Advanced low-power DSP technology provides superior listening clarity to hearing aid users
WATERLOO, ON, June 2003 -- Dspfactory Ltd., a leading provider of open programmable digital signal processing (DSP) technology for hearing aids, headsets, PDAs, and other portable audio devices, announced today that its Toccata Plus chip has been selected by Starkey Laboratories, North America's largest hearing aid manufacturer and one of the industry's leading manufacturers worldwide. Starkey will use Toccata Plus throughout its advanced line of digital hearing instruments.
Toccata Plus provides hearing aid manufacturers with advanced DSP capabilities while drawing very little power within an ultra-miniature footprint. Its computational power enables hearing aid manufacturers to apply sophisticated software to filter out environmental noise and deliver clearer voice signals, making listening communication easier for device wearers.
This agreement extends the existing relationship between the companies. "We've been using Dspfactory technology in our digital hearing instruments for the last year and have been very pleased with the results," said Starkey president Jerry Ruzicka. "Our instruments incorporating the Toccata platform have greatly surpassed our sales forecasts by delivering to wearers the superior listening clarity and advanced processing that Dspfactory's DSP technology enables."
Toccata Plus is the second generation of Dspfactory's industry-leading Toccata chipset. Through its tightly integrated system-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture, Toccata Plus delivers twice the processing power in half the space of its predecessor. It combines digital/analog signal conversions and advanced signal processing onto a single sub-quarter-micron chip.
With its open platform design, Toccata Plus can accommodate a wide range of advanced algorithms that deliver enhanced speech and sound intelligibility. At the same time, its low power requirements provide users with longer battery life and reduced battery replacement costs.
"Having a market leader like Starkey endorse our second-generation technology is very gratifying," said Dspfactory president and CEO Robert Tong. "We will continue to work together to provide the wearers of Starkey instruments with unsurpassed sound clarity and ease of listening communication."
About Starkey Laboratories
Starkey Laboratories Inc. is the world's leading manufacturer of custom hearing instruments with 33 facilities in 18 countries throughout North America, Central America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and a workforce of over 4,000. For more information, visit https://www.starkey.com.
About Dspfactory
Dspfactory Ltd., a fabless semiconductor company, is a leading-edge developer of ultra-miniaturized, ultra-low power, software-programmable, digital signal processing (DSP) technology. Dspfactory's mission is to embed its unique technology ubiquitously into a wide range of market applications. Its target markets include hearing aids, headsets, personal digital assistants, personal digital audio players, embedded sensors, baseband wireless devices, cellular telephones, or any other portable, battery-powered DSP-based product where size and power consumption are as important as flexible, advanced software processing capabilities. To support the development and implementation of signal processing software solutions on its technology platforms, Dspfactory also provides a complete set of easy-to-use support tools and services, ranging from software development and testing tools to custom DSP software development and engineering services. For more information, visit https://www.dspfactory.com.
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Media Contact:
Geoff Bellew
VP Sales and Marketing
Dspfactory Ltd.
Tel: +1 519-884-9696 Ext. 2280
Mobile: +1 519 497 7807
E-mail: geoff.bellew@dspfactory.com
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