Singapore, 6 January 2010 – Exploit Technologies, the commercialisation arm of Singapore
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and the Institute for Infocomm
Research (I2R) today announced MPEG4-SLS (Scalable-to-Lossless Coding), the world’s first
adaptive audio streaming technology using the MPEG-4 SLS audio standard. This technology will
be presented by Exploit Technologies during the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) at booth North 4638 and North 6817.
SLS is a music coding format developed with major contribution from A*STAR Institute for
Infocomm Research (I2R) and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG). This patented music coding format
is an MPEG-4 audio standard that is capable of compressing music files (such as CD tracks) for
playback without any loss in fidelity. It also allows for fine-grain pre-encoding of music files at
different bit-rates so that they can be subsequently streamed or played back at different
quality, depending on the device type or available channel bandwidth. This allows for
uninterrupted music streaming all day round, regardless of bandwidth or internet traffic
volume. MPEG-4 SLS’s scalability also means that a single encoded file can be played back on
different environment with bit-rate cap determined by the service provider.
“Exploit Technologies leverages different commercialisation platforms to bring to the market
A*STAR’s technologies. When MPEG-SLS was launched a few years ago, there was little interest
in the use of this technology. By focusing development on adapting MPEG-4 SLS for streaming
audio, a solution is now available to support streaming music services and at the same time
pave the way for the future with HD audio. We believe that this innovative adaptive technology
could completely change the digital music industry, just as the introduction of MP3 did many
years ago,” said Philip Lim, Chief Executive Officer of Exploit Technologies.
MPEG-4 SLS: Unleashing the power of the digital recorded music industry
Adaptive MPEG-4 SLS offers seamless audio streaming that opens a new realm of music
entertainment possibilities. Thanks to the technology, high-music entertainment is no longer
limited to desk-bound hi-fi systems. MPEG-4 SLS is an attractive format for streaming
applications due to its scalability feature. This feature enables a streaming system to respond to
network conditions in real time during a streaming session.
The A*STAR I²R team was awarded the National Technology Award 2007 for its research and
development work on SLS. Said Prof Lye Kin Mun, Deputy Executive Director (Research) of I2R,
“Our research team developed this technology to answer the needs of new generation
consumers who want hi-fidelity music entertainment at the appropriate quality and on
demand, anywhere anytime. This is also in line with upcoming trends of moving away from
traditional to new media in the infotainment world”
The digital distribution of music stands fully ready to become the dominant way in which music
will be produced and consumed. Now that the consumers have access to millions of
soundtracks, the challenge would be to find the music that one really wants to hear, quicker
and more accurately. Adaptive MPEG-4 SLS may provide the missing piece to the puzzle for
service providers of digital music content.
MPEG-4 SLS is currently being test-bedded online at www.songsofcampus.com. Exploit
Technologies welcomes industry partners to join our efforts to commercialise MPEG-4 SLS.
About Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd
Exploit Technologies is the strategic marketing and commercialisation arm of the Agency for
Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Its mission is to support A*STAR in transforming
the economy through commercialising R&D. Exploit Technologies enhances the research output
of A*STAR scientists by translating their inventions into marketable products or processes.
Through licensing deals with industry partners and spin-offs, Exploit Technologies is a key driver
of technology transfer in Singapore. It actively engages industry leaders and players to
commercialise A*STAR's technologies and capabilities, bridging the gap from Mind to Market.
Exploit Technologies’ charter is to identify, protect and exploit promising intellectual property
(IP) created by A*STAR’s research institutes.
For more information, please visit www.exploit-tech.com.
About Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R)
The Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R - pronounced as i-squared-r) is a member of the
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) family. Established in 2002, our mission
is to be the globally preferred source of innovations in `Interactive Secured Information,
Content and Services Anytime Anywhere’ through research by passionate people dedicated to
Singapore’s economic success. I²R performs R&D in information, communications and media
(ICM) technologies to develop holistic solutions across the ICM value chain. Our research
capabilities are in information technology, wireless and optical communication networks,
interactive and digital media; signal processing and computing. We seek to be the infocomm
and media value creator that keeps Singapore ahead. Website: www.I2R.a-star.edu.sg.
