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Kiev, Ukraine, May 28, 2005—Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) announced today that the popular Eurovision Song Contest was mixed in Dolby™ Digital 5.1 audio for the first time this year. The annual Europe-wide event featured competitors from 39 countries, 24 of whom performed in the final, which was broadcast live across Europe.
The song contest, which was held in Palats Sportu, Kiev’s biggest indoor sport and concert venue, was made available in surround sound to broadcasters around the world. The surround sound feed was used by several European channels, including SVT in Sweden, FR3 in France, and Polish channel TVPolonia. The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year. After performances by the finalists, votes were collected from viewers across Europe. Greece’s entry, My Number One, sung by Helena Paparizou, won with a resounding 230 points. The Eurovision Song Contest was produced by a consortium of broadcasters under the guidance of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). After a number of multichannel audio tests, the Eurovision network chose Dolby’s professional audio coding system, Dolby E, to distribute the surround sound feed. The Dolby E stream was then decoded and Dolby Digital 5.1 content delivered to viewers. The Ukrainian broadcaster NTU provided the network for the EBU switch and feeds, with Prisma (outside broadcast specialists) and SVT providing the OB and final mix, and SR the primary mix. “Multichannel sound is becoming increasingly popular for systems in the home, such as DVD. It is therefore not surprising that more and more radio and TV broadcasters produce their content in the multichannel format,” commented Franc Kozamernik, Senior Engineer, EBU. “We chose Dolby E above all other systems because it has been designed specifically for broadcast and as such offers the flexibility and functionality required.” Jason Power, Market Development Manager, Dolby Laboratories, commented, “With several European broadcasters already experienced in providing thrilling 5.1 surround soundtracks on their regular programming, we are delighted that the EBU made this major European event available in Dolby Digital 5.1.” Dolby has already worked on several high profile events to bring Dolby Digital 5.1 to viewers, including the Olympic Games in Athens and UEFA Champions League football. About Dolby E Dolby E is a professional coding system optimized for the distribution of surround and multichannel audio through two-channel postproduction and broadcasting infrastructures, or for recording surround audio on two audio tracks of conventional digital video tapes, video servers, communication links, switchers, and routers. The Dolby E signal does not reach viewers at home. It is decoded back to baseband audio just prior to the final DTV transmission and then reencoded into the final audio format specified by the various DTV emission systems, for example Dolby Digital 5.1. About Dolby Laboratories Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) develops and delivers products and technologies that make the entertainment experience more realistic and immersive. For four decades Dolby has been at the forefront of defining high-quality audio and surround sound in cinema, broadcast, home audio systems, cars, DVDs, headphones, games, televisions, and personal computers. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the company has entertainment industry liaison offices in New York and Los Angeles, and licensing liaison offices in London, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit www.dolby.com. About EBU Geneva-based EBU unites and serves 72 national broadcasters from 52 countries in and around Europe. Working on behalf of its members in the European broadcasting area, the EBU negotiates broadcasting rights for major sports events, operates the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, organizes program exchanges, coordinates coproductions, and provides a full range of other operational, commercial, technical, legal, and strategic services. Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. WB2005/88 DLB-F Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the performance and capabilities of Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby E for broadcast, the potential benefits that consumers may derive from broadcasters going on air with this technology, and the anticipated market growth of this technology, are "forward looking statements" that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties, which could cause the forward looking statements to differ materially from anticipated results, include, without limitation, risks associated with successfully going on air with Dolby technologies, risks associated with consumer demand for surround sound broadcasts, rapid changes in hardware devices for receiving broadcasts, and other risks detailed in Dolby's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, its registration statement on Form S-1, as amended, filed in connection with its initial public offering. Dolby disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Media Contact: