[linux-audio-dev] Re: This better not be patented...

[Jens M Andreasen]

On fre, 2004-09-17 at 21:47, Stefan Nitschke wrote:
> >
> >On tor, 2004-09-16 at 13:14, Juhana Sadeharju wrote:
> >
> > > > "Pricing was not announced yet, but Cann says he will make his 
> >technology
> > > > available for "far less" than the cost of professional studio DSP 
> >solutions
> > > > which can run into the high five-figure range. He estimates the price
> > > > will be somewhere between $200-$800."
> > >
> > > In their website:
> > > Copyright  2004 BionicFX. All rights reserved worldwide. Patent 
> >Pending.
> > >
> >Uhmm .. They have a patent pending on 'Copyright (C) 2004' ??
> >:))
> >
> > > OK, people should start searching any text which mentions
> > > that GPUs could be used to audio processing. Perhaps music-dsp had
> > > discussions. I may have something written down on my own.
> > >
> >Here is an early paper:
> >
> >   http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/oskin/thompson-micro2002.pdf
> >
> >It is about general-purpose-computing of which audio-processing is a
> >subset. (BTW: Check out the aging references on the last page.)
> >
> >More papers can be found here: http://www.gpgpu.org
> >
> >/jens
> >
> > > Juhana
> >
> 
> Sorry i missed the start of this thread.
> What is this patent about?

This is unclear, but as we understand it, it is about "audio-processing
on gpu." 

> Do they claim a patent on using a GPU for numeric calculations, which
> would be odd as a GPU is build for that,

I am with you on that one! On a related subject, here is an attemt to
reverse engineer the Atari Jaguar gaming console:

   http://www.mulle-kybernetik.com/jagdox/risc_doc.html

.. the interresting parts being that the gpu and dsp are similar, except
for the gpu having a few *more* specialized instructions.

> Or is it about a special technic to get the data back from the video
> card?

It can not be about getting the data back because they believe that the
next generation standards for pci will solve that problem.
 
> According to their home page, getting the data back is a big bottle
> nek... so why not mixing down the tracks on the video-card, or is that
> also patent pending?

No they are not tapping from the video output, and if they were, there
is prior art on that one too. It is incedibly hard to come up with an
original idea that noone thought of before. (Da Vinci anyone?)

I believe that the "patent-pending thingie" is good and only good for
marketing purposes. The vague description on their homepage do not
reveal much of interrest. To the contrary, it looks like they are
emulating massively empty, cold rooms. (The "single gunshot technique"
gave me that impression)


IANAL // Jens M Andreasen

> 

> regards,
> Stefan
> 
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