Dolby Laboratories Features Chicago Areaís First HDTV Satellite Broadcast With 5.1-Channel Sound

EchoStarís high-definition TV satellite broadcast combined with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound created excitement at the Hi-Fi í99 Home Theater and Specialty Show held in Chicago, Illinois at the Palmer House Hilton, May 12-16. The home theatre event featured the Chicagoís areaís first real-time high-definition television (HDTV) satellite broadcast. The companyís HDTV showcase demonstrates how Dolby Digital multichannel sound and the spectacular video resolution of an HDTV broadcast, provided by EchoStar Communications Corporation work together to create an impressive home theatre experience.""Dolby Digital sound involves the viewer in a way that greatly enhances the visual experience produced by HDTV,"" said Larry Poor, Director of Technology Marketing at Dolby Laboratories. ""The combination of advanced audio and video technologies gives viewers the sensation of being right in the middle of the action.""Dolbyís demonstration includes movie clips from ""The Ghost And The Darkness"" provided in HDTV by EchoStarís satellites as well as other HDTV broadcasts of ""The English Patient,"" ""Opium Wars,"" and ""Men In Black.""""Dolby Digital technology offers superb audio quality that compliments high definition television,"" said Michael Schwimmer, Vice President of Programming at EchoStar. ""We consistently strive to provide our customers with the most cutting edge audio technology available on the market to complete their home theatre capabilities.""EchoStar has announced plans to provide HDTV programming and HDTV set-top receivers later this year that will include Dolby Digital surround sound through its Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) system, DISH Network. DISH Network broadcasts a new movie featuring Dolby Digital audio on DISH-On-Demand pay-per-view channel 511 each week. Customers who have an EchoStar Model 4720 satellite system or a JVC D-VHS receiver can take advantage of the Dolby Digital experience, as both include a built-in Dolby Digital output to trnasmit Dolby Digital multichannel sound automatically. EchoStar also offers a Dolby Digital adapter for those customers who have a Model 5000. EchoStarís upcoming DISHPlayer satellite television/WebTV Network receiver will also be Dolby Digital-ready.