Dolby Laboratories Shows Sound Technologies at CEDIA 2002

Sept. 26, 2002-- Dolby Laboratories, the world leader in multichannel sound technologies, is showcasing its technologies in booth 543 at the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo 2002, being held September 27 - 29. Dolby will demonstrate how its technologies can enhance entertainment experiences throughout the home, for both consumer electronics products (e.g., DVD players, high-end audio systems, and digital televisions) and personal computers, regardless of the type of home network (e.g., 1394 wiring, CAT5/5E, or wireless). Also highlighted in the booth will be the new Dolby DP564 multichannel audio decoder, for high-end home theaters.

Dolby technologies are already the worldwide audio standard for DVD players, digital television, digital cable, and satellite broadcast and is the de facto multichannel audio standard for PC and console games. In the PC arena, it was recently announced that Dolby has teamed with Microsoft and Dolby licensees (Cyberlink, InterVideo, and Nvidia) to implement Dolby's audio technology within the Windows XP Media Center Edition.

"With the advent of new networkable devices, consumer electronics equipment, and PCs that have Dolby technologies built in, the consumer will be able to seamlessly send audio from one part of the house to another over a home network and play it back with the integrity and quality of the original sound source," said Ron Vitale, director of consumer marketing. "Because Dolby technologies keep the audio compressed as it travels from one room to the next, not only is the high-quality formatting information retained, but also the audio can be transmitted over bandwidth-limited networks such as wireless, if desired. Dolby technologies bring more freedom of choice, freedom of movement, and authentic quality to any kind of electronic home entertainment, in any room of the house."

Dolby Technologies Deliver the Entertainment Benefits of Surround Sound
At the CEDIA show, Dolby will focus on demonstrating how its sound technologies work with home networks, media rooms, home theaters, and electronic entertainment in all its forms. These Dolby technologies for home entertainment are the same ones found in movie theatres and, more recently, in games and cars.

Dolby's vision of the home of the future is one where the wide array of appliances with audio components, from DVD players to game consoles to satellite TV and PCs, can all be shared throughout the home to deliver to listeners the same superb audio quality that the creative artists intended.

"Nearly everyone has heard of Dolby, but few people realize the essential role that Dolby's audio compression technologies will play in advancing the use of home networks for entertainment applications," said Vitale. "We're looking forward to using this year's CEDIA show to help educate some of the people most closely involved in this industry about how Dolby technologies can expand the possibilities for all kinds of home networks, and that Dolby is everywhere there's electronic entertainment."

Dolby technologies provide consumer electronics and PC manufacturers with tremendous flexibility to create a wide range of home entertainment products for consumers. Key Dolby technologies to be shown at CEDIA are:

• Dolby Digital: The state-of-the-art 5.1-channel surround format experienced in the cinema and in DVDs, digital television (HDTV and SDTV), and games; the key Dolby technology enabling networked audio.



• Dolby Surround Pro Logic II: The best-conceived, best-sounding matrix-decoding technology available. Pro Logic II converts two-channel stereo from any source into natural, richer surround sound and can be incorporated into home entertainment systems and PCs to transform conventional stereo into an exciting new listening experience.



• Dolby Headphone: The value-added solution for providing surround sound using any conventional pair of headphones. Dolby Headphone technology accurately simulates the experience of hearing a 5.1-channel speaker system properly set up in a listening room. The annoying, fatiguing "in the head" effect that plagues other headphones is gone. Dolby Headphone technology works with any set of headphones, but it's particularly appropriate for use with wireless headphones, to complete the illusion that the listener is hearing a full speaker system.



• MLP Lossless: The core audio technology behind DVD-Audio, the highest-quality audio format available today. MLP Lossless technology encodes six channels of 24-bit/96 kHz surround sound onto a DVD-Audio disc. Not only is 24/96 MLP Lossless technology far better than CD quality, it lets the listener hear music exactly as it was recorded in the studio, with bit-for-bit clarity and accuracy.



• AAC: Advanced Audio Coding, Dolby's solution for Internet audio coding, which preserves high-quality audio reproduction at lower bit rates than MP3. Worldwide AAC licensing is administered by Dolby Laboratories.

In its CEDIA booth, Dolby will show how the company's technologies are applicable everywhere in the home. Organized into three distinct areas a home theater, a den/office, and a kid's room -- the following demonstrations will be running:

• Home theater: HDTV and PC streaming media (Dolby Digital and AAC), using a Dolby Reference Decoder DP564 to decode and send 5.1-channel audio.



• Den/office: networking technology from a DVHS through 1394 cable (firewire), with programming changes made on a 48-inch screen (Dolby Digital). Headphone listening via a Fujitsu LifeBook C Series notebook (Dolby Headphone). Surround sound playback of two channel music from a networked media server via a Pioneer Pro Logic II receiver.



• Kid's room: game play and cut scenes from a Sony PlayStation 2, playing back via a Kenwood receiver, from Kenwood's Home Theatre in a Box package (Dolby Surround and Dolby Digital). PC gaming with a 5.1-speaker system (Dolby Digital).

Dolby DP564 Multichannel Audio Decoder for High-End Installations
For high-end home theater owners who want the ultimate in audio and video performance, Dolby Laboratories offers its new Dolby Reference Decoder DP564 for DVD and DTV applications. With the DP564 decoder, superior quality home theater users can have the exact audio experience that the original mixer had while authoring a DVD. The DP564 and its predecessor, the DP562, are the professional decoders used by film studios around the world to author DVDs.

Dolby's new DP564 Multichannel Audio Decoder is the ultimate reference decoder for applications including postproduction, DVD authoring, and DTV broadcast. The DP564 decodes and monitors Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, and PCM soundtracks, and it also offers Dolby Digital Surround EX and Dolby Surround Pro Logic II decoding. Advanced features include two AES inputs, an optical input, a linear timecode (LTC) output, an Ethernet port for audio streaming and remote control, a large front-panel display for easy setup and metering, and a master volume control. A Dolby Headphone processor for monitoring surround sound with regular headphones is also included.

The DP564 is the only decoder -- apart from a Dolby cinema processor (CP650) -- built by Dolby to the company's specifications as "the reference standard." Additionally, the DP564 is the only home theater decoder on the market that includes every Dolby consumer decoding mode: all Dolby Digital modes, all four Dolby Pro Logic II modes (Movie, Music, Pro Logic, and Matrix) with full functionality, and all three Dolby Headphone modes (Small, Medium, and Large Room).

For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit www.dolby.com.