Milpitas, Calif., Jan. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Badminton World Federation (BWF) has partnered with Creative Technology to enhance the fan experience of watching badminton matches by bringing the audience closer to the action through holographic audio.
Starting tomorrow at the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok, Thailand, live and delayed matches on BWF’s YouTube channel will be enhanced with SXFI LIVE. Making its debut as the latest iteration of the multiple award-winning Super X-Fi headphone holography, SXFI LIVE adds audio holography and recreates the soundstage of a premium multi-speaker system in a pair of normal headphones.
Processed in real time at the source of the live stream, fans will be able to enjoy the lifelike effects of Super X-Fi audio, regardless of the headphones they wear when watching the live streams on YouTube, and feel as though they are watching the matches live in the arena.
Bringing the Game Closer to the Fans
BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund said the progressive partnership was a positive step for badminton. “2020 was an unprecedented year in sport. The BWF has learned some valuable lessons about content curation in the absence of live events.
“As we begin 2021 with the possibility of some of our events hosted without live audiences, such as in Bangkok this week, we are delighted to partner with Creative to enhance the audio fan experience, even when virtual.
“We look forward to working with Creative and the clever SXFI LIVE technology going forward.”
Sim Wong Hoo, CEO of Creative, said: “We are thrilled to be partners with BWF in a first-of-its kind initiative. This is a win-win-win partnership – Creative brings its technology and products to a global sport and audience. BWF becomes the first sports body to incorporate ground breaking audio technology to its events. Over 700 million badminton fans can now enjoy lifelike badminton live streams through their headphones.
“By transforming the audio quality right from the source, we bring the best seat in the badminton arena, smashes, flicks and all, to the fans in the comfort of their own homes. This is as close to the real thing as it gets, short of the fans returning to the arena. Aside from creating the spatialization and improving the immersion, SXFI LIVE will let people hear more details from the matches, through an ultra-wide soundstage compared to regular audio.”
SXFI LIVE for all BWF Major Championships and BWF World Tour Finals
SXFI LIVE will be featured in all of BWF’s top-tier Major tournaments in 2021, including the TOTAL BWF Sudirman Cup, TOTAL BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, BWF World Championships and HSBC BWF World Tour Finals.
For more information, please visit https://www.creative.com/BWFSXFI.
About Creative
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster® sound cards and for driving the multimedia revolution - which established a user base of 400 million - Creative drives digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions that include premium wireless speakers, wireless headphones, powerful audiophile-grade digital amplifiers and next-generation home-theatre systems. Aiming at the new mobile networked generation by bridging the worlds of the computer, smartphones, and tablets, Creative continues to reinvent the Sound Blaster, with its ground-breaking Sound Blaster Roar series and USB-audio class of products such as the Sound Blaster X7.
In 2016, Creative unveiled the X-Fi Sonic Carrier: a brand-new concept in hi-res audio and video delivery for home entertainment. This technology powerhouse dubbed ‘the soundbar of the gods' personifies the Audio of Tomorrow.
In 2018, Creative launched an all-new game-changing technology for headphones called Super X-Fi® Headphone Holography. This technology uses computational audio to recreate the listening experience of a high-end multi-speaker system in a professional studio, and delivers the same expansive experience - with the same original depth, detail, realism, and spaciousness - in headphones. Super X-Fi further uses Artificial Intelligence to compute a custom audio profile based on a person's unique anthropometry. Super X-Fi has won multiple accolades worldwide, including an unprecedented 23 awards at CES 2019-2020.
Visit creative.com
Find out more about Super X-Fi Technology: sxfi.com
Facebook: facebook.com/CreativeLabs
About BWF
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body of the sport of badminton, recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). It was originally the International Badminton Federation (IBF) which was founded on 5 July 1934, before being rechristened the Badminton World Federation in 2006.
The purpose and objectives of BWF include regulating, promoting, developing and popularising the sport of badminton throughout the world and organising, conducting and presenting international events at the highest level.
The BWF’s vision is to make badminton a leading global sport accessible to all – giving every child a chance to play for life. Its mission is to lead and inspire all stakeholders; to deliver entertainment through exciting events to drive fan experience; and to create innovative, impactful and sustainable development initiatives.
BWF has its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with 196 Member Associations worldwide.
Poul-Erik Høyer is the BWF President and Thomas Lund is the BWF Secretary General.
Websites: www.bwfbadminton.com and www.bwfcorporate.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bwfbadminton
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