MILPITAS, Calif. - September 27, 1999 - Creative Technology
Ltd. (NASDAQ: CREAF), the leading provider of multimedia solutions
for personal entertainment, announced today the highly-anticipated
Live!Ware 3.0 software upgrade. Leveraging the re-programmability
of Creative's industry leading EMU10K1 processor, Live!Ware 3.0
dramatically enhances the computer entertainment experience for
Sound Blaster Live! users, providing them with a variety of Internet-related
applications.
Live!Ware 3.0 takes Environmental Audio beyond 3D gaming, making
the Sound Blaster Live! the perfect PC audio solution for Internet
entertainment.
"The architectural design of the Sound Blaster Live! ensures
that the full Environmental Audio processing power can be applied,
not only to games, but also in other forms of interactive audio
including the production or enhancement of Internet music. This
is evident in the applications included in Live!Ware 3.0,"
said Jean-Marc Jot, 3D Audio Scientist, Creative-EMU Technology
Center.
Live!Ware 3.0 is an easy-to-install software upgrade that allows
existing owners of Sound Blaster Live! to upgrade to the latest
technologies and features. It also incorporates all previous
releases of Live!Ware and has been bundled in Creative's new lineup
of Sound Blaster Live! Platinum, Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ and
Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer.
"When we introduced the Live!Ware upgrade program, we created
the concept of programmable sound cards by addressing the demand
for improved usability," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and
chief executive officer of Creative. "Our customers can
now continue to get value out of their existing sound cards instead
of buying new ones every time a new technology is available.
With Live!Ware 3.0, we are providing Sound Blaster Live! customers
with new features and functionalities to enhance Internet audio
and MP3 experience. The potential of Internet entertainment is
tremendous and we are committed to delivering powerful technologies
that will drive the user experience to greater heights."
Features and Functionalities of Live!Ware 3.0
- Creation and playback of LAVA! Music Videos for MP3
content
LAVA! (Live Audio Visual Animation) is a technology that gives
visual expression to Internet music and makes it possible for
MP3 enthusiasts, musicians and artists to express their creativity
in visual terms; expanding the Internet music experience from
only a listening experience, to a complete, highly immersive audio
and visual experience. With LAVA!, users can incorporate visual
animations into their MP3 songs and audio files, creating "instant
music videos" for sharing with friends or for promoting songs
and bands. Using a combination of sophisticated audio analysis
and hardware accelerated graphics, LAVA! offers a new paradigm
that will change the way Internet music is distributed and experienced.
More information can be found at
https://www.lavamusic.com.
- Real-time and voice communications with MediaRing Talk
and Creative Voice Persona
Creative is providing the next generation Internet Voice Communication
software - Creative MediaRing Talk 99 - by MediaRing which is
available through Live!Ware 3.0. Leveraging its patented "knocking"
technology, Talk 99 permits calls from the PC without the need
for the receiving party to be logged on to the Internet. Long
distance PC-to-PC calls-free of any long distance charges-can
be made worldwide. PC-to-Phone communications are also supported
at minimum charges.
Creative MediaRing Talk 99 also features Creative VoicePersona
which takes advantage of the EMU10K1 audio processor, allowing
users to change their voices in real-time, and to experience the
power of Environmental Audio in Internet-related applications.
Users can also join the Creative VoiceChat online community to
make new friends over the Internet at
https://www.creativechat.com.
- Enhanced playback of Internet music and audio
The new Creative PlayCenter allows users to add realistic audio
environments, play back MP3 songs and apply real-time effects
such as chipmunks to change the original voice.
Creative's "Time-Scaling" technology, incorporated in
PlayCenter, allows users to playback any media ranging from MP3,
VideoCD to DVD, at different speeds without affecting the audio-pitch
quality and also playback voice recordings on Creative Nomad at
a slower pace with clarity.
- High-speed MP3 encoding and playback with Environmental
Audio
Live!Ware 3.0 includes a new version of Creative Digital Audio
Center, from Music Match, offering unlimited CD-ripping and MP3
conversions of up to 320kbps as implemented for Live!Ware 3.0
in Sound Blaster! Live Platinum or Sound Blaster Live! MP3+.
As implemented in Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer and in the Live!Ware
3.0 CD, Live!Ware 3.0 offers these same features but with conversions
of up to 96kbps. In either implementation, Live!Ware 3.0 enables
users to customize their own MP3 album collections and add the
multi-dimensional realism of Environmental Audio. These Environmental
Audio-enhanced and customized MP3 creations can be played back
by users or non-users of Sound Blaster Live!, or by Creative's
Nomad MP3 player.
Pricing and Availability
Existing users can purchase the CD, at the end of the month, at
US$14.99 at https://www.soundblaster.com.
A limited edition with some of the features described above will also be available for
free public download at https://www.soundblaster.com in mid October.
Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks of Creative
Technology Ltd. All other products mentioned herein are trademarks
of their respective owners and are hereby recognized as such.
