Dolby Unveils ``Dolby in PC'' Initiative; Dolby's Audio Technologies Essential to PC's Evolution Into a Home Entertainment Gateway.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 2002 Dolby Laboratories “Dolby” redirects here. For other uses, see Dolby (disambiguation). Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (Dolby Labs) (NYSE: DLB) is a USA-based company specializing in audio compression and reproduction. announced its new "Dolby in PC" initiative, a comprehensive overview of how Dolby audio technologies positively affect today's evolution of the personal computer into a home entertainment gateway. As PCs continue to develop as digital entertainment platforms, Dolby Laboratories, the world leader in multichannel Using two or more paths for transmission or processing. It can refer to a variety of architectures including (1) multiple I/O channels between the CPU and peripheral devices, (2) multiple wires in a cable, (3) multiple "logical" channels within a single wire or fiber or (4) multiple audio technologies, is committed to providing PC users the same level of high-quality Dolby surround A digital audio encoding system from Dolby that provides four channels. Derived from the Dolby Stereo technology used in movie theaters, Dolby Surround was introduced in the early 1980s for video soundtracks, audio cassettes, CDs, TV broadcasts, video games and PC software. sound that they now expect from more traditional entertainment-oriented consumer electronics products. The "Dolby in PC" initiative is part of Dolby's strategy to expand its presence in the PC market. The company has been working closely with its licensees and key technology partners on a number of strategic projects, including the NVIDIA Sound Storm program and new premium sound cards from Creative Labs. Dolby has also teamed with its licensees (including CyberLink, InterVideo, and NVIDIA) and with Microsoft to ensure that consumers can access all the features of their DVD player A stand-alone device that plays DVDs. It contains a DVD drive and the electronics to decode the digital video. The device may play only manufactured DVDs, or it may be able to play DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs. DVD players are cabled to a TV or home theater system for display. from the new Microsoft Windows See Windows. (operating system) Microsoft Windows - Microsoft's proprietary window system and user interface software released in 1985 to run on top of MS-DOS. Widely criticised for being too slow (hence "Windoze", "Microsloth Windows") on the machines available then. Media Player 9 interface. "Consistent with our efforts in cinema, home theater An audio/video entertainment center that has a large-screen TV and hi-fi system with three speakers in the front (left, right and center) and left and right speakers in the rear. Starting in the early 1990s, video inputs were added to stereo receivers and preamplifiers. , and digital television, Dolby technologies are defining new standards of multichannel audio quality for the PC," said Bill Jasper, president of Dolby Laboratories. "Quite simply, if you want a richer, fuller, more enveloping en·vel·op tr.v. en·vel·oped, en·vel·op·ing, en·vel·ops 1. To enclose or encase completely with or as if with a covering: "Accompanying the darkness, a stillness envelops the city" PC entertainment experience, you need great sound, and that means Dolby technologies." Dolby Technologies Make PC Entertainment Come Alive Dolby audio technologies are found in more than 100 million PCs around the world, enriching a host of entertainment experiences, including watching DVDs or listening to stereo content via CDs and MP3 files. Leading-edge PC licensees and manufacturers delivering products that incorporate Dolby technologies include Apple Computer, ATI (ATI Technologies Inc., Markham Ontario, http://ati.amd.com) A leading manufacturer of graphics chips and display adapters. Founded in 1985 by K. Y. Ho, Benny Lau and Lee Lau, ATI chips and boards are widely used by OEMs. , Creative Labs, CyberLink, Dell, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Gateway, HP, IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) , InterVideo, MedioStream, Microsoft, NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. , NVIDIA, Packard-Bell, Sonic Solutions Sonic Solutions NASDAQ: SNIC is a digital media company based in Novato, California, USA. It was created in 1986 by former Lucasfilm employees who developed the AudioDroid digital audio editing system as part of the Droidworks project. , Sony, Sharp, and Toshiba. "Dolby audio technologies are an essential ingredient of a great entertainment experience, whether people are going to the cinema, watching movies on DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. or digital TV, listening to music, or playing video games See video game console. ," said Ron Vitale, director of consumer marketing for Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby technologies are increasingly incorporated in products that people use every day, including home theater systems, game consoles (Microsoft's Xbox, Nintendo's GameCube, and Sony's PlayStation 2), PCs, TVs, DVD players, and cassette decks." A growing trend is the use of PCs for personal entertainment: watching DVDs, listening to music, or playing games. Two Dolby technologies for the PC -- Dolby Headphone See headphones. and the newest innovation, Dolby Virtual Speaker (see press release dated October 29, 2002), -- further enhance PC entertainment in situations where multiple-speaker setups may not be practical. Dolby Headphone re-creates the excitement of a multichannel surround sound An audio recording and playback system that uses five or more channels plus a subwoofer channel. See 5.1 channel and 3D audio. environment through a conventional pair of stereo headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. , and Dolby Virtual Speaker provides believable, realistic 5.1 surround sound from just two speakers. Why Dolby Technologies Matter Dolby sound technologies provide a fuller, richer, more involving entertainment experience. Whether users are listening to music, watching movies or TV shows, playing games or creating their own DVD movie content, the personal computer has emerged as a new frontier New Frontier President John F. Kennedy’s legislative program, encompassing such areas as civil rights, the economy, and foreign relations. [Am. Hist.: WB, K:212] See : Aid, Governmental for Dolby technologies. The presence of the Dolby logo and Dolby technologies in entertainment-based products is an assurance of a high-quality audio experience. For example, Dolby Digital A digital audio encoding system from Dolby used in movie and home theaters. First used in 1995, Dolby Digital employs Dolby's AC-3 (Audio Coding-3) coding and compression technology and is the standard for DVD-Video and HDTV. 5. audio delivers the same thrilling, high-quality surround experience consumers have come to expect from home theater and movie theater systems. Dolby Laboratories is involved throughout the entire production chain of entertainment products, from the creation of the sound by the original artists to the delivery of sound to the listener's ear. Globally, Dolby technologies have been adopted as the primary audio standard for DVD players, digital television, digital cable, and satellite broadcast, and the de facto [Latin, In fact.] In fact, in deed, actually. This phrase is used to characterize an officer, a government, a past action, or a state of affairs that must be accepted for all practical purposes, but is illegal or illegitimate. multichannel audio standard for PC and console games. Dolby has entered into an agreement with Microsoft to enable access to Dolby audio technology in the PC's software DVD players within the Windows XP Media Center Edition See Media Center Edition. and Windows Media Player Digital jukebox software for Windows from Microsoft that plays a variety of audio, video and streaming formats including MP3, WMA, CD audio and MIDI. Starting with Version 6.2 in 1999, the Windows Media Rights Manager was added for securing copyrighted content. 9. "Consumers have come to expect surround sound from electronic entertainment, whether it's at the movies, in video arcades or from their own home theaters and game consoles. They'll also want the same immersive audio experience from PC-based entertainment," said Bill Ablondi, an analyst affiliated with the Dallas research firm Parks Associates. "Dolby is already well known for multichannel audio. I expect that consumers will embrace Dolby audio for the PC just as they have in other areas of electronic entertainment." Dolby technologies also play an important role in home networking, with high compression solutions and a protocol-neutral solution that make it easy to use Dolby Digital technology to transport audio seamlessly from one room of the house to another, including over wireless networks, which are typically characterized by limited bandwidth and therefore require a highly efficient audio transmission system. With home networking solutions becoming more prevalent and the PC moving beyond a productivity tool to more of an entertainment gateway, Dolby audio technologies will become the preferred method to deliver high-quality audio throughout the home. The inclusion of Dolby audio technologies in the PC provides three compelling benefits: quality, compatibility, and efficiency. Dolby helps ensure compatibility with content and existing entertainment devices already present in the home. Dolby Digital audio coding is already prevalent in all digital video entertainment media: DVD, DTV (Digital TeleVision) Transmitting TV using digital signals. The major DTV standards are ATSC (North America), DVB (Europe) and ISDB (Japan). All three use MPEG-2 video compression and Dolby Digital audio compression. DVB and ISDB also include MPEG audio compression. , digital cable, and satellite broadcasting. This media can be integrated seamlessly onto PCs and shared across home networks, thanks to Dolby's audio compression Encoding digital audio data to take up less storage space and transmission bandwidth. Audio compression typically uses lossy methods, which eliminate bits that are not restored at the other end. ADPCM and MP3 are examples of audio compression methods. See audio codec and data compression. technology. There is no need to convert audio from one format to another, regardless of the application. Dolby's audio coding technologies are highly efficient, enabling consumers to store and access entertainment content in a manner that would otherwise be impossible. For example, as a result of its high efficiency, Dolby Digital audio transmitted over a home network leaves ample bandwidth even for high-definition video. It is this same efficiency that has propelled Dolby's adoption throughout the cinema and broadcast markets, as well as in consumer products such as DVD-Video. In all areas of PC entertainment -- music, movies, gaming, TV, personal video recording (PVR See DVR. ), and content creation -- Dolby technologies contribute in an essential way to the overall experience. Here is an overview of Dolby's role in each of these entertainment areas: Dolby Technologies in Music Dolby sound technologies create a rich, full, enveloping music experience. Today, Dolby technologies enhance music heard on compact disc (using Dolby Pro Logic See Dolby Surround. (R) II) or DVD-Audio (using MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing) The compression technique used in DVD-Audio that provides the highest audio quality. It delivers two channels at 192 kHz with 24-bit samples or six channels at 96 kHz. Lossless See lossless compression. (algorithm, compression) lossless - A term describing a data compression algorithm which retains all the information in the data, allowing it to be recovered perfectly by decompression. Unix compress and GNU gzip perform lossless compression. or Dolby(R) Digital). For CD or MP3 music playback, a software DVD player that includes Dolby Pro Logic II (such as InterVideo's WinDVD 4 Plus or CyberLink's PowerDVD) is required, and the computer must be hooked up to a surround speaker system. Creative Labs and Dolby have been working together closely to bring audio innovations to the PC market. The most recent example of these efforts is Creative Lab's Sound Blaster Audigy 2 sound card, which uses MLP Lossless technology licensed by Dolby to bring advanced resolution DVD-Audio playback to the PC platform. The Sound Blaster Audigy Sound Blaster Audigy is a sound card series from Creative Technology. It is a PCI add-on board for PCs. The Sound Blaster Audigy featured the Audigy processor (EMU10K2), an improved version of the EMU10K1 processor that shipped with the Sound Blaster Live!. 2 also supports Dolby Digital Surround EX(TM), which delivers a cinematic experience. Creative Labs is the first company to license MLP Lossless technology from Dolby for the PC. For nearly two years, Creative Labs has been deploying Dolby Digital worldwide in all of its premier sound card offerings, commencing with the Sound Blaster Live 5.1, and continuing with all Sound Blaster Audigy models. (see related press release dated October 29, 2002). For streaming music or audio/visual content over the Internet, Apple Computer's new QuickTime 6 includes MPEG-4 AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) An audio compression technology that is part of the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 standards. AAC, especially MPEG-4 AAC, provides greater compression and better sound quality than MP3, which also came out of the MPEG standard. technology licensed by Dolby. Dolby Technologies in Movies Dolby technologies bring the magic of Hollywood to the PC entertainment experience. Every DVD player includes Dolby Digital technology. Dolby Digital Surround EX, which adds a center rear speaker, and Pro Logic II can also be incorporated into PC-based products, providing a variety of surround sound options and improving performance quality. For those who watch movies on a PC with headphones or with only two speakers, Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker technologies can greatly enhance the value of the entertainment experience. Many leading PC manufacturers are incorporating these Dolby technologies into their product lines. Consumers can also upgrade their PC's existing software DVD player to include these Dolby technologies by purchasing upgrades from Dolby licensees CyberLink and InterVideo. Dolby Technologies in Gaming Playing games with Dolby technologies is like stepping into the action, making the experience more lifelike, authentic, and involving. Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft III, one of the best-selling PC games this year, features Dolby Surround technology. The recently released Unreal Tournament 2003 by Epic Games and America's Army, developed by the US military, both support stunning Dolby Digital 5.1 sound on PCs equipped with interactive Dolby Digital encoding. Dolby is working closely with game developers and publishers to bring more PC game titles out with Dolby Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 encoding. The NVIDIA nForce2 MCP (1) See Microsoft certification. (2) (MultiChip Package) A chip package that contains two or more chips. It is essentially a multichip module (MCM) that uses a laminated, printed-circuit-board-like substrate (MCM-L) rather than ceramic (MCM-C). Platform Processor provides an integrated audio processing unit and real-time Dolby Digital encoder, making it one of the most advanced components of audio hardware available for PC games. Leading PC OEMs and motherboard manufacturers have begun to adopt NVIDIA's new nForce2 processors into their product lines. Dolby Technology in TV/Personal Video Recorder Applications Dolby Digital is the most widely accepted and deployed method for delivering multichannel television audio to audiences around the world. In the United States, Dolby Digital is the mandated standard for digital broadcast TV (ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) An international digital television (DTV) standard adopted by the U.S., Canada, South Korea, Taiwan and Argentina. ), the de facto standard for digital cable, and for direct broadcast satellite services. DirecTV and EchoStar both rely on Dolby Digital for multichannel audio on their services. Premium channels such as HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy , Showtime, and STARZ! make Dolby Digital available 24 hours a day. HBO's most popular current program, The Sopranos, is broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1. As the PVR is an extension of the TV, Dolby anticipates consumers will demand multichannel audio capabilities from their PC's PVR solutions. Dolby Technology in Content Creation Increasingly, video enthusiasts are using their PCs and digital video recorders to create and edit their own DVD movies. Dolby technologies can significantly enhance these content creation activities. With DVD burner hardware and software, and Dolby Digital encoder technology, enthusiasts will be able to edit, produce, and play back their own movie creations, replete with soundtrack and audio effects in full Dolby Digital sound. Furthermore, as a result of the efficiency of Dolby Digital encoding technology, PC users can save more (or higher quality) video onto a DVD. MedioStream's neoDVD is one of the first consumer DVD authoring software packages that offers Dolby Digital audio support. Other Dolby licensees providing DVD authoring solutions include Apple Computer, Sonic Solutions, and Sony. Once a DVD has been created using Dolby Digital encoding technology, the DVD can be played back on any DVD-Video player including tabletop, portable, and PC DVD players. Enhanced Marketing Effort Behind "Dolby in PC" As part of its new "Dolby in PC" initiative, Dolby has strengthened its marketing organization by adding staff with extensive marketing experience in the PC industry. Through its new product development and enhanced marketing efforts, Dolby will demonstrate its intent to further assist licensees in building consumer knowledge of and preference for products that include Dolby technologies. (Please see related personnel release, dated October 29, 2002.) Licensee Quotes in Support of "Dolby in PC" Apple Computer "The AAC codec (1) (enCOder/DECoder) A hardware circuit that performs analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) and digital-to-analog (DAC) conversion. When analog signals are entered into a computer, cellphone or other device via a microphone or video source such as VHS tape or analog TV, adds a whole new level of dynamic range to the kind of audio that we want with our files over the Internet," said Frank Casanova II, director of QuickTime Marketing, Apple Computer. (Dolby is the licensor of AAC technology) CyberLink "By using advanced Dolby technologies such as Dolby Headphone, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Surround, CyberLink PowerDVD has been able to continuously deliver superior audio playback and ensure the most rich DVD movie experience on the PC for our customers, through two-channel or multichannel sound systems," said Alice H. Chang, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of CyberLink Corp. Fujitsu "The addition of Dolby's audio technology in our LifeBook notebook PCs helps bring multimedia to life by providing a richer experience for the user," said Sara Nelson, vice president of marketing, Fujitsu PC Corporation. "It's important for users to be able to easily enjoy movies on their LifeBook whether they are on an airplane or in their home. Dolby helps make that happen." InterVideo "InterVideo has integrated Dolby's Virtual Speaker technology into our latest version of WinDVD, the world's most popular DVD-playing software," said Steve Ro, founder and CEO of InterVideo. "The simple fact is that most PCs ship with only two speakers and by adding Virtual Speaker technology to WinDVD, these consumers get a natural surround sound when watching DVDs. It sounds incredible-you really have to hear it to believe it." MedioStream "MedioStream is very pleased to announce that our flagship product, neoDVD, is the only PC-based consumer DVD authoring software that offers Dolby Digital audio support. With Dolby Digital audio compression technology, our customers can now save more DVD video onto a disc," said Gordon Doran, MedioStream vice president of Sales and Marketing. "It also means that MedioStream software is the only software that is compatible with DVD+RW (DVD+Read Write) A rewritable (re-recordable) DVD disc for both movies and data from the DVD+RW Alliance. DVD+RW media can be read on DVD-Video players and computer DVD-ROM drives. set-top recorders that use Dolby audio, empowering our customers to take advantage of the digital convergence in consumer electronics devices, such as the PC, TV and set-top players." Microsoft "Dolby sound technologies are an important part of the entertainment experiences that Windows XP Media Center Edition offers," said Kevin Eagan, general manager of the Windows eHome Division, Microsoft Corp. "With Dolby's reputation in home theater and personal surround sound systems, Microsoft is pleased to enable easy access to Dolby sound technologies on the PC through Windows XP Media Center Edition." About Dolby Laboratories Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion picture sound, consumer entertainment products, and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. also has offices in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit www.dolby.com. Dolby, Pro Logic, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. MLP Lossless and Surround EX are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. S02/14490 S02/14500 |
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