Dirac has announced an expansion in its partnership with BlackBerry. This collaboration focuses on integrating Dirac’s acclaimed Dirac Opteo and Dirac Virtuo software optimisation solutions into the new BlackBerry QNX Sound platform. This integration aims to liberate audio designers and engineers, enabling them to craft innovative and captivating in-car audio experiences. It also opens up new avenues for revenue through subscription services and on-demand upgrades.
This partnership allows car manufacturers to unify all audio and acoustic functionalities across their vehicle range in a seamless and cost-effective manner, utilising pre-integrated and pre-tested core technologies.
Hendrik Hermann, Vice President of Automotive at Dirac, highlighted the shared vision between Dirac and BlackBerry QNX. He noted that exceptional audio experiences are becoming a critical differentiator in the era of software-defined vehicles, particularly those offering subscription-based enhancements via over-the-air software updates.
“Integration into QNX Sound allows us to provide turnkey solutions that enhance vehicle sound systems with unmatched immersion and performance,” Hermann stated. “This not only adds value to the vehicles but also opens up new revenue opportunities for automakers through subscription services and other upgrades.”
In collaboration with BlackBerry QNX, Dirac has incorporated a fully scalable Dirac plug-in into the QNX Sound platform, embedding Dirac’s leading audio optimisation technologies. This integration grants original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) easy access to Dirac solutions that enhance fidelity and immersion, while offering ongoing opportunities to improve and renew the in-car audio experience.
The Dirac plug-in includes Dirac Opteo, which elevates the sound performance of automotive audio systems using advanced technologies like MIMO mixed phase correction and mixed-phase impulse response correction. Dirac Virtuo, also part of the plug-in, employs sophisticated audio algorithms to surround drivers and passengers in high-quality immersive sound.
John Wall, Senior Vice President and Head of QNX at BlackBerry, emphasised the importance of Dirac software in their new QNX Sound platform. “Our aim is to equip OEMs at every level with a comprehensive suite of automotive acoustics tools, and Dirac’s industry-leading car audio optimisation tool is essential to this goal,” Wall said. “Our collaboration with Dirac is set to make premium audio more accessible in a wider range of vehicles than ever before.”
Dirac addresses the common challenges in automotive audio, such as speaker interference and cabin-induced sound coloration, which often compromise clarity and fidelity. Dirac’s technologies enable car speakers to function cohesively, correcting each other’s impulse responses, thereby eliminating cabin effects and creating optimal speaker responses. The result is richer, more balanced, dynamic, and immersive sound quality in every seat.
This initiative marks a significant expansion of the companies’ ongoing collaboration, which began at CES 2023 with Dirac Opteo’s integration into the QNX Acoustics Management Platform. Dirac’s automotive audio solutions are currently employed by prominent automotive brands including Rolls Royce, Volvo, Polestar, Genesis, NIO, and BYD.
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