Audio Video News

Dolby Laboratories's audio technologies have been selected as mandatory formats for both High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc (HD DVD) and Blu-ray Disc, according to a recent announcement. The DVD Forum chose Dolby Digital Plus and MLP Lossless as mandatory audio formats for HD DVD; while the Blu-ray Disc Association announced that Dolby Digital would be a mandatory technology on its new format, the Blu-ray Disc. Both formats are designed to deliver high-definition picture quality.

"We are pleased that Dolby's technologies have been selected to be part of both exciting next-generation HD packaged media formats," said Craig Eggers, Marketing Director, Consumer Electronics, Dolby Laboratories. The inclusion of Dolby audio technologies would "enable superior audio performance for next-generation HD video formats and hometheater applications," he stated.

Dolby Digital Plus offers bit-rate and channel extendibility and is an extension of the popular Dolby Digital format, which is the audio standard for DVD-Video worldwide and North American high-definition television (HDTV). The DVD Forum's selection of Dolby Digital Plus as a mandatory audio standard assures future compatibility of HD DVD software media and playback devices with the more than 39 million A/V receivers equipped with Dolby Digital in homes today, according to the announcement.

Designed to offer discrete channel coverage beyond the current 5.1 standard, Dolby Digital Plus is intended for applications where higher bit rates can be allocated for audio playback, such as with HD DVD. Dolby Digital Plus delivers "the highest quality audio performance possible from a highly sophisticated perceptual coding process," as well as "coding efficiencies for systems where bandwidth is at a premium or limited, such as next-generation cable, broadcast, and satellite systems," the San Francisco–based company announced.

MLP Lossless technology, licensed by Dolby Laboratories, has also been selected as mandatory audio standard of the HD DVD by the DVD Forum. The core technology behind multichannel DVD-Audio, MLPLossless enables content providers to encode multiple channels of 24-bit/96 kHz surround sound or 24-bit/192kHz stereo content onto a DVD. Playback of content encoded in MLP Lossless is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master; rendering "the most realistic and involving high-fidelity audio available for packaged media."

Earlier this year, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) nominated Dolby Digital Plus as a Candidate Standard for future robust channel transmission. Dolby will demonstrate Dolby Digital Plus for high-definition applications at the 117th Audio Engineering Society Convention, to be held this year in San Francisco, October 28–31.