

Solution

VisiSonics 5/64 Audio Visual Camera allows for acoustic visualization, making detecting the source of sound and leaks much easier. Like a heatmap, the Audio Visual Camera provides “hot spots” on a visual panorama to highlight the location and pressure level of sounds. Using both video cameras and microphones along with software, the VisiSonics solution simultaneously generates a synchronized and co-registered audio and video view of the captured environment.  The camera output allowed USG engineers and the testing facility team to isolate where sounds were coming from and determine that airborne sound was leaking around the test partition.

“The VisiSonics Audio Visual camera allowed us to find airborne sound leaks around the test partition that were not apparent during visual inspection. After sealing these sound flanking paths, we achieved a more accurate measure of the test partition with higher STC results. The VisiSonics technology let us visualize sound in a way we couldn’t otherwise.”

Andrew Schmidt, Senior Researcher, Acoustics – USG

Result

VisiSonics camera and accompanying software allowed the USG engineers to see airborne sound leaks around the test partition, which helped to explain the unexpected results during initial testing. In this way, the flanking paths and leaking noise were mitigated prior to the final validation testing.  This resulted in a more accurate measure of the sound passing through the test partition and a more accurate and improved STC rating for the USG assembly.

Sound flanking identified: Air leak through perimeter

+3 STC in measurement after flanking path was mitigated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact VisiSonics for this and other applications where accurate acoustic measurements are necessary for noise mitigation.

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VisiSonics RealSpace 3D Spatial Audio Expands its DSP-based Headphone Technology to include TWS

With the headphone market continuing to grow due to expanding applications in the gaming, music, virtual meeting and other spaces, VisiSonics has been working with industry leaders (including OEMs, ODMs, chipset manufacturers, and design houses) to make it easy and seamless for headphone manufacturers to incorporate our spatial audio with head tracking into their products.

VisiSonics has recently completed its work porting its RealSpace 3D spatial audio to the major DSP chip systems including

TWS (True Wireless Stereo) headphones are quickly  becoming a  preferred form factor for wireless headphones. However, most of the leading TWS headphones have been optimized for voice and  music applications.  This tiny form factor currently contains Bluetooth, microphones, and onboard processing via DSP chips.  With the greater functionality requirements of applications beyond music, the form factor will need to incorporate noise cancellation, headtracking and spatial audio, all of which create power and resource constraints within the headset and the need for more and more powerful chip systems.

Contact us to learn more about RealSpace 3D spatial audio and how our engineering team can help you launch your next headphone, including in the TWS form factor.  We also offer additional capabilities on these devices, including headphone personalization and audiogram measurement via customized apps that can deliver the full experience to your customers.

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What are HRTFs and how is VisiSonics Revolutionizing Them?

Our ears are unique to us. Yes they help us hear, but they also play a significant role in how we perceive sound. The shape of the outer ear, or pinna, as well as the shape of our heads and torsos – parameters that are unique to each and every one of us – all play a part in coloring the sound that our ears receive. Accordingly, our hearing systems and individual listening experiences become finely tuned to our specific anatomy.

Small differences in the measurements or relationships associated with one’s physiology can have a dramatic effect on sound accuracy and realism.

A Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) characterizes how an ear receives a sound from a point in space. It is an equation that defines the way sound scatters off a person’s head, shoulders and ears, and ultimately enters the ear canals. Together with room modeling, it is one of the defining elements in an effective virtual spatial audio environment.

The ability to experience spatial audio content through headphones requires a process known as binaural rendering. This allows stereo headphones to create the perception of space and dimensionality through the two stereo channels. Most engines rendering binaural audio rely on a single default HRTF that represents average physical characteristics. It can be considered an HRTF captured from the average human ear. This model, however, does not factor physical differences that can vary person to person, such as the aforementioned parameters: the shape and dimensions of one’s head, ears, or shoulders. Even minor physical differences between one’s anatomy and the default HRTF can result in a very compromised spatial audio listening experience.

The ability to capture a personalized HRTF specific to one’s ears is fundamental to the process of creating a customized spatial audio experience, optimized to that given person’s hearing and sound perception systems.

Incorporating individualized HRTFs into a high fidelity sound engine can significantly improve the perceived quality and realism of binaurally rendered spatial audio. Accordingly, a way to capture personalized HRTF is clearly not only important, but highly desirable.

Traditional methods of measuring individual HRTFs tend to be cumbersome, expensive, and require physical access to the subject. These methods aren’t practical for most, due to the considerable amount of equipment and know-how required to obtain the data. To address these issues, VisiSonics developed a method to extract HRTFs from easy-to-obtain visual information, aided by machine learning and our proprietary database of traditionally acquired HRTFs.

With VisiSonics technology, it is possible to generate an accurate HRTF from individual pictures of the left and right ears, easily taken from a smartphone.

We use a combination of anthropometric feature matching and low frequency “head-and-torso” (HAT) models to create a personalized HRTF. Given a subject’s ear photos and head measurements, the model is used to extract photo landmarks, which are then used to find the closest ear matches from our extensive HRTF database. As a subject’s left and right ears may differ considerably, we process the left and right ears individually. We do not assign significance to whether any given ear is a left or right ear. By doing so, we can match a right ear to a left one, or vice versa, in order to find the best match.

A personalized HRTF is then generated from the matched ears, which is then further tuned to adjust the HRTF to better fit the aforementioned head measurements. In addition, VisiSonics takes personalization to the next level with audiogram technology that enables customization based upon individual listening capabilities.

VisiSonics personalizes sound with our unique, customized HRTF modeling and audiogram measurements.

At VisiSonics, we combine our spatial audio rendering engine and personalization technology to create a fully optimized sound, customized to each individual’s ears. Thus, a few small steps using a smartphone are all it takes to enjoy immersive, custom tailored spatial audio experiences.

We currently make HRTFs available to integrate with all our RealSpace 3D Spatial Audio applications. This includes our embedded DSP solutions, software solutions and our plugins for gaming developers using Wwise, Unity and Unreal.

Contact us today to discuss how you can integrate RealSpace into your next product.