Press Releases
December 27, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
28th ANNUAL
NEW YEAR’S EVE “TOAST OF THE NATION” PROGRAM
FEATURES BROADCAST IN FULL NEURAL-THX SURROUND
NPR MUSIC AND WBGO/JAZZ 88.3FM MUSIC SPECIAL TO
AIR NATIONALLY
AND STREAM LIVE ONLINE
Kirkland, WA and San Rafael, CA, December 27,
2007 — Neural Audio Corporation, a market
leader in developing advanced audio and surround
sound technologies, and THX Ltd., the leading
provider of technologies, certification programs
and quality assurance standards for the
entertainment industry, announced today that
Toast of the Nation, the annual nine-hour New
Year’s Eve music special produced by NPR Music
and WBGO/Jazz88.3 FM in Newark, NJ, will be
broadcast in 5.1 Neural-THX Surround.
“Toast of the Nation is the premier audio-only
live New Year’s Eve event reaching one of the
largest audiences worldwide for more than 25
years,” said Geir R Skaaden, Neural Audio’s CEO.
“Once again, it is great to work with NPR, WBGO
and our home entertainment system partners to
broadcast and stream world-class talent to
public radio’s large listener base.”
Toast of the Nation will be presented live from
the new Yoshi’s Jazz Club in San Francisco and
will feature other live performances from across
the U.S., including New York, Minneapolis and
Boston. Host Rhonda Hamilton, of WBGO’s Midday
Jazz, will anchor the nine-hour event to an
audience of millions in more than 140 countries.
The event will feature music from artists such
as: pianist Danilo Perez and His Big Band; the
great Patti Austin; Trio de Paz and pianist
Kenny Barron; Nachito Herrera and the Steele
Family Singers; sextet Convergence; and
sensational young singer Ledisi with the Count
Basie Orchestra.
Toast of the Nation will be broadcast on NPR
Member stations nationwide from 8:00PM-5:00AM
(ET); many stations will also offer the program
on their websites as live streaming audio, as
well as on www.NPR.org It will also air on NPR
Worldwide; NPR Berlin FM channel; Radio
Netherlands in Amsterdam; American Forces
Network; and Voice of America in Latin America .
Neural-THX Surround is now found in more than 70
percent of new AV receivers and in car
entertainment systems from companies such as
Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, Onkyo, Denon, Marantz,
Integra, Inkel and Sherwood. The technology
delivers surround radio broadcasts to an
audience of more than 11 million through XM
Satellite Radio and the Classical Public Radio
Network (CPRN). More than 200 TV stations in
four countries, including affiliates of all US
major networks, use Neural-THX Surround within
their transport and distribution infrastructure,
helping to make surround broadcast a reality.
Through Neural Music Direct, Neural-THX Surround
is leading the way for Internet music streaming
in full surround sound directly to
Internet-ready AV receivers and radios
worldwide.
About THX LTD.
Born out of George Lucas’ vision to improve the
movie-going experience, THX is a driving force
in cinema, post-production, car audio and home
entertainment. THX is dedicated to developing
new ways to make the creation, delivery and
presentation of entertainment content more
efficient, more powerful and more enjoyable.
Today, the world’s premier commercial cinemas,
post-production studios, car audio systems and
home entertainment products incorporate THX
technologies and have achieved the coveted THX
Certified status. For more information, visit
www.thx.com.
About Neural Audio Corporation
Neural Audio, through its Neural-THX® Surround
technology and unique audio optimization
technologies, has become the key enabler in the
delivery of high quality content for the TV,
radio, game, Internet, home theatre and mobile
markets. Key broadcast partners and customers
such as XM Satellite Radio, Yamaha Corporation,
Sony Corporation, Pioneer Electronics, Onkyo
Corporation, Denon Electronics, Marantz America,
Inkel, Sherwood and Harris Corporation have
adopted Neural Audio’s technologies to provide
the best quality audio available today to their
customers. For more information, please visit
www.neuralaudio.com, or
www.neuralsurround.com.
About NPR Music
Toast of the Nation is the capstone of NPR
Music’s holiday offerings, available on-air and
online at the new NPR Music multimedia website:
www.NPR.org/music/ The newly-relaunched
website includes broadcast and
original-to-online content from NPR and 12 NPR
Member stations, including WBGO. The NPR Music
site offers interviews, lives performances,
artists index, reviews, blogs and other features
for fans of rock, jazz, classical, urban, folk
and world music.
Neural Surround is a trademark owned by Neural
Audio Corporation, THX is a trademark of THX
Ltd., which may be registered in some
jurisdictions. All rights reserved.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Jackie Broo
Communications Manager, Neural Audio Corporation
Email: jackie@neuralaudio.com
Office: +1-425.814.3200, ext. 116
Mobile: +1-513-304-9514
Dakx Turcotte
Director, Marketing and Business Development - Neural Audio Corporation
Email: dakx@neuralaudio.com
Office: +1-425-522-0635
Mobile: +1-206-499-5855