EA/DTS/PS2 press release:SurroundSoundScape??? (1 Viewer)

[Kelly Scott Rickards]

Here ya go:
quote:
Press Release
SOURCE: Electronic Arts
EA Makes Interactive Games More Immersive With Multichannel Sound From DTS
EA's NHL 2002 and SSX Tricky For The PlayStation 2 Console Offers Theater Quality Sound
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 6, 2001--Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS - news), the world's leading interactive entertainment software company, today announced the first interactive games to completely integrate DTS Interactive(TM) audio technology into a next generation console game. NHL® 2002 and SSX Tricky for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system will incorporate SurroundSoundScape(TM) audio technology to bring movie theater audio quality to the home video game experience. Other EA titles for the PlayStation 2 console with SurroundSoundScape and DTS Interactive will be announced later this year.
DTS, a popular audio technology used in theaters and on DVDs is now available for interactive games. EA has developed the technology to integrate DTS Interactive into PlayStation 2 video games for the first time. Previously, the complexities behind synchronizing game sound effects with multiple speakers prohibited the use of theater quality sound in interactive games. EA's innovative audio team used their experience with advanced in-game audio technology to integrate its SurroundSoundScape into DTS Interactive to generate the first interactive game with DTS multi-channel surround sound.
``We are proud to have successfully developed the technology that will allow us to bring the leading technology in audio systems to our innovative and successful games,'' said Murray Allen, EA's Vice President Post Production. ``The increased sound experience brings the audio feature of the game up to the graphic quality level that is now established, the two together provide a fully immersive feel to the game.''
Jon Kirchner, President and COO of DTS adds ``DTS is pleased to work with an industry leader like EA to help drive the next generation of home video games with the dynamics and realism that only surround sound can bring.''
Through the enhanced audio of DTS Interactive, NHL 2002 for the PlayStation 2 console, will allow a player to hear which direction approaching defensemen are coming in on him and respond appropriately. In SSX Tricky, surround sound integration allows a person playing SSX Tricky on the PlayStation 2 console to hear snowboarders approaching from behind, the left and the right.
NHL 2002 will be available this fall for the PlayStation 2 console, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft and the PC. SSX Tricky will be available this fall for the PlayStation 2 console, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube(TM). [/quote]
My guess is they are using the VU0 on the EE to assist DTS encoding as that would not take away any of the vital T&L support used on the VU1....
I would be surprised if an SPU2+IOP configuration (PS2 sound hardware) is, by themselves, powerful enough to do both the DTS encoding process *and* accelerate it enough to offset any latancy issues...
In the MCPX (XBOX sound hardware), one of those dual 200Mhz DSPs are dedicated to DICE encoding. This DSP doesn't just calculate the encoding process, it accelerates it as well (this helps keep latancies low) as it has enough processing overhead to do both at the same time...
I can't wait so find out the details of this..
[Edited last by Kelly Scott Rickards on September 06, 2001 at 12:19 PM]
[Edited last by Kelly Scott Rickards on September 06, 2001 at 12:22 PM]

 

[Jerry Gracia]

Very cool!
It would be nice to see EA SPORTS/TIBURON include DTS in their upcoming NASCAR THUNDER 2002 game for the PS2.
That would be awesome!
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