Lucent, Ti, E.Digital Team Up To Develop Secure Internet Music Download Device

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, April 26, 1999

Handheld Device Will Play EPAC Files Using New DSPs From Texas Instruments

Lucent Technologies is working with e.Digital on development of a new handheld device for listening to downloaded music from the Internet.

The pocket-sized device, to be manufactured by e.Digital, will use the Lucent Enhanced Perceptual Audio Coder (EPAC) and will employ e.Digital's patented MicroOS file management system. It will also use a new class of digital signal processors (DSPs) manufactured by Texas Instruments.

Unlike other handheld devices on the market that play downloadable music using the MP3 format, the e.Digital device will play EPAC files.

"We are taking the current generation of handheld players to the highest levels of audio quality and design," says Joyce Eastman, director of audio for Lucent's New Ventures Group. "We have produced what we believe will be a solid design for an EPAC player that offers high levels of security with excellent sound quality."

Lucent's New Ventures Group has been busy developing solutions for audio technologies developed at Bell Labs, and has been working closely with the music industry. The New Ventures Group is a founding member of the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI), the worldwide recording industry effort to develop an open, secure access system for digital music.

"The quality of the sound that we've heard with EPAC on our hardware platform is exceptional," says Fred Falk, CEO of e.Digital. "We know what people want in an Internet music download player; great sound in a compact device that's robust and well-priced."

"Our new DSP is a new class of processor for a new market," adds Gary Johnson, worldwide manager of DSPs for Texas Instruments. "We look forward to further work with Lucent and e.Digital on making our player a success in the market."

EPAC is a new version of the Perceptual Audio Coder (PAC) developed by Bell Labs, the research and development arm of Lucent Technologies. It is an audio compression algorithm with high-quality audio at low bit rates. At 128 kilobits per second, EPAC offers CD-transparent stereo sound, Lucent says.

EPAC uses psychoacoustic modeling -- that is, a representation of how humans hear sound -- to compress music in a way that is not noticeable to the ear. Music is compressed at a rate of 11 to 1, thus reducing the transmission time/bandwidth and storage by the same ratio, while still retaining its fidelity.

Lucent says PAC was recently rated the best performing audio coding technology in a class of five tested in independent trials by Moulton Laboratories. In the test, PAC at 96 kbps outperformed the MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coder (AAC). Also at 96 kbps, PAC outperformed AAC at 128 kbps based on a repeatable statistical score.