Fraunhofer IIS, the world’s renowned source for audio and multimedia technologies, in partnership with Personal Music Service Provider AUPEO! and Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (PASA), a division of Panasonic North America, announced today a collaboration to demonstrate the new AUPEO! Surround Radio for the automotive market.

AUPEO! uses Fraunhofer’s MPEG Surround audio codec to deliver the surround music streaming experience to its audience. The bitrate efficiency of the codec allows for streaming over 3G/4G or WiFi networks. PASA’s MPEG Surround enabled automotive head unit receives the stream and creates a unique, immersive surround experience in the car that clearly distinguishes AUPEO! Surround Radio from other streaming services.

MPEG Surround is a feature-rich open standard compression technique for multi-channel audio signals. This high-quality surround codec provides a cost-efficient delivery of streaming surround audio at stereo bitrates as low as 64 kbit/s for 5.1-channels. MPEG Surround is compatible with existing stereo receivers and includes a binaural mode for playback of surround sound over common stereo headphones.

AUPEO! Personal Radio is the free and easy way for music enthusiasts to discover music they’re sure to love and to enjoy more than 120 Stations covering all styles. AUPEO! is always available on the web or as an app.

PASA is an industry leader in automotive infotainment systems and has a unique history in providing premium quality discrete surround sound in-vehicle audio systems under the ELS Brand name.

Fraunhofer will demonstrate the AUPEO! surround service in a living room setting at its CES booth #20417, and Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America will exhibit a car head unit with integrated Fraunhofer MPEG Surround decoder built on PASA’s Connected Infotainment Platform at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

For more information, visit www.iis.fraunhofer.de/audio.