Pioneer Digital Sound Projector: PDSP-1

Along with the rapid spread of DVD, the desire to enjoy movies at home - in a cinema-like experience - is quickly gaining ground. New achievements in screen design - notably enabled by plasma displays - as well as practical housing restrictions, urge for novel interior-conscious approaches to integrating surround sound in the home. Supporting its customers in achieving this, Pioneer Europe NV today unveils its Digital Sound Projector, the PDSP-1, which for the first time, enables the reproduction of real multi-channel surround sound through an integrated, one-panel active speaker system. Pioneer partnered with 1Ltd to bring this remarkable speaker to market and will continue to work with 1 to further enhance the digital sound projector technology with Pioneer's own proprietary technologies such as its multi-channel acoustic calibration system.

Until now, the surround sound on DVD soundtracks, or from other multi-channel sources, could only be fully experienced by adding a separate system with five or more conventional speakers and requiring considerable wiring for installation in a typical room. In contrast, a single Pioneer Digital Sound Projector (PDSP), produces full surround sound by controlling separate beams of sound. Sound beams for each audio channel are reflected off the walls and ceiling of the room to replace the left, right and rear speakers.

Philippe Coppens, manager product development and promotion department, Pioneer Europe says, "The Pioneer Digital Sound Projector produces genuine high quality multi-channel surround sound from only one slim loudspeaker panel. The product is quite unlike anything else on the market, both in how it looks and how it works. The Pioneer Digital Sound Projector delivers stunning, truly enveloping surround sound, perfectly complementing Pioneer's wide range of high performance Plasma Display, DVD and other Audio/Video products.

"Our initial focus with this product will be the custom installation market, as the unique attributes of the PDSP-1 will allow custom installers to offer their customers a solution that conventional systems cannot match," Coppens continues.

Main Features of the PDSP-1

1) Beam Control Technology
The PDSP-1 technology is licensed from 1, a technology development and licensing company. 254 individually driven speaker units are combined into a one-panel loudspeaker array. The sound is delivered in up to seven separate beams - matching the source - that can be steered, as well as controlled to become a tightly focussed or wider beam. Through reflection off the ceiling and/or walls, true multi-channel surround sound reaches the listener's position, delivering a rich sound experience.

2) Digital Sound Processing, Dolby Digital & DTS Decoders, and Digital Amplifiers
The PDSP-1 uses digital signal processing to equalise the sound according to the characteristics of the room, and even allows users to store multiple settings corresponding to different listening conditions or user preferences. For example set-up variations could be for one listener or for the whole family, for a room with the curtains opened or the curtains closed. Supporting all popular sound formats, the PDSP-1 not only handles PCM, but also incorporates decoders for today's digital surround sound formats - Dolby Digital and DTS. Furthermore, each of the 254 individual loudspeaker units is driven by a separate compact digital amplifier. So, when users connect the digital audio output of their DVD-Video player, they are ready for their first, all-digital, no-intermediate conversion to analogue, sound experience.

3) Compact Design / A New Dimension to Freedom from Sound Equipment
This revolutionary breakthrough in loudspeaker technology removes the need for multiple conventional loudspeakers and associated wiring: realistic home theatre without wires. Users can surround themselves with sound, rather than with sound equipment - and need only hook up the sound sources.
The compact slim-shaped and stylish design of the PDSP-1 makes it a perfect match for Pioneer's state-of-the-art plasma TVs and the ideal addition to any style conscious home environment.

Availability
The PDSP-1 will be introduced in Europe in the spring of 2003. More details on availability and pricing will be announced in due time.

For further information, please contact your local Pioneer distributor:

About 1Ltd
1 Ltd is a technology development and licensing company based in Cambridge, UK and Tokyo. 1 provides competitive advantage for its commercial partners through access to its patents and 'know how'. 1 has developed a number of world leading technologies including proprietary digital signal processing, embodied within the revolutionary Digital Sound ProjectorTM, and its range of Helimorph® ceramic actuators that have compelling advantages over conventional eletro-magnetic transducers.

About Pioneer
Pioneer Corporation is a global leader in electronics and audio/video products for the home, car, commerce and industry, particularly in the two core multimedia technologies - Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) and plasma display panels (PDP). Its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: PIO), Euronext Amsterdam, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and Osaka Securities Exchange.