Dolby Headphone Technology Goes Portable And Personal

8-Jan-03

Visitors to the Dolby Laboratories 2003 International CES trade show exhibit (Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Lower Level, booth 22022) will be able to enjoy dramatic personal surround sound experiences while listening to music, viewing clips of some of the hottest recent movies, or playing popular video games. The key to unlocking the multichannel audio tracks encoded in today's most popular media content is DolbyÆ Headphone technology, which lets consumers enjoy the dramatic surround effects of a 5.1-channel soundtrack through any ordinary set of headphones. Best of all, ""listener fatigue""--a phenomenon commonly associated with headphone playback--is virtually eliminated.At CES, Dolby showcases seven Dolby Headphone technology demonstrations, including devices such as the Nintendo GameCubeô, Sony PlayStationÆ 2, MicrosoftÆ Xboxô, and technologies including DVD-Video with Dolby Digital, AAC, CD audio played through Dolby Pro LogicÆ II decoders, and DVD-Audio. Various products that incorporate Dolby Headphone technology will be shown, including audio receivers from Denon and Onkyo, the Pioneer SE-DIR1000C cordless headphone system (currently available in Japan), and the InterVideo WinDVD player. ""As entertainment becomes increasingly mobile and personal, the choice of headphone technology becomes more important,"" said Craig Eggers, Director of Consumer Channel Marketing, Dolby Laboratories. ""Dolby Headphone technology delivers a high-quality surround sound experience, minus the 'listener fatigue' or 'in your head' effects associated with other headphone applications. Movies, music, games, and other personal entertainment applications come alive in ways never previously imagined.""For example, Dolby Headphone technology is the perfect solution for portable DVD players, where consumers can revel in a highly involving surround sound experience from a conventional set of headphones. It is ideally suited for rear-seat entertainment applications in a car, keeping children and other passengers occupied. It's also great for videogame buffs, who can now enjoy even more compelling and engaging action in full surround sound without disturbing others.""Dolby Headphone technology is currently available in Japan, Europe, and North America, in a number of laptop computers, PC-based software DVD player applications, home audio/visual components, and wireless headphone products. Austrian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Singapore Airlines also feature Dolby Headphone technology as part of their value-added in-flight entertainment offerings.Dolby Headphone Technology Revolutionizes Personal, Mobile EntertainmentDolby Headphone technology, which was developed by Australia-based Lake Technology, Ltd., enables stereo headphones to portray the sound of a five-speaker, surround sound playback system. It achieves its unique effect through a powerful signal processing algorithm that generates a multitude of audio cues modeled from real life. From these cues, a person's ears and brain perceive a truly three-dimensional sound image.Dolby Headphone technology lets listeners enjoy multichannel sound sources, such as Dolby Digital and Dolby Surround movies, with thrilling, realistic surround sound over any conventional stereo headset; it also produces far more natural sound from stereo sources, such as CDs and MP3 files. With the Dolby Headphone process, spatiality is preserved--music and sound that is intended to be in front of you is indeed located in front of you, and special effects and ambience surround and envelop you. Also important, Dolby Headphone technology maintains the integrity of key center channel dialogue, the most critical element of any surround sound entertainment experience.For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, visit www.dolby.com.

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