THE SPATIALIZER STORY

Way back in 1982, Stephen W. Desper, the renowned Hollywood recording engineer, filed a US patent for a device he called the Spatializer. While working in the Studio with groups like the Beach Boys, Steve was also working hard at home to find new ways of improving the audio presentation. His goal was to make the sound that came out of the speakers the same as what he was hearing in the studio - to eliminate the spectral transmission losses inevitable in even the most sophisticated of recording environments. The Spatializer was just such a device - it created a rich immesive soundfield which seemed to envelop the listener, without introducing any spectral or tonal distortion.

Realizing the potential of his invention, with the help of friends, Steve further researched and refined the Spatializer and in 1986 formed a company called Desper Products, Inc. By 1990 Desper had produced a prototype system, and began a series of successful trials on several animated productions with Warner Bros. Studios. In 1992 the Spatializer was declared 'ready' and the first integrated circuit Spatializer was produced. Immediately following this an initial public offering was made under the name Spatializer Audio Laboratories, Inc. In October of that year Spatializer Audio Labs' first product, the PRO Spatializer, was released at the Audio Engineering Society conference in San Francisco where it received global acclaim. From there the PRO went on to be a runaway success and become entrenched in many recording studios as an old friend.

Spatializer Audio Labs was growing and keen to expand the applications of the Spatializer to the mass market. In 1993 Matsushita Electronics Corporation (MEC) of Japan agreed to develop and distribute the first commercial Spatializer IC under License from Desper Products. Royalties received from this IC would come to be the corner stone which supported Spatializer Audio Labs. growth and development. In 1995, by now with an array of products based on the first Spatializer technology and an impressive list of licensees, Spatializer Audio Labs began trading on the NASDAQ. From there, other professional systems like the Digital Spatializer, the Spatializer-8, and the Spatializer Retro were produced. These products were embraced by the recording industry leading to more and more material produced with Spatializer technology. New distribution licenses with semiconductor companies like ESS and OnChip Systems were being signed and Spatializer technology was being incorporated into numerous consumer products from PC speakers and sound-cards to TV's and VCR's.

In the mid-1996 Spatializer acquired its second subsidiary, MultiDisc Technologies, Inc. MultiDisc had created some compelling technology which promised to revolutionize the world of fast-access data storage. However, by 1998 the full scale of the required development costs became apparent and operations at MultiDisc were suspended.

Today, Spatializer Audio Labs. is very different company. In September 1998, new management were appointed and a new corporate strategy developed. All efforts were re-focussed on the development of Spatializer's audio subsidiary.

While the company still retains the rights to over 50 patents on the MultiDisc technologies, Spatializer is now, once again an audio-only company dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the audio experience.

Spatializer has taken advantage of the increases in DSP processing power and the advent of digital audio into the home, and currently concentrates on developing new and improved algorithms to run in software.

The original Spatializer technology is now marketed as Spatializer 3D-Stereo to differentiate it from the newer digital only products like Spatializer N-2-2, and Spatializer enCOMPASS. New licensees continue to incorporate Spatializer's technology, most notable of these in 1999 are Apple Computer, Acer, Hitachi, LG, Zenith, and Samsung amongst others.

Spatializer's sales and support staff are located across not only the US, but also China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore. All of Spatializer's Asian operations are centralized out of its Regional Office in Tokyo, Japan (see the Contacts page for more information).

The quality and dedication of Spatializer's engineering staff is unsurpassed with R&D efforts focussed on developing and productizing new technologies which will once again lead the field, and offer listeners new and unrivaled sensory experiences.

Spatializer also recently announced the formation of spatializer.com, a business unit dedicated to the development of downloadable software to enhance the playback experience with new PC-based digital audio and Internet applications.

The first product from spatializer.com is Spatializer StreamFX, the exciting result of a collaboration with Xing Labs, Inc. StreamFX is an all-in-one enhancement package for Xing's DVD and MP3 players.

Spatializer is confident that this new business unit will be able to firmly establish itself as a leader in the rapidly growing Internet audio market.

'Sounds Better With Spatializer'

To find out more about our company, we encourage you to e-mail us at info@spatializer.com