@ CTIA: Along with video, audio enhances gaming, streaming experiences

ORLANDO, Fla.—Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) is licensing SRS Labs Inc.’s (SRSL) audio technologies on its Snapdragon chipsets, a move that underscores the importance of high-quality audio on mobile devices, according to Bob Lyle, managing director of global business development at SRS Labs.
Music, high-definition video and mobile gaming are pushing more consumer electronics manufacturers to include high quality audio sound on their devices, especially as people use them more for content applications, Lyle noted.
As processors became more powerful in mobile phones, it is common to have HD video included in the handset but surround-sound quality has lagged behind. HTC Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. both promote the fact that they include enhanced sound in their products, Lyle said.
3D positioning of sound makes the experience more realistic, especially in first-person shooting games, where you can hear the bullets swarming around you or an enemy sneaking up behind you.
Like many of the companies in the wireless space, SRS Labs is a spinoff of a military-focused division within Hughes Electronics.