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Penteo Announces Breakthrough Technology
to Convert Any Stereo Audio into 5.1 Surround Sound
March 26, 2009
Source: Penteo
Penteo has announced that the Warner Brothers
blockbuster "Watchmen" is the first major motion
picture to take advantage of their new direct stereo-to-5.1
surround sound re-mastering system. In a recent presentation
to the Bay Area Chapter of the Audio Engineering Society (AES),
Wheeler and his team demonstrated their new technology using
unprocessed audio and music from CDs, MP3s, and even an iPhone.
According to John Wheeler, Penteo, LLC founder and inventor
of the new technology, "the Penteo system is based on
an entirely new stereo analysis method. We believe it's the
first truly significant breakthrough in the art of converting
stereo into 5.1 surround sound in the last 15 years."
Penteo has developed a system of processes and a patent-pending
proprietary technology that cleanly and efficiently converts
any stereo mix of music, film, and TV soundtracks directly
into superior-quality 5.1 surround sound. At the core of this
system is a new stereo "panorama slicing" algorithm
that Wheeler says creates a much cleaner, clearer, more discrete
5.1 surround experience than any other 5.1 conversion technology
available today.
"Most importantly, our surround masters downmix back
to stereo with absolutely no sonic artifacts" Wheeler
said. The company offers premium audio re-mastering services
for production companies, studios, and record labels to convert
their existing libraries into 5.1 surround. "We were
approached by the film\'s mixer to up-convert 1960's and '70's
music hits and classical pieces for "Watchmen" at
the October meeting of the Audio Engineering Society,"
Wheeler said. "We were able to turn the mixes around
to the client in a short time and possibly saved them thousands
of dollars in potential remixing fees."
Additionally, the company has developed the "Penteo/RT"
broadcast appliance which converts live stereo broadcasts
into 5.1 surround on the fly, giving broadcasters the ability
to automatically send out all their programming as a 5.1 mix
simultaneously with their stereo transmission. Penteo plans
to license the technology to consumer electronics makers and
professional production hardware manufacturers.
The Penteo service was recently spotlighted in the audio trade
magazine "Pro Sound News Europe": "Having accurately
checked the azimuth of the source material (considered essential
to extracting centre-channel information) the firm applies
its DSP magic to the in- and out-of-phase content and delivers
a truly stunning result." (PSNE - November 2008, p.7)
Wheeler, an Emmy-winning sound mixer as well as a computer
programmer, was formerly the Core Network Architect at EDnet,
the Skywalker Ranch-founded pro digital audio network. John
has 30 years of experience with the entertainment industry,
including a long run with NBC.
"As audio professionals ourselves, we are mainly concerned
that our output remains faithful to the original stereo mix,
with nothing artificial," Wheeler said. "It's amazing
to listen to many recordings after we\'ve processed them through
Penteo and hear the voices and instruments that you would
never be able to hear in the original stereo mix. The clarity
and sound separation are superb. It opens up a whole new listening
experience for the audience."
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