mp3 Surround Technology and Music Free at all4mp3.com

mp3 Surround Technology and Music Free at all4mp3.com; Applications, Exclusive Tracks and Information Available for Download

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 11, 2006--The Technology division of Thomson (Euronext:18453)(NYSE:TMS), the global technology and creative services corporation, today announced that it is offering free mp3 Surround software and music on its website: www.all4mp3.com. Designed for musicians and aficionados of advanced audio technologies, all4mp3.com is a Web destination that features comprehensive information about mp3 Surround; a demo encoder for creating mp3 Surround tracks; an mp3 Surround player; the mp3 Stereo eXtended converter (mp3 SX) for upgrading mp3 files to Surround sound, and software development tools.

All4mp3.com is also amassing a library of free 5.1 recordings. Currently available for download are tracks from noted independent artists such as DJ/surround sound maven Tipper and Grammy Award-winner Aimee Mann. Musicians everywhere are invited to submit their own multi-channel mixes to the library via the link on the all4mp3.com music page.

"mp3 Surround is the next big audio technology for home theaters and entertainment centers," said Rocky Caldwell, general manager, mp3 Licensing, Thomson IP and Licensing. "We wanted to give fans the opportunity to hear, and composers the chance to experience, how this technology takes sound to a whole new level."

mp3 Surround is a distribution technology for music recorded in 5.1 channel stereo and is the only backwards compatible, multiplatform solution of its kind today. After downloading the applications from www.all4mp3.com, listeners who have PCs with 5.1 sound cards may enjoy multi-channel sound on computer speakers. With the Ensonido feature included with the mp3 Surround player, listeners can have a multi-channel experience through normal stereo headphones. Also available on all4mp3.com is the mp3 SX converter, a simple drop-in application that creates a surround sound experience with traditional mp3 files.

In addition to tracks from Tipper and Mann, all4mp3.com features recordings from David Elias, Best Songwriter, 2005 at the International Online Music Awards, and Bjorn Lynn, an accomplished game soundtrack composer.

Tipper said, "5.1 mp3 technology is a very exciting development in delivering the music of the future. It's great not to be constrained to the optical disc format. Listeners all over the world will now be able to hear my surround sound recordings with ease."