Dolby Laboratories Launches New Virtual Speaker Technology

30-Oct-02

Dolby Laboratories announced its DolbyÆ Virtual Speaker technology, the latest Dolby technology aimed at enhancing PC entertainment. Dolby Virtual Speaker technology uses a next-generation advanced algorithm to reproduce the dynamics and surround sound effects of a 5.1-channel speaker system, on a PC equipped with two speakers.Leading PC OEMs have adopted Dolby Virtual Speaker technology into their new models. Dolby Virtual Speaker technology has also been integrated into software DVD players from CyberLinkÆ and 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.""Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink Corp., said, ""PowerDVD delivers the best in digital video and audio technologies. It is our pleasure to incorporate the Dolby Virtual Speaker Technology into PowerDVD and to develop a set of rich audio features that makes PowerDVD the premiere DVD movie and MP3 music entertainment on the PC.""""Consumers are increasingly using their PCs for entertainment--watching DVDs, listening to music, and playing games--but the audio experience on a PC could not match that of a good home theatre unless users added multispeaker configurations,"" said Ron Vitale, Director of Consumer Marketing. ""Dolby Virtual Speaker technology replicates a rich, immersive multichannel audio experience, using just two standard PC speakers. With Dolby Virtual Speaker technology, PC users can experience new levels of entertainment when a surround sound speaker setup is not practical."" Dolby Virtual Speaker technology is referred to as a surround sound ""virtualizer."" It provides listeners with the surround sound experience of a 5.1-speaker system from two speakers. In other words, sounds coming from a PC's speakers seem as if they actually emanate from behind and to the sides of the listener, as well as from the front.Dolby Virtual Speaker technology creates an audio ""sweet spot,"" ideally suited to a single listener.The algorithm at the heart of Dolby Virtual Speaker is based on advanced psychoacoustic parameters that include an understanding of sound from both a technical and a human, experiential perspective. In a typical listening environment, the sound from a speaker is reflected within the room before reaching a listener's ears, arriving at different times at each ear, and at different amplitudes and equalization from the direct sound. The brain's interpretation of these separate audio elements supplied to the right and left ears allows the person to identify the direction and distance of the sound's source.Dolby Virtual Speaker technology capitalizes on these biological and psychological factors to create the impression of additional speakers positioned exactly at the recommended location for a Dolby Digital sound system with five physical speakers.Dolby Virtual Speaker technology processes sonic signatures, or impulse responses, that contain all relevant information regarding the location of the virtual speakers (i.e., the ""speakers"" that the user perceives). Dolby Virtual Speaker processes all of the reflections of a sonic signature, which provides the brain all the information necessary to accurately perceive the location of sounds and the spatial depth of the environment.Dolby is working closely with Analog DevicesÆ and Texas Instruments to incorporate Dolby Virtual Speaker technology into their digital signal processors. Soon Dolby Virtual Speaker technology will be available in traditional entertainment-based products, such as DVD, digital television, D-VHS players, and multimedia speaker systems. For more information about Dolby Laboratories, visit www.dolby.com.

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