Sonic Foundry Announces Perfect Clarity Audio Compression Codec
November 8, 2000
Sonic Foundry Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the leading developer
and marketer of digital media and Internet software tools, services, and
systems, today announced Perfect Clarity Audio, its new proprietary audio
compression codec.
This technology allows users to compress music in a format that will not
sacrifice the fidelity of the original source audio recording. While most audio
compression technologies such as MP3 and WMA are considered "lossy," Perfect Clarity Audio delivers audio output that is identical to the original source
and supports both 16- and 24-bit audio. During the editing process, Perfect
Clarity Audio files can be modified and recompressed without degradation that
lossy codecs add to every generation. Test files have shown compression
ratios of 2:1 and as high as 5:1 with no loss in audio quality.
Perfect Clarity Audio is currently included in Sonic Foundry's award-winning
SIREN Jukebox 2.0 and will be incorporated into all future Sonic Foundry
product releases. Sonic Foundry is offering a free download of the
demonstration version, SIREN XPress, with the Perfect Clarity Audio encoder
included at www.sonicfoundry.com.
Additionally, Sonic Foundry's Media Services Division will be taking
advantage of Perfect Clarity Audio. Clients can reap the benefits of storing their
enterprise-based audio files in one-half to one-fifth the previously required
space, decreasing the high costs associated with storing raw audio files. The
Company is also offering licensing opportunities for those clients who wish to
take advantage of Perfect Clarity Audio for software and hardware
applications and internally managed enterprise initiatives.
"This is a very exciting advancement in the audio industry," stated Curtis
Palmer, co-founder and chief technical officer for Sonic Foundry. "We
designed Perfect Clarity Audio so users can, in a compressed format, retain
the identical audio quality of original audio content. As storage becomes
cheaper and bandwidth becomes greater, lossless codecs will become the
norm. Sonic Foundry is leading the way in the future of broadband. Users will
experience a new realm of opportunity for their music playback, storage, and
editing." For more information, visit their web site at www.sonicfoundry.com. | 
