Dolby Launches Loudness Tools, Showcases Imaging Technology
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Dolby Laboratories (Booth SU3117) has launched Dolby Media Emulator, software that ensures optimized delivery of audio soundtracks to meet broadcast specifications, enabling operators to easily monitor audio loudness level. Dolby will also soon make its dialogue-gating technology available to manufacturers at no charge and has introduced licensing programs for its suite of loudness-metering and -correction technologies.
“Addressing loudness differences is a challenge facing our customers throughout the content-processing chain, from postproduction to broadcast and delivery,” said Brick Eksten, president of Digital Rapids Corp. “We’re pleased to be working closely with Dolby to integrate their loudness-metering and -measurement technologies into our media-transformation solutions to help our customers meet regulatory and practical loudness requirements.”
Dolby is helping broadcasters comply with regulations, such as the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, while providing a consistent, optimal audio experience. The Dolby Media Emulator simplifies metadata authoring through integration into major audio workstations, provides easy monitoring of different consumer environments, and enables quicker workflows for metadata throughout production.
The company’s range of loudness products are on display in Booth SU3117 at the NAB Show, including Dolby Media Meter 2 and Dolby Media Emulator for postproduction, the Dolby DP568 Professional Reference Decoder, the Dolby DP600 Program Optimizer for distribution, and the Dolby Volume for consumer playback.
7.1 Surround Sound
Also, Dolby is demonstrating discrete 7.1 surround sound in a broadcast environment for the first time. Using Dolby Digital Plus technology over a Motorola set-top box, Dolby is playing content from DreamWorks’ Megamind, released in 7.1 in the cinema and on Blu-ray.
The company is showcasing the flexibility of Dolby Digital Plus, a digital-audio-coding technology that efficiently delivers optimized audio quality over a wide range of bitrates, by streaming content from Netflix using a Sony PlayStation 3 and by playing content from a Nokia N8 mobile phone connected via HDMI.
Dolby Digital Plus allows broadcasters to offer advanced services, such as audio description for the visually impaired, which can be delivered at the same time as surround sound. Audio description is increasingly mandated for broadcasts in a number of countries.
Color Grading With Reference Monitor
Released in 2010, the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor is being displayed at the Dolby booth as well as at the following partner booths: Band Pro Film and Digital (C10308), Digital Vision (SL6920), FilmLight (SL7920), NVIDIA (SL2728), and RED Digital Cinema (SL6220).