IBC 2018 CONFERENCE, AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, and SAN JOSE, Calif. – Sept 13, 2018 – Synaptics Incorporated (NASDAQ: SYNA), the leading developer of human interface solutions, today announced two new AudioSmart® Far-Field Voice (FFV) solutions for both emerging and legacy set-top-boxes (STBs). For new STBs, Synaptics has fully integrated its AudioSmart FFV capabilities directly into its VideoSmart™ VS-550 multimedia processors, providing unmatched performance and lower bill of materials. For the millions of existing STBs already deployed, users can simply connect via USB a Synaptics-enabled standalone accessory and instantly add a voice assistant to their television services.

Consumer demand for smart speakers to control music and home automation is rapidly growing, and smart home users now expect to be able to naturally use their voice to control their TV experience without having to hunt for a custom remote control. Synaptics’ new AudioSmart FFV and VideoSmart solutions represent a powerful blend of the latest voice, audio and video technologies that enhance capabilities of Android STBs while enabling them to be more space- and cost-efficient. That combination benefits consumers and the television ecosystem including service providers, STB makers, and USB plug-in device makers.

“Through our strategic acquisitions of innovative companies and complementary technologies, Synaptics is leveraging those acquired assets’ synergy to create highly integrated human interface solutions,” said Huibert Verhoeven, senior vice president and general manager, IoT Division, Synaptics. “Our comprehensive portfolio of market-leading voice and video solutions offer service providers a one-stop-shop technology partner that can help enhance their subscription TV services for a compelling consumer TV experience.”

Integrated Voice and Video:
Synaptics’ AudioSmart FFV capabilities are already market-proven in service provider STBs and were previously available only through discrete DSPs such as those deployed with major customers in South Korea. Now Synaptics has designed its SoC with integrated FFV that offers higher performance for enhanced voice processing capabilities. The VideoSmart VS-550 UHD SoC with quad core 15K DMIPs CPU performance and gaming caliber graphics is a market-leading solution for Android TV set-top-boxes and is currently being deployed across several Pay TV operators around the world.

The VS-550 infused with AudioSmart FFV capabilities provides STBs with a single-chip solution with voice features for all major speech-recognition engines, including those from Google and Amazon, as well as service providers’ own proprietary services. That integration also enables multimedia designs with higher performance and more FFV features than before, such as improved echo cancelation; more-powerful noise suppression; a customizable, high-performance voice-trigger solution; and industry-leading voice barge-in technology enabled by full-duplex acoustic echo cancellation which detects the wake-word even when the TV volume is high. Enabling a FFV solution in STBs is especially challenging, when compared to smart speakers, given that the audio playback is coming through TV speakers. The Synaptics solution overcomes this challenge with unique, proprietary technology which is field-proven, having been deployed in STBs for many years using AudioSmart discrete DSPs.

Standalone USB Accessory with FFV:
More than 300 million STBs shipped worldwide in 2017 – a figure expected to reach nearly 360 million units in 2018, according to a report by ResearchAndMarkets.com. While STBs in development can have Synaptics’ new highly integrated VideoSmart SoC with AudioSmart FFV designed-in directly, millions among the installed base of STBs don’t have FFV capabilities. To minimize service provider capital expenditures, Synaptics also offers a solution for ODMs to develop a simple to use plug-in USB accessory that takes advantage of USB ports common in STBs, thus enhancing existing users’ experience with rich FFV features and provides a lower-cost alternative to standalone voice-assistant device.

IBC 2018 Conference:
Please join us at IBC 2018 in Amsterdam, Sept. 14-18, where Synaptics will be showcasing its latest voice and multimedia solutions for the smart home. To make an appointment at IBC, please contact your Synaptics account representative.