GenAudio Processes First Full-length Feature Motion Picture Release in 3D AstoundSurround Audio, 'Discover The Gift' by Director Demian Lichtenstein

LOS ANGELES and PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GenAudio Inc., developer of AstoundSound® 3D spatial audio professional software tools, announced today that it has processed its first full-length feature release in AstoundSurround®, "Discover The Gift" by director Demian Lichtenstein.  AstoundSurround is the integration of the AstoundSound 3D spatial audio technology into a 5.1 audio mix.  Lichtenstein's Equilibrium Entertainment and GenAudio also announced that all future Equilibrium film title releases will be processed in AstoundSurround at Astound Studios.

"Discover The Gift," the first ever documentary transformational media feature film to include 3D spatial audio enhancements, will debut during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday January 22, 2011 at the Studio on Main Street at 608 Main Street from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Park City, Utah. Additional public screenings featuring a Q&A session and mixer with Lichtenstein and Aziz will take place Sunday January 23, 2011 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, also at the Studio on Main and Tuesday January 25, 2011 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at The Yard at 1251 Kearns Street.

"We are proud to have completed a full AstoundSurround mix on our first full length feature motion picture, 'Discover The Gift,'" said Jerry Mahabub, founder and CEO, GenAudio and owner, Astound Studios. "'Discover the Gift' is a perfect match for mixing in AstoundSurround given the exceptionally creative interstitials coupled with our 3D spatial audio technology.  This integration significantly enhances the inspirational message of this spiritually enlightening motion picture."  Mahabub is also an executive producer for "Discover the Gift."

"Discover The Gift" is the remarkable feature-length documentary created by award-winning filmmaker, Demian Lichtenstein, with his sister, Shajen Joy Aziz, that celebrates the basic but vital reality that there are Gifts in each person, and in all circumstances, that are simply awaiting discovery.  Framed by the touching personal narrative of siblings Lichtenstein and Aziz as they describe their own journeys toward joy, power, fulfillment, freedom, and unconditional love, "Discover The Gift" offers powerful lessons from authors, educators, activists, artists, and icons including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Jack Canfield, Terry Tillman, David `Avocado` Wolfe, Mark Victor Hansen, and Niurka — and more — and has become a word-of-mouth sensation with early audiences.

"In motion pictures when you have a brilliant picture and bad sound, people ask 'what's wrong with the picture?', but when you have great sound and poor picture, critics will say it's just style," commented Demian Lichtenstein.  "I heard the AstoundSound technology several years ago and knew then and there that I wanted to 'Astound' my next movie.  This incredible 3D spatial audio experience combined with the visual impact will take viewers up to a higher level of consciousness than ever before, and it works with every theatrical audio setup to include theaters with only two speakers."

AstoundSurround 3D spatial audio processing was integrated during mixing of  "Discover The Gift" at the Astound Studios facility in Los Angeles.  Astound Studios is a new Russ Berger designed full service audio post-production studio facility offering the most up-to-date and innovative digital audio technology combined with the most sought after vintage gear.  Greg Morgenstein, senior vice president of Audio Engineering at GenAudio and Andy Hay, senior re-recording mixer at GenAudio mixed the film in AstoundSurround at Astound Studios.

"This was a very challenging and exciting project where the film's visual elements enabled us to be very creative with the AstoundSound technology to accurately place sounds within the theatrical surround sound mix," commented Morgenstein.  "Although this film is currently a 2D film, when you watch it in AstoundSurround, it feels like it is in 3D."

Director Demian Lichtenstein, best known for directing "3000 Miles to Graceland", has been mentored by James Cameron on "Avatar", and has been trained in 3D techniques by James Mainard and Phil McNally of Dreamworks.  Lichtenstein has over twenty motion picture projects, five television shows, multiple music acts, and a new video gaming division in active development, in addition to running a full service production and post-production company.

AstoundSound creates the perception of having over 7000 speakers in any room.  By adding depth, height and width to any media content for 2D or 3D movie presentation with multi-channel audio setups or just having any two speakers or headphones, AstoundSound processed audio remains in-phase, center channel imaging is not affected, and the resultant audio has no tone colorization – a common issue with other current spatial audio technologies. Because AstoundSound is an encode-only technology, no additional hardware is required for playback, providing zero barriers of entry for consumer adoption and complete workflow integration for professional audio mix engineering. 

About GenAudio

GenAudio's mission is to provide the entertainment industry with unique sound localization-based software for professional audio mixing/mastering. For the consumer electronics industry GenAudio provides software development kit (SDK) solutions for embedded level integration into every device that has stereo audio output capability (HDTVs, Blu-ray players, computers, etc).  GenAudio's product offerings are all software based.  The technology creates a multi-dimensional audio experience with a minimum of two speakers and requires no special hardware for playback. For more information about GenAudio and its 3D sound offerings please visit www.astoundsurround.com.

About Astound Studios

Astound Studios is a full service music recording, mixing, and audio post-production studio offering the most up to date and innovative technology combined with the most sought after vintage gear and provides a complete spectrum of services including:  mixing, pre-dub, mastering, sound design, recording, ADR, sound restoration, music production, and ISDN.

About "Discover the Gift"

"Discover the Gift" is the remarkable feature-length documentary created by award-winning filmmaker, Demian Lichtenstein, with his sister, Shajen Joy Aziz, that celebrates the basic but vital reality that there are Gifts in each person, and in all circumstances, that are simply awaiting discovery. The 95 minute motion picture stars transformational teachers and leaders such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jack Canfield, and Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken Soup of the Soul series, and Michael Bernard Beckwith, featured speaker of The Secret and author of Spiritual Liberation. "Discover the Gift" will be distributed via DVD and VOD in March 2011. The forthcoming book of the same title will be published in hardcover and available in May 2011. For more information, or to view the trailer of the film visit www.discoverthegift.com.

SOURCE GenAudio Inc.