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Revolutionary Set Brings to Market Significant Breakthroughs for Large Screen TVs

Today, SRS Labs announces that its patented sound elevation technology, FOCUS, has successfully penetrated the television market through the introduction of the BIGSLIM 52 Projection TV from SRS Licensee Hitachi. Based on the practical analysis of how the human hearing system works, FOCUS vertically raises the sound stage from the placement of the speakers below the screen to seem as if the music and dialog are coming from the center of the screen. The BIGSLIM 52 is the industry's first television to use FOCUS and is the first of many products to be released by Hitachi to commemorate its 90th anniversary in the year 2000.

Mr. H. Kashimoto, general manager, Digital Media Systems Division of Hitachi, Japan, comments, ``We believe that SRS Labs' FOCUS is a very effective audio technology to achieve the BIGSLIM 52 product concept of 'Large Screen---Less Space'.'' It will be released to the Japan marketplace in July 1999. For more information visit Hitachi Japan's website at http://www.hitachi.co.jp.

``SRS Labs is very proud that Hitachi has chosen our FOCUS technology for this innovative and commemorative Projection TV,'' states Thomas Yuen, chairman of SRS Labs. ``In big screen televisions, where speakers are often under the screen, FOCUS is the ideal audio solution. It integrates the sound with the screen images and thus enhances the realism and excitement of the home theater experience.''

About the FOCUS technology

Originally designed for the automobile environment where front speakers are often placed in the door panel or at the listener's feet, FOCUS electronically repositions a sound image from non-optimally located speakers. Based on the principles of the human hearing system, FOCUS corrects for inappropriate speaker elevation by selectively shaping the frequency characteristics of the input signal to create the appropriate perception of the audio image height. The technology is ideally suited for applications in car audio, PC/multimedia, and home audio where speakers cannot be placed in optimal locations for either space or aesthetic reasons. FOCUS is currently available in after-market car audio processors from NuReality. (http://www.nureality.com )

Mr. Yuen continues, ``We are pleased that with our greatly expanded portfolio of sound and voice technologies in place, our consumer electronics customers find our newer audio technologies effective in differentiating and enhancing their products. We feel that FOCUS has potential in a variety of product applications beyond the original design for automobiles and Hitachi's adoption of FOCUS for big screen TVs validates this belief.''

About SRS Labs, Inc.

SRS Labs is a leading provider of audio and voice enhancement technology solutions. SRS Labs' business consists of licensing technologies to manufacturers of consumer electronics, computer, game and telecommunications equipment; and the design, manufacture and distribution of components, integrated circuits, sub-assemblies and finished products for the consumer electronics and home entertainment markets. For more information on SRS Labs' technologies, the Company's worldwide licensing program or its design and manufacturing capabilities, visit the SRS Labs website at http://www.srslabs.com.

SRS, the SRS symbol and FOCUS are registered trademarks of SRS Labs, Inc. in the United States and selected foreign countries. All other brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE: SRS Labs, Inc.