DolbyÆ Brings 5.1-Channel Surround Sound To Qantas Airlines

As of March 1, 2000, DolbyÆ Headphone technology is available to Qantas Airlines passengers. With Dolby Headphone technology, a unique signal processing system that enables standard stereo headphones to realistically portray the sound of a five-speaker playback system, Qantas customers can now experience theatre-like surround sound via the airline's in-flight entertainment system.Dolby Headphone technology enhances the spatiality and directionality of movie soundtracks, making it easier to hear dialogue, music and special effects in their proper perspective. The result is the ultimate in-flight movie experience.Qantas General Manager In-flight Services, Paul Miller, said, ""The new Dolby hi-tech headphone surround sound system, supplied to Qantas by Australian based Lake Technology Limited, will be available to passengers on the airline's Boeing 747-400 aircraft through the normal headsets provided in-flight. The new surround sound system is part of the overall progressive introduction of cutting-edge in-flight product. For passengers, it will be just like going to the movies.""The surround sound technology will be available on selected Qantas flights screening ""The World Is Not Enough,"" ""Galaxy Quest"" and ""Double Jeopardy."" Selected Qantas flights screening ""The Bone Collector"" and ""Sleepy Hollow"" in the First and Business Class cabins will also feature surround sound.The demand for multichannel audio continues to grow at a rapid pace. As a result, multichannel surround sound is no longer the exclusive province of movie theaters. Dolby Digital has become the standard for 5.1-channel movies and music on DVD, and will soon be widely available on digital television and digital satellite systems in the US and other countries around the world. Consumers with access to multichannel Dolby Digital in the home can now come to expect the same quality when flying.""Dolby Laboratories is very excited about the application of Dolby Headphone to in-flight entertainment and is very happy to be working with Qantas Airlines,"" said Roger Dressler, Director of Technology Strategy. ""Adding Dolby Headphone capability into its fleet demonstrates Qantas' commitment to improved sound quality - which is what Dolby and Dolby Headphone are all about.""The technology behind Dolby Headphone was invented in Australia by Lake Technology. In 1998, the two companies agreed to develop and market the technology. The LIFT (Lake In-flight Theater) program provides testing and accreditation of in-flight entertainment installations and headsets, which guarantees that passengers will hear Dolby Headphone encoded content as well as conventional recordings with the maximum quality attainable from the system.About Dolby Headphone Dolby Headphone's unique effect is achieved by digital signal processing(DSP), making the technology easy to incorporate into DVD-Video players, upcoming DVD-Audio players, set-top cable boxes, satellite receivers, digital televisions, VCRs, personal computers, video game consoles, A/V surround decoders, auto sound systems, multimedia speaker systems, and even headphone portables.In May 1999, Singapore Airlines became the first major carrier to offer Dolby Headphone. Qantas Airlines becomes the first Australian airline to provide this revolutionary surround sound technology.About Qantas Airlines Qantas is Australia's leading airline and is the tenth largest airline in the world. The Qantas Group operates over 4,200 flights a week carrying more than 17 million passengers a year to 96 destinations in Australia and around the world.The Qantas brand has a proud history with a focus on customer service and engineering excellence. In 1997, Qantas was named as the Australian company with the best corporate image for the eighth year running, and in February 1996 Qantas was named Airline of the Year by Air Transport World.About Lake Technology Lake Technology (previously Lake DSP) is an innovative Australian owned and operated company with a primary focus on researching, developing, commercializing and licensing digital signal processing technology (DSP) which is the software at the heart of emerging digital communication.Founded in early 1991, Lake Technology has established an international industry reputation in advanced DSP applications, developing high value-added products for leading researchers and multinational organizations in the fields of communications, automotive acoustics, consumer audio, and acoustic research. The company is an international exporter and its sales and marketing experience covers Japan, USA, Europe, Korea and Singapore. The company currently has representation in Los Angeles, California; London and Tokyo.About Dolby Laboratories Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion-picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco, California with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York; Los Angeles, California; Shanghai and Tokyo.