Dolby Supports Host Broadcast Services In Bringing Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound To The FIFA World Cup

March 24, 2006

Dolby Laboratories, Inc., (NYSE:DLB) today announced that it is providing expertise and support to enable the 2006 FIFA World Cup(TM) to be broadcast in Dolby(R) Digital 5.1 surround sound. Dolby is working with HBS, the dedicated host broadcast organization at the sporting event, to ensure that broadcasters will have access to 5.1 surround sound feeds of every game from all 12 stadium venues around Germany. Dolby 5.1 audio will be available for high-definition coverage of the matches. "Watching a football match with surround sound brings the thrill of the stadium to your home. And as not all of us can be there to support our own countries, hearing the cheering of the crowds and the ball kicks in enveloping surround sound is the next best thing. We are pleased to be working with Dolby to deliver this to our broadcast partners around the world," commented Francis Tellier, CEO, HBS. This is the first time that the entire tournament will be made available so widely in 5.1 surround sound -- from the Stage 1 kickoff featuring host nation Germany versus Costa Rica on June 9, to the extremely popular final in Berlin in July. The 2002 FIFA World Cup(TM) Final was the most viewed match in the competition's history, with 1.1 billion individuals watching the game. Dolby is providing HBS with equipment and training that will enable the compelling 5.1 soundtracks to be created in specially constructed audio control rooms in the HBS International Broadcast Center. Dolby E technology will be used to make it easier to distribute 5.1 audio worldwide to FIFA World Cup(TM) rights-holding broadcasters. Dolby is also supplying equipment to individual broadcasters across Europe who have chosen to feature 5.1 audio in their transmissions. Equipment typically enables Dolby E decoding for receiving the incoming feeds from HBS, and Dolby Digital encoding to reencode the audio for final transmission to viewers as part of digital TV services. Individual broadcasters will announce the extent of their 5.1 programming of the FIFA World Cup(TM) closer to the start of the tournament. Dolby Digital is an audio format that delivers 5.1 channels of sound. In the home, the 5.1 channels are played back through a home theater system, with six speakers placed around the room to envelop the listener in sound and draw them into the center of the action. Dolby Digital has six discrete channels of sound to provide the listener with better definition, improved atmospherics, and deep, resonating bass lines from all kinds of films, TV shows, live music, and sporting events. Dolby Digital technologies have been incorporated in over 327 million DVD players and in the millions of home theater systems worldwide. About Dolby Laboratories Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) develops and delivers products and technologies that make the entertainment experience more realistic and immersive. For four decades Dolby has been at the forefront of defining high-quality audio and surround sound in cinema, broadcast, home audio systems, cars, DVDs, headphones, games, televisions, and personal computers. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the company has entertainment industry liaison offices in New York and Los Angeles, and licensing liaison offices in London, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit http://www.dolby.com.

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