LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, today announced its Premium Communication solutions, a first-of-its-kind modular offering designed to elevate today’s in-vehicle communication environment. Leveraging the world’s leading microphone, voice processing and noise cancelling technologies, Premium Communications enable clear, frustration-free conversations for all occupants within a vehicle -- with each other, and with digital voice assistants and external call recipients.
“With the rise in regular use of voice-enabled devices coupled with consumers’ always-on connected lifestyle, communicating clearly on the go, particularly in your car, is more important than ever before. As a result, in-vehicle communication is evolving to be a critical component of the overall passenger experience,” said Michael Mauser, President, Lifestyle Audio for HARMAN. “HARMAN’s new Premium Communications leverages the latest advancements in smart audio to personalize the sonic environment and improve all communication occurring in vehicles – whether it’s with a voice assistant, someone on the other end of a phone call, or between passengers. At HARMAN, we’re focused on innovating smart, scalable and seamless solutions that provide the personalization consumers today crave, and Premium Communications is no exception.”
Built on AudioworX, HARMAN’s proprietary, open-framework development platform, Premium Communications components are modular and scalable across vehicle segments. Together, these technologies address the challenges of the evolving vehicle interior and help OEMs better capitalize on integrations with voice assistants, while fulfilling consumer demand for elevated communication experiences.
Features include:
In-Car Communication (ICC): Clear, safe 2-way communication amongst vehicle occupants – seamlessly, for every drive
ICC combines microphones, voice processing and in-vehicle audio signal processing to create an ideal environment for conversation within the car cabin, enhancing the sounds you want to hear, and reducing those you don’t. An ‘always on’ adaptive feature, ICC automatically level-sets according to music volume or road noise for clear, 2-way conversations amongst passengers on any drive – front to back and back to front. HARMAN’s In-Car Communication allows the driver to communicate directly with passengers in the back seats without needing to turn around or take their eyes off the road. Alternatively, second and third row passengers can now communicate easily with the first row – eliminating the need for them to raise their voice or strain forward in their seats, allowing all occupants to easily converse with one another.
ClearChat with Far-End Noise Cancellation: New levels of clarity for voice calls and voice commands
ClearChat combines world-leading beamforming microphones, echo cancellation, and noise reduction algorithms to remove unwanted cabin noise -- including air conditioning, road noise or rear seat passengers -- for listeners on the receiving end of a call. Beamforming is a signal processing technique that employs direct signals at particular angles to ensure spatial selectivity. As a result, sonic clutter is reduced and voice clarity is dramatically improved for stress-free communication with personal voice assistants and call recipients.
Personal Communication Zones: A more enjoyable, personalized in-car experience
In Harman’s top of the line communication offering, ClearChat technology extends beyond the driver for multi-passenger use, unlocking Personal Communication Zones. Personal Communication Zones gives every occupant the freedom to simultaneously interact with their voice assistant of choice or have a phone call with confidence that call recipients won’t hear the music or entertainment from others in the vehicle.
Multi VPA Capability: Freedom to use any voice assistant
Through one seamlessly integrated platform, HARMAN’s Premium Communications are compatible with all available virtual personal assistant (VPA) services in the market.
Premium Communications will be demonstrated at the HARMAN Showcase at CES 2019.
HARMAN at CES 2019
Visit the HARMAN showcase during CES 2019 for demonstrations of the company’s full portfolio of connected car and lifestyle audio systems enabling a connected life. The HARMAN experience showcase is located at the Hard Rock Hotel. Follow HARMAN online during CES 2019:
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ABOUT HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
© 2019 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson are trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries. Features, specifications and appearance are subject to change without notice.
