Creative Announces Sound Blaster Live! Platinum
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October 9, 1999
Creative Technology Ltd.announced the availability of the Sound Blaster Live!
Platinum audio card, a digital audio solution that provides the most demanding
users with a strong set of applications for Internet audio, music applications
and gaming. The new audio accelerator boasts the new Live! Drive, an innovative
front-end console that provides easy and convenient connectivity to a wide array
of analog and digital devices ranging from general consumer accessories to sophisticated
hi-fi equipment for professionals.
The Sound Blaster Live! Platinum sound card is a feature-laden solution that
offers unparalleled options for consumers and digital musicians looking for front
panel connectivity. By integrating a front panel connection to virtually any audio
source, the Live! Drive eliminates the need to connect consumer electronic devices
and instruments directly to the back of the sound card. The Live! Drive features
a coaxial SPDIF input, coaxial S/PDIF output, MIDI input, MIDI output, line or
microphone (Mono) input, and a headphone output with volume control. Users looking
for immersive entertainment experiences will value the music playback and movie
sound capabilities enabled by AC-3 pass through support. Sound Blaster Live! Platinum
also offers easy connectivity to Creative's DeskTop Theater 5.1 DTT2500 Digital
speaker system.
Designed for users seeking the ultimate desktop solution for digital audio
creation and playback, Internet music and power gaming, Sound Blaster Live! Platinum
offers a full feature set of the most innovative applications and utilities available
today. Combining key elements of both the Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer and MP3+
solutions, the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum gives users unprecedented control
over content creation and enhancement through options such as customized "pre-sets,"
software to organize and edit a variety of sound files and CD 'ripping' software.
"We set out to create a new benchmark in computer audio, and that's what
we have delivered with the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum solution," said Sim
Wong Hoo, chairman and chief executive officer of Creative. "From enhancing
MP3 files with Environmental Audio™ to giving musicians unequaled flexibility
with our Live! Drive , we have set a new standard for digital desktop music and
sound creation with the Platinum."
Another element featured in the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum solution is Creative's
LAVA! (Live Audio Visual Animation) interactive music technology. LAVA! allows
users to create and playback a visual montage that animates music files 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."
Gamers will enjoy the effects of Environmental Audio with its high-quality
reverb and its improved 3D positioning and support for effects like occlusion
and obstruction. For a head-start on the action, three hot new games are bundled
with the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum solution: "Descent 3," "Need
for Speed 4: High Stakes" and "Thief: The Dark Project."
Key Features of the Sound Blaster Live! Platinum
- Live! Drive: This easy access drive bay connector allows users a convenient
way to access and control virtually any audio source including MIDI, DAT players,
instruments, headphones and home speaker systems. The Live! Drive features digital
input, digital output, line input (microphone input), MIDI input, and MIDI output.
- 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 fully digital connection to Creative's
FourPointSurroundFPS2000 Digital speaker system.
- Creative Digital Audio Center Software: Allows users to encode, decode
and archive MP3 files, as well as to convert an unlimited number of CD tracks
from personal CD collections and catalog them according to preference.
- Integrated software package: A complete solution for music, digital
audio creation, playback, and power gaming including features such as editing
and organizing files. Also included in the software package is Creative MediaRing
Talk™ 99, which allows person-to-person chatting over the Internet.
- Environmental Audio support: An industry standard in audio, Environmental
Audio adds real-time effects for maximum customization and extended game re-play
value. Supports accurate 3D positional audio so sound actually "moves"
from speaker to speaker, and "pre-sets" that duplicate real-life settings.
The Sound Blaster Live! Platinum also includes presets for legacy titles to support
Environmental Audio. Environmental Audio 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.
- Games Bundle: Three full-version Environmental Audio game titles including
"Descent 3," "Need for Speed 4: High Stakes," and "Thief:
The Dark Project." LAVA!: With LAVA!, users can incorporate visual animations
into their audio files, creating "instant music videos" for sharing
with friends or promoting songs and bands.
- Live!Ware Support: Creative's on-line resource keeps hardware current
through upgrades -- new features, formats and functionality for authoring, playback
and game play. (Please see accompanying press release on "Live!Ware 3.0 Injects
Turbo Power into Sound Blaster Live Lineup") Pricing and Availability
The Sound Blaster Live! Platinum is now available through Creative's extensive
network of distributors and resellers in the U.S. at an estimated street price
of US$199.99.
To learn more, visit Creative Lab's Sound Blaster Live! web site at www.sblive.com.
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