BIOS: Technology Means Business

Creative has once again produced an innovative audio solution for laptop users. The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook is a Type II PC Card that adds 5.1- and 7.1-channel sound to Windows-based laptops. The first of its type from Creative, the solution promises to provide the same quality audio experience as that of a desktop PC running a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS PCI card. The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook is the first PC Card audio solution to offer hardware-accelerated EAX 4.0 Advanced HD and 3D positional audio for games. It also supports high-quality playback of 24-bit/192kHz content (including Advanced Resolution DVD-Audio), which should dramatically improve the playback quality of your laptop when using decent headphones or external speakers. Unfortunately, SPDIF output is not available during playback of protected digital audio content authored with Microsoft's DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology. Also, some features and specification levels may be unavailable or limited by your laptop's system configuration, so do check first.

Pros: Low cost; supports EAX 4.0 Advanced and DVD-Audio playback
Cons: Decent headphones or speakers needed for full appreciation

Release: Creative (NASDAQ: CREAF), a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC users, today announced the first ever PCMCIA Sound Blaster, the PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook. The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook simply plugs into any notebook computer's PCMCIA slot and provides an amazing audio experience. It enables users to listen to PC games on a notebook in 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound and play back their MP3 music on their notebook with a dramatic improvement in audio quality.

By plugging the PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS notebook into their notebook PC, users can now have the same quality audio experience that was previously only available on a desktop PC with a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS PCI card. The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook will be unveiled for the first time at the World Cyber Games 2004, Oct. 7-10 in San Francisco, with interactive, hands-on demonstrations for attendees.

'The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS notebook is an essential audio upgrade for every notebook PC user that listens to MP3 music on their notebook, plays games or watches movies. It provides a superior audio quality experience to the poor quality audio that comes standard with every notebook PC. It makes for a fantastic listening experience whether the notebook user is using headphones or external speakers; the improvement in the sound quality is awesome,' said Mala Sharma, director of product marketing for Creative Labs, Inc.

The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook is the first PCMCIA card to enable hardware-accelerated EAX 4.0 Advanced HD and 3D positional audio for games. Support for EAX provides a level of dramatic realism, in addition to audio quality and clarity in over 400 games that has never been experienced before on a notebook. Gamers can also experience virtual surround sound over stereo headphones with patented Creative Multi-Speaker Surround (CMSS) 3D support. At home, the Speaker Docking Cable allows for quick and easy connection to a home multi-channel speaker system such as the Creative GigaWorks S750.

The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook supports highest quality playback of 24-bit/192kHz content (including Advanced Resolution DVD-Audio). Notebook PC users no longer need to tolerate the noise floor created by inferior integrated audio. The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook dramatically improves MP3 music by delivering outstanding audio clarity of 104dB SNR. The product includes EAX music tools, such as Audio Clean Up to easily correct scratches and pops in poorly recorded music, Smart Volume Management that automatically normalises the volume level across multiple songs, a graphic equaliser, bass boost and more.

The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook comes bundled with Creative's new Smart Recorder software for easy and automated recording of audio sources (Internet radio, vinyl records, cassette, MiniDisc) directly to MP3 format. This software incorporates a track-splitting feature that detects silences between tracks and automatically splits the recording into separate songs. Creative's MediaSource software is included as well, making it easy to organise, rip and enhance a digital music collection.

The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook makes DVD movies watched on a notebook sound as good as in a movie theater. Users can enjoy THX-certified, 24-bit, Advanced HD audio quality during DVD viewing, with support for both DTS-ES and Dolby Digital EX decoding. Amazing CMSS 3D technology provides captivating virtual surround sound for DVD movies for a full cinematic audio experience over headphones or a true home theater experience over a multi-channel speaker system.

The PCMCIA Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook transforms a notebook PC into a home recording studio. High-quality inputs enable up to 24-bit/96kHz recording. Low latency ASIO 2.0 drivers are included for optimal performance with music creation applications.

Links:
SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS Notebook Web site