Electronic Products & Technology

Dirac joins forces with BlackBerry QNX

EP&T Magazine   

Electronics Engineering Software Engineering audio automotive

Aim is to amp up the in-car audio experience, drive new revenue streams for automakers

BlackBerry QNX has partnered with Swedish digital audio pioneer Dirac to integrate the firm’s award-winning Opteo professional solution into the QNX Acoustics Management Platform. The aim will be to make it easier and more affordable for automakers to digitally upgrade the performance of sound systems in high-end vehicles.

The two companies have already begun work on the first implementation in a high-end electric vehicle for a leading European manufacturer.

BlackBerry QNX has partnered with Swedish digital audio pioneer Dirac.

According to Lars Carlsson, Dirac’s vice-president and head of business development automotive audio, the partnership enables automakers to optimize the sound experience across entire vehicle lineups while also demonstrating Dirac and BlackBerry QNX’s shared commitment to supporting the growing trend of software-defined vehicles that can offer subscription-based upgrades capable of receiving over-the-air software updates.

“High-quality audio can be challenging for automakers to perfect across entire line-ups, but, with the new Dirac-enabled QNX audio framework, manufacturers can quickly and easily upgrade any vehicle’s sound system with enhanced performance,” Carlsson said. “This presents automakers with an opportunity to capitalize on consumer demand for high-quality audio, while providing them with software-defined vehicles that offer added capabilities through subscriptions and other upgrades. Partnering with BlackBerry QNX is a win-win for automakers and their customers alike, and we look forward to expanding the collaboration to continue to push the bounds of automotive audio.”

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Dirac Opteo Professional will be accessible on all QNX supported chipsets through the QNX audio framework, eliminating the need for automakers to install audio software in either the head unit SoC or in a separate digital signal processor (DSP) – which can be a time consuming, expensive, and complex process.

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