Santa Ana’s SRS Labs Inc., which designs software for enhancing the sound of TVs and stereos, signed a licensing deal to get its technology into a flat TV by Irvine’s Vizio Inc.
The three-year pact with Vizio, which makes flat-panel plasma and high-definition TVs, will use SRS’ surround sound technology in a premium line of TVs launching later this year.
“Vizio will have three new products featuring the new SRS technology,” said Tim Gagnon, director of merchandizing for Vizio. “They are pretty much our high end product that we will be offering to consumers,they are packed with technology.”
SRS’ TruSurround software enhances the bass and surround sound found in TV shows and movies.
Vizio is sticking to its low price philosophy,even for its fancier TVs.
“I don’t think you will see the line of product having a tremendous premium,” Gagnon said. “The idea of value in television is not just in video performance, it’s also audio.”
Prices haven’t yet been released.
The close proximity of the two companies should help in Vizio’s designing of TVs.
“The most attractive part is that Vizio is a local company,” said Allen Gharapetian, vice president of marketing of SRS. “It’s great to have interaction with their engineers and get things turning within the same day.”
SRS Labs, which has about 45 workers here, has struck similar deals with other big TV makers, including Sharp Corp. and Syntax-Brillian Corp.’s Olevia line.
Seven of the top 10 makers of flat panel TVs use SRS’ sound-enhancing software, according to Austin, Texas-based consumer electronics market tracker DisplaySearch.
“You name it and we are part of any sort of relationship that has to do with enhancing sound for flat panels,” Gharapetian said.
Vizio is looking into using the software in a handful of sound-enhancing products, such as a sleek, flat speaker that can be used with a Vizio TV to create surround sound without mounting multiple speakers, Gagnon said.
SRS got its start in 1993 when Hughes Aircraft Co. (now part of Raytheon Co.) spun off a communications chip unit.
The company went public in 1996 and counts a recent market value of about $110 million.
SRS no longer makes chips but develops custom software and markets 16 other sound enhancers.
It also sells to automakers for car stereos and has its technology in a slew of consumer gadgets, including cell phones, headphones and iPod speakers.
It also makes voice enhancement software for streaming audio over the Internet, online radio and traditional broadcast.
More PCs
Consumers are set to buy more PCs this year than a year earlier, despite some initial concerns about spending and the economy, according to a recent report by Stamford, Conn.-based market tracker Gartner Inc.
Worldwide PC shipments are on track to reach 297 million units in 2008, up 13% from 2007’s 264 million units.
Gartner upped its outlook due to “continued strength in mobile PC growth.” In March, analysts had projected an 11% increase.
“Mobile PC shipments exceeded our expectations in the first quarter,” said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner. “Mobile PCs continue to have strong momentum and the global economic environment is proving to be less punishing than we expected.”
The big reason: Sales of laptops are driving the growth. They sell for cheaper than desktops.
“Technology and design improvements not only continue to lower the absolute price of mobile PCs but also continue to improve the value proposition of mobile PCs relative to desk-based PCs,” Shiffler said.
Gartner expects 30% more notebook PCs to be sold in 2008 than in 2007.
A growing subset of that market is what’s called mini-notebooks or ultramobile PCs, which are lightweight, tablet-style computers that have screens of 8 inches or smaller.
“We think mini-notebooks could add momentum to mobile PC growth if they are able to move beyond being mere novelties and establish a broad and distinct market for themselves,” Shiffler said.
Toshiba Shuffle
Irvine’s Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., a unit of Japan’s Toshiba Corp., said it’s set to get a new president here.
Mark Simons, who’s been at the company for 15 years, is set to replace Masa Fukakushi, who will become chief executive of Toshiba America Inc. in New York.
Simons is the first non-Japanese executive to lead Toshiba America Information Systems.
He’ll be in charge of four divisions here: digital products, which includes laptops and ultramobile PCs; imaging systems, which includes digital video and surveillance cameras; storage devices, which includes external drives; and telecommunications, which in-cludes gear for phone and Internet calling for businesses.
Toshiba America Information Systems has some 630 workers here.
Simons’ previous position was as general manager of the company’s digital products division.
Jeff Barney is set to take Simons’ old spot.
