Sonic Focus Inc is a software development

Software development

Software development is the development of a software product...

 company located in South Lake Tahoe, California

South Lake Tahoe, California

South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The population was 21,403 at the 2010 census, down from 23,609 at the 2000 census...

. It was founded in 1995 with the aim of improving the quality of live concerts broadcast over the Web. It now provides audio post processing technologies that recreate the original sound of digital recordings which have been reduced in quality by compression. Their products can be used to enhance the sound in many electronic products, including mobile phone

Mobile phone

A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

s, car audio

Car audio

Car audio/video , auto radio, mobile audio, 12-volt and other terms are used to describe the sound or video system fitted in an automobile. While 12-volt audio and video systems are also used, marketed, or manufactured for marine, aviation, and buses, this article focuses on cars as the most common...

, PC

Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

s, laptop

Laptop

A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...

s, MP3 players, TVs and home theatre systems.

In early 2008, Sonic Focus was acquired by ARC International

ARC International

ARC International plc was a developer of configurable microprocessor technology and is now owned by Synopsys. ARC developed synthesisable IP and licensed it to semiconductor companies....

, a provider of consumer intellectual property

Intellectual property

Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...

 to OEM

OEM

OEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981...

 and semiconductor

Semiconductor

A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...

 companies.. In 2009 ARC International was acquired by Virage Logic

Virage Logic

Virage Logic corporation, founded 1996, was a provider of both functional and physical semiconductor intellectual property for the design of complex integrated circuits...

 Corporation.. In September, 2010, Virage Logic was acquired by Synopsys

Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. is one of the largest companies in the Electronic Design Automation industry. Synopsys' first and best-known product is Design Compiler, a logic-synthesis tool. Synopsys offers a wide range of other products used in the design of an application-specific integrated circuit...

Inc..

Products

• Adaptive Dynamics - helps restore clarity and fidelity of compressed audio in music, movies and games.
• X-Matrix - creates a surround-sound environment on stereo speakers or headphones.
• Extrapolator - expands stereo audio to a multi-channel sound stage using physical modelling techniques.
• Virtual Bass - significantly enhances bass response of speakers with limited ability to produce bass without compromising voice integrity or detail.

External links

• SonicFocus.com
• Interview with CEO Tom Paddock at CES 2008 by Dave Graveline on Into Tomorrow.http://youtube.com/watch?v=XWy__PfBJTQ
• Review of P5E3 motherboard with reference to Sonic Focus audio http://anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3229&p=6
• Bel Canto and Sonic Focus awarded CES Innovations 2008 award in the Audio Components category http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/01-04-2008/0004730464&EDATE=FRI+Jan+04+2008,+08:00+AM
• Intel use of Sonic Focus Technology on motherboards http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/software/sonicfocus.htm http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/software/ias/index.htm http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/04/intel_updates_epc/