Industry's First Complete MP3 Sound Solution Delivers 3D Music Videos Plus Desktop Digital Sound for Internet Music

MILPITAS, Calif., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Creative Technology Ltd., the leading provider of multimedia solutions for personal entertainment, today announced the availability of the Sound Blaster® Live! MP3+ audio card, a comprehensive solution that allows Internet music enthusiasts to seamlessly create, organize and play MP3 and other audio files at CD-quality fidelity. The Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ also features the genre-expanding technology LAVA!(TM) (Live Audio Visual Animation), an innovative visual music animator that creates 3D "music videos" in real time for the enhancement of MP3 and other Internet music files.

Based on the award-winning Sound Blaster Live!, which set a new industry standard for processing power when introduced last year, the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ utilizes the unrivaled power of the EMU10K1(TM) audio processor to give music fans and artists alike the ability to create and manipulate studio-quality sounds with digital-to-digital processing and playback of MP3, MIDI, WAV, Internet and CD audio files. The Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ allows users to easily 'rip' songs from their personal CD collection and convert them into MP3 files at up to 5X acceleration for easy storage and access on their PCs.

"MP3 has changed the way the world listens to music, but until the release of the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ audio accelerator, there has not been a complete, user-friendly solution that integrated all of the tools necessary to really enjoy MP3 encoding in a fully digital environment," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and chief executive officer of Creative Technology Ltd. "By including LAVA! in our new audio card we are empowering MP3 enthusiasts, consumers, and artists alike to personalize their Internet music experience by creating a compelling interactive 3D music video. Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ and LAVA! are powerful but easy-to use solutions that will change way Internet music is promoted and experienced."

LAVA!

Bringing an entirely new dimension to Internet music, LAVA! (Live Audio Visual Animation) allows users to create a compelling visual montage that animates Internet audio music files such as MP3 with synchronized 3D images. Recently debuted at Woodstock 99, the LAVA player generates images in real-time that respond to different frequencies in the music, creating an "instant 3D music video."

Taking up less than 100KB of hard disk space, LAVA! gives visual expression to music, throwing open a new door of creativity. LAVA! challenges MP3 enthusiasts, musicians and artists alike to develop inspired uses for this breakthrough technology. Choosing from a set of eight different templates, users can then customize LAVA files with various elements such as band logos, album art and rendered text. Once applied to an MP3 file, the integrated music and image package can be sent to friends or housed on a web site for download and viewing. Developed at the Creative-Emu Technology Center, LAVA uses a sophisticated combination of audio analysis and hardware accelerated graphics to generate a new visual language for Internet music applications.

    Key features of the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+
    -- EMU10K1 Digital signal processor:  Processes every audio signal at full
       32-bit resolution providing for the highest level of clarity and
       accurate 3D positional audio. The digital output connector enables a
       pure digital connection to Creative's FourPointSurround(TM)FPS2000
       Digital speaker system.
    -- Creative Digital Audio Center Software:  Allows users to encode, decode
       and archive MP3 files, as well as convert an unlimited number of CD
       tracks from personal CD collections and catalog them according to
       preference. The Digital Audio Center software bundle also includes the
       following software:  Mixman®, CakewalkExpress®, Sound Forge®, and
       Media Ring Talk® '99.
    -- CD-Quality sound:  Features a full 320k encoder and up to 5X
       acceleration for generating MP3 files with superior sound quality that
       can be downloaded to a portable MP3 device, such as Creative's NOMAD
       digital audio player. Creative's patented 8-point interpolation
       improves the quality of music playback.
    -- Integrated software package:  Comes complete with all of the necessary
       software to create and organize MP3, MIDI, WAV and Internet Audio
       files.
    -- Environmental Audio? support:  Enables users to encode and playback MP3
       and other audio files with extensive effects such as "concert hall" or
       "tunnel" and more. Using pre-sets, users can instantly add or access
       desired effects on the fly for a customized listening experience.
    -- LAVA!:  With LAVA, MP3+ users can incorporate visual animations into
       their audio files, creating "instant music videos" for sharing with
       friends or promoting songs and bands.
    -- LiveWare(TM) Support:  Creative's online resource keeps hardware
       through upgrades -- new features, formats and functionality for
       authoring, playback and gameplay.

Pricing and Availability

The Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ is now available through Creative's extensive network of distributors and resellers worldwide at an estimated street price of US$99.99.

About Creative

Creative Technology Ltd. develops, manufactures and markets a wide array of advanced multimedia solutions for the PC, entertainment, education, music and productivity tools markets. Creative's products are marketed through the OEM, systems integrator and retail channels under a variety of trademarks, including the "Blaster" family name. With the new Sound Blaster® PCI standard, Creative has produced a solution that utilizes a combination of hardware and software for near-perfect compatibility with existing DOS and Windows titles. Creative's corporate headquarters and primary manufacturing are based in Singapore, with sales, distribution and research and development being carried out through an extensive, global network of subsidiaries located in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

This announcement relates to products whose launch are in the United States of America. The product names, contents, prices and availability may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements.

NOTE: Sound Blaster is a registered trademark and Blaster is a trademark of Creative Technology Ltd. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Sound Blaster is a registered trademark and Environmental Audio, EMU10K1, Environmental Audio Extensions, EAX, Creative Multi Speaker Surround are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. in the US and other countries. E-mu Systems and SoundFont are registered trademarks of E-mu Systems, Inc. Cambridge SoundWorks is a registered trademark and PCWorks and Desktop Theater are trademarks of Cambridge SoundWorks, Inc. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby recognized as such.