Orban Studies Dolby Digital 5.1 For DTV

Orban, a pro audio equipment manufacturer, has announced a R&D project to tackle the problem of preserving the wide dynamic range of 5.1 surround sound television programming while controlling mono and stereo audio feeds from multiple sources. Orban has been working on the problem of mismatched audio feeds with DTV this year when Dolby Laboratories, the developer of the DolbyÆ Digital TV audio standard, agreed to supply equipment to assist Orban. Orban will share the results with Dolby.""With DTV, broadcasters have to be able to handle anything from one to six channels while keeping the sound comfortable and consistent throughout,"" said Keith McMillen, Organ Director of Engineering.""Viewers will want typical TV fare to be comfortably listenable in stereo or mono while also wanting to experience feature films and some dramatic programs in 5.1 with the potential to achieve full dynamic range in the home theatre environment,"" he said. ""Our goal is to figure out the best way to give viewers what they want in both cases.""