Dolby Laboratories Focuses on DVD-Audio at Home Entertainment 2003 Expo

Highlights include demonstration room, and Richard Thompson performance

9-Jun-03

Dolby Laboratories, in conjunction with the DVD-Audio Marketing Council, will showcase recent developments and demonstrate the capabilities of DVD-Audio at the Home Entertainment 2003 Expo. The show will be open to the public June 6?8 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. Home Entertainment 2003 is sponsored by Primedia, publishers of leading consumer entertainment magazines such as Stereophile, Home Theater, Audio Video Interiors, and the Stereophile Guide to Home Theater.Dolby's theme for Home Entertainment 2003ó""We've Got the Whole World Listening""ôóreflects the long history of Dolby Laboratories commitment to excellence in all facets of the audio world, and simultaneously underscores the significance of DVD-Audio technology to record companies, artists, and consumers alike,"" said Craig Eggers, Director, Consumer Technology Marketing, Dolby Laboratories. ""We look forward to participating in this important event to showcase the exciting capabilities of DVD-Audio.""The Home Entertainment Expo is attended to a large degree by audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts, who typically place a very high priority on the quality of their entertainment experience. Their passion for superb audio and video reproduction often winds up influencing the buying decisions of their peers. These factors make Home Entertainment 2003 an ideal venue to demonstrate the superior quality, unique versatility, and value that DVD-Audio affords.DVD-Audio, an extension of the immensely popular DVD format, provides 1,000 times the resolution of a compact disc and has emerged as the successor to CD technology. DVD-Audio provides listeners with Advanced ResolutionÆ stereo and multichannel sound tracks that are bit-for-bit identical to the studio master tapes. Dolby Laboratories licenses MLP Lossless technology, which enables stereo and multichannel DVD-Audio discs to achieve this unsurpassed degree of playback quality. For the first time ever, consumers can now experience an audio performance just as it occured in the studio, at a nightclub, or at a live concert event. With DVD-Audio, musical treasures can finally be captured and reproduced in their entirety; consumers can enjoy their favorite performances whether they listen on their home system, in their car, or with a personal computer. Elements of the original performance that were lost in the CD version are revealed in the DVD-Audio mix, adding a new richness and detail to the listening experience that was previously unavailable. DVD-Audio discs can also include a wide range of multimedia features. Visual displays of song lyrics, original album art, and artist images and biographies can now accompany audio playback. Music videos, live concert footage, and artist and producer interviews may also be included on a DVD-Audio disc. Web links to artist fan clubs and record company sites are still other value-added options that may accompany the Advanced Resolution¬Æ musical content on the disc. Importantly, the highly versatile DVD-Audio format also addresses intellectual property and security issues, currently a concern of artists and music studios alike.Strong Growth ExpectedMore than 500 DVD-Audio titles are presently available in the marketplace, with new titles being introduced weekly. Major studiosóincluding Warner Music Group, EMI-Capitol, BMG, Silverline, Universal Music, and othersóoffer DVD-Audio selections or have announced support for the format. DVD-Audio is available in tabletop, portable, computer-based and mobile electronics hardware applications. It is estimated that by the end of 2003, more than 10 million DVD-Audio players will have been produced and sold globally. Moreover, the majority of DVD-Audio titles include a companion Dolby Digital soundtrack, which provides backward compatibility with the more than 75 million DVD-Video products sold in the United States to date.Dolby to Have Strong Presence at Home Entertainment 2003The DVD-Audio listening room will be located in the Elizabethan D Ballroom at the Westin St. Francis. The demonstrations, which will be ongoing throughout the show, feature a state-of-the-art audio system from Meridian Audio, a variety of the latest DVD-Audio releases, and a range of software products that incorporate DVD-Audio technology. Dolby representatives and members of the hardware and software community will conduct presentations and be on hand to answer questions.A Special Musical TreatDolby Laboratories is also the official sponsor of a performance by Richard Thompson, a founder of the groundbreaking British folk-rock band Fairport Convention and a highly popular solo artist for nearly 30 years. The concert, scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening, is open to those who attend Home Entertainment 2003 on June 7. About Dolby LaboratoriesDolby Laboratories creates technologies that intensify and enhance the entertainment experience. For nearly four decades, Dolby has been instrumental in 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 privately held company has entertainment industry liaison offices in New York and Los Angeles, and licensing liaison offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit www.dolby.com.

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