April 2, 2003
New Dialogue Intelligence Feature Dramatically Simplifies Use of Dolby's Loudness Meter
Dialogue Intelligence automatically
quantifies program loudness
New Dialogue Intelligence Feature Dramatically Simplifies Use of Dolby’s Loudness MeterLas Vegas, April 2, 2003--At this year's NAB show, Dolby Laboratories will debut a
new feature for its LM100 Loudness Meter that simplifies the process of quantifying the
subjective loudness of dialogue between television programs and channels. Dialogue
Intelligence™ allows users to quantify the level of dialogue automatically from the
input signal, by recognizing and measuring loudness only during the presence of speech.
The new feature will be demonstrated at the Dolby booth (SU4555) at NAB 2003 from
April 5-10.
"Everyone is annoyed by different volume levels while changing TV channels. We
expect the LM100, with this new functionality, to be instrumental in addressing and
regulating this issue of loudness," said Tom Daily, Marketing Director, Professional
Audio, Dolby Laboratories. "Dialogue Intelligence makes this product simple to use. It
measures the loudness of a program and presents the broadcaster with one single, easyto-
understand numeric loudness value," he continued.
Proper use of this product will help identify where in the broadcasting chain
adjustments to program volume should be made. The LM100 Loudness Meter is also
capable of logging loudness history and several other user-defined alarm conditions to
assist operations personnel when problems arise.
The LM100 accepts and measures both two-channel PCM and stereo analog (baseband)
audio, as well as multichannel Dolby® Digital and Dolby E encoded streams. One
version, the LM100-NTSC, measures in-the-clear analog CATV and off-air NTSC RF
signals for cable television facilities. The LM100-LTC version has a time code input for
those facilities that want to reference the log to time code. LM100 applications include
postproduction, cable head-end, direct broadcast satellite, network origination centers,
and turnaround uplinks.
About Dolby in Broadcasting
Dolby Digital makes the DTV viewing experience richer, fuller, and more real. An
estimated minimum 20 million digital cable, satellite, and terrestrial DTV set-top boxes
are able to deliver a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio stream, while approximately 25 million
households worldwide have Dolby Digital 5.1 home receivers. As the number of Dolby
Digital 5.1-channel devices continues to rise, more television services are broadcasting
in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, delivering an increasing variety of high-quality
programming to their viewers. For a listing of programs broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1
audio, please visit www.dolby.com/tvaudio.
About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories creates technologies that intensify and enhance the entertainment
experience, making it richer, fuller, and more involving. For nearly four decades, Dolby
has been instrumental in 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
privately held company has entertainment industry liaison offices in New York and Los
Angeles, and licensing liaison offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo. For
more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit
www.dolby.com.
Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Dialogue Intelligence is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. © 2003 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. S03/14694
Media Contact:
Adam Anderson, Dolby Laboratories, 415-645-5176 aja@dolby.com
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