PRESS RELEASE
Accessibility, personalized: Sennheiser MobileConnect and CinemaConnect apps
make custom sound adaptation possible for individual audio
Hamburg/Orlando (FL), June 17, 2015 – The new versions of Sennheiser’s
MobileConnect and CinemaConnect apps for accessible streaming allow users to
not only adjust volume but also to adapt speech intelligibility and sound quality
to their particular requirements for the first time. These features were developed
by audio specialist Sennheiser in close collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute
for Digital Media Technology.
With
the new,
updated
versions of
both Sennheiser’s
MobileConnect
and
CinemaConnect apps, users will be able to adjust not only the volume but also
the amplification and dynamic range of high- and low-frequency audio content.
Along with better speech intelligibility, users will also benefit from generally
improved sound quality tailored to their specific needs.
Close collaboration with Fraunhofer IDMT
In developing the enhanced technology for the streaming apps, audio specialist
Sennheiser
drew
on
the
expertise
of
the
Oldenburg Project Group for Hearing, Speech,
and
Audio
Technology
at
the
Fraunhofer
Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT)
and the Oldenburg Hearing Center.
The apps are intended for users with earlystage hearing loss who have no hearing aid
as well as hearing aid wearers with early-stage hearing loss or a slight hearing
impairment. Dr. Jan Rennies of the Fraunhofer IDMT comments, “In several
studies, we were able to demonstrate that test subjects with slight to moderate
PRESS RELEASE
hearing loss who had difficulty with speech comprehension with the unprocessed
sound, detected a distinct improvement with the apps’ signal processing.”
Intuitive sound adjustment via touchscreen
The process for personalizing the audio signal settings is very intuitive, with no
need for a prior hearing test. To make adjustments, the user draws their finger
over a touch-sensitive field built into the app until they get the optimal sound
pattern for
their
specific
requirements.
The user
can make
further
audio
adjustments at any time during the event they are attending. Moreover, with
MobileConnect, wearers of hearing aids or cochlear implants can connect the
live sound of the event directly from their smartphone to their hearing aid. To
develop this technology, the scientists reduced the complex signal processing
strategies used in hearing aid technology to a limited number of typical presets.
MobileConnect: optimal speech comprehension through mobile streaming
Since 2014, Sennheiser’s MobileConnect app has made live audio streaming via
WiFi possible on mobile devices,
thereby
helping
comprehension
speech
in
various
environments. For example, users
with the CinemaConnect version,
which
has
been
optimized
for
cinemas, get access to additional
soundtracks for audio description
or assistive listening, and are also able to engage in the film experience via
headphones
connected
to
the
smartphone.
“With
MobileConnect
and
CinemaConnect, we have developed a new kind of technology for the real-time
transmission of audio content,” explains Jörn Erkau, managing director of
Sennheiser
Streaming
Technologies
GmbH.
“In
the
future,
cinema
and
theatergoers will be using their own smartphones, which, with our apps, can
serve as a receiver for accessibility solutions.“
PRESS RELEASE
A long-term commitment to inclusion
In Europe, more than 30% of people with a hearing impairment regularly miss
out on going to the cinema or theater. With the enhanced versions of
MobileConnect
and
CinemaConnect,
Sennheiser
aims
to
simplify
inclusive
technology for cultural events and enable more people with impaired hearing or
vision to enjoy cultural events. To develop this innovative streaming technology,
Sennheiser founded the subsidiary Sennheiser Streaming Technologies (SST) in
2014. Jörn Erkau explains: “MobileConnect and CinemaConnect are our first
products. Using this technology as a basis, we will be developing further
industry-specific solutions, for example in the conference sector.“
The updated versions of MobileConnect and CinemaConnect are now available
for download free of charge from all app stores.
Captions:
Smartphone.jpg: The
CinemaConnect:
new
Fraunhofer
sound adaptation options for MobileConnect and
researchers
have
developed
an
intuitive
user
interface enabling users to easily adapt the audio signal to their own particular
hearing requirements.
app_user.jpg: With MobileConnect and CinemaConnect, theater and cinemagoers
use their own smartphone to receive content.
About the Project Group for Hearing, Speech, and Audio Technology at the
Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology
The aim of the Project Group for Hearing, Speech, and Audio Technology at
the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) is to apply
scientific findings on auditory perception in normal and impaired hearing to
PRESS RELEASE
technological applications. The group‘s scientists conduct applied research and
development on behalf of industrial companies and public institutions in the
fields of telecommunications, multimedia, health and care services, building
technology, transport, industrial production, and safety. The project group was
established in Oldenburg in 2008 as a branch of the Fraunhofer IDMT. It has
close collaborative links with the University of Oldenburg and other hearing
research centers in Oldenburg and is a partner in the Hearing4all cluster of
excellence. www.idmt.fraunhofer.de/hsa/.
About Sennheiser
The Sennheiser Group based in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, was
founded in 1945 and has gone on to become a leading manufacturer of
microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Sales in 2013
totaled 590.4 million euros. Sennheiser employs more than 2,500 staff
worldwide and operates plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA. The company
has a worldwide network of subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia,
Hongkong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand, Canada,
Mexico, and the USA. It also has long-established trading partners in other
countries. Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin, a maker of studio microphones and
monitor speakers, and Sennheiser Communications A/S, a joint venture making
headsets for PCs, offices and call centers, are also part of the Sennheiser
Group.
More up-to-date information about Sennheiser is available on the internet at
www.sennheiser.com.
Press Contact
Jeff Touzeau
Public Relations
Hummingbird Media, Inc.
+ 1 (914) 602-2913
jeff@hummingbirdmedia.com