Dolby Drives Evolution of HD 7.1 Entertainment Experience

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) delivers a highly efficient end-to-end audio solution capable of providing full HD entertainment with 7.1 surround sound, as experienced in the cinema, to television, streaming media, and portable devices. Dolby works closely with content creators to help establish the best audio possible on all five screens—cinema, television, PC, tablet, mobile device—important in an age in which consumers choose to experience entertainment where and when they want it. Dolby will showcase its technology at NAB 2011 in booth SU3117.

“From the cinema to broadcast television to streaming media, the way people experience entertainment has evolved. There are more options than there were in the past. But today, consumers don’t have to sacrifice superb quality and high-fidelity sound due to smaller screen size or new delivery mode”

“From the cinema to broadcast television to streaming media, the way people experience entertainment has evolved. There are more options than there were in the past. But today, consumers don’t have to sacrifice superb quality and high-fidelity sound due to smaller screen size or new delivery mode,” said Ramzi Haidamus, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby continues to innovate and reinvent entertainment to meet the demands of next-generation content by delivering significant improvements that enhance the experience regardless of medium. Dolby is committed to providing premium quality entertainment exactly as the content creator intended it to be experienced across devices and delivery platforms.”

Dolby^® technology is at the core of the entertainment ecosystem, delivering outstanding audio across all five screens without compromising content quality. The key in bringing the entertainment experience to the living room is Dolby Digital Plus, a flexible digital audio coding technology that delivers up to 7.1 channels of surround sound over a wide range of bit rates, ensuring optimized sound quality and efficiency for the available bandwidth. With Dolby Digital Plus, consumers can enjoy a cinematic audio entertainment experience virtually anywhere.

Driving 7.1 in the Cinema

Dolby Digital Plus brings to the home the immersing HD experience that consumers have come to expect from the cinema. In the last 10 months, major studios, including 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, have mixed 18 feature films in Dolby’s 7.1 surround sound technology. With Dolby Digital Plus, consumers can enjoy a high-fidelity, 7.1 surround sound experience over broadcast television, online streaming, or portable devices—just like in the movie theater.

Delivering HD Surround to TV

Dolby works closely with content providers, encoders, broadcasters, operators, delivery platform providers, and playback device manufacturers to enhance the entertainment experience on television. Dolby Digital Plus is:

Featured by all of the top ten television manufacturers
Included in the set-top boxes of leading manufacturers such as Cisco Systems, EchoStar Technologies, Humax, Motorola, Pace, Panasonic, and Samsung
Standardized in European terrestrial broadcast and on air with a US IPTV operator
Adopted by key operators in dynamic new HDTV markets such as China and India
A standard feature of DVB-T2 receivers shipping to the UK, the world’s first T2 rollout

Pioneering HD Surround for Over-the-Top Delivery

Dolby Digital Plus is being adopted by content providers for premium audio online. Highly efficient, it enables a compelling multichannel audio experience that does not compromise the bandwidth demands for high-definition video delivery. As such, Dolby Digital Plus is the ideal choice to enhance entertainment delivered via streaming media and on a new generation of devices.

Dolby Digital Plus enables premium audio quality across emerging entertainment media, including:

Netflix, which is streaming content to the Sony^® PlayStation^® 3, with more device support to come
Vudu, streaming content and integration in devices from LG, Mitsubishi, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, and Vizio
Rovi’s RoxioNow entertainment platform, which powers a range of digital storefronts in a broad ecosystem of consumer electronics devices

Bringing Cinematic Entertainment to Portable Devices

Dolby Digital Plus helps manufacturers and operators meet consumer desire for a premium high- definition entertainment experience on portable devices. It is included in mobile handsets, laptops, and other connected electronics. Dolby Digital Plus enables mobile manufacturers to connect their handsets to TVs and deliver an uncompromised HD experience that retains HD video and cinematic audio quality via streaming.

Dolby Digital Plus is supported in:

Mobile phones such as the Nokia N8 and Nokia E7, both of which enable a full surround sound experience when played through HDMI™ on a home theater
Windows^® 7 operating system, included in PC laptops

About Dolby Laboratories

Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) is the global leader in technologies that are essential elements in the best entertainment experiences. Founded in 1965 and best known for high-quality audio and surround sound, Dolby creates innovations that enrich entertainment at the movies, at home, or on the go. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, visit www.dolby.com.

Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. S11/21499 DLB-G