Profile

Fraunhofer IIS, based in Erlangen, Germany, is the largest institute within Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s leading application-oriented research organization.

For over 30 years, the institute’s Audio and Media Technologies division has been shaping the globally deployed standards and technologies in the fields of audio coding and moving picture production. Fraunhofer IIS systems and tools help create, transmit and provide excellent audio and video content as well as enable high-quality real-time communication. Today, almost all computers, mobile phones and consumer electronic devices are equipped with technologies from Erlangen and are used by billions of people around the world every day.

It all started with the creation of mp3, then evolved with the co-development of AAC and HE-AAC. Now the fourth generation of best-in-class audio technologies – MPEG-H Audio, EVS, LC3/LC3plus and xHE-AAC – elevates the media experience to new heights. In terms of audio signal processing, Symphoria and the Sonamic product family provide enveloping and enhanced sound in cars, while the upHear product family dramatically improves 3D audio playback or recording quality of professional and consumer devices. Fraunhofer technologies also power digital radio: first and foremost in the form of the ContentServer, combining audio encoding, multimedia data management and multiplexing. In the field of moving picture technologies, establishing the Digital Cinema Initiative test plan boosted the creation of professional tools for digital film and media production, such as easyDCP, Realception and JPEG XS.

The interdisciplinary team transforms science into best-in-class applications with new functionalities for end users as well as optimum efficiency, reducing transmission costs while increasing reliability. Always taking into account the demands of the market, Fraunhofer IIS develops technology that makes memorable moments.

We hear the bigger picture.