Matsushita to License New Sound Technology

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., the Japanese parent of entertainment giant MCA Inc., has tentatively agreed to license new audio technology from Desper Products Inc. in Sherman Oaks.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Under the agreement, Matsushita will use Desper’s Spatializer audio processor for its Panasonic consumer electronics products. The processor is designed to create three-dimensional surround sound from any stereo using two ordinary loudspeakers.

The integrated circuits for Spatializer will be manufactured and distributed by Matsushita Electronics Corp., the Japanese concern’s semiconductor subsidiary. The audio products using Spatializer technology are expected to be ready for the consumer market in the fall.

Desper, a start-up company, reported a loss of $2.1 million on sales of $42,086 in its fiscal year that ended Aug. 31. It has also begun marketing a 3-D processor for the professional recording industry.