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March 3, 2003
San Jose, Calif., March 3, 2003--This week at the Game Developers Conference
(GDC), Dolby Laboratories, the leader in audio technology for the game industry,
announces a Dolby® Pro Logic® II encoder plug-in, unveils a new PC game developer
program, and hosts a series of informative educational programs for show attendees.
These initiatives have been designed to make it easier for developers to create games
with a rich multichannel audio experience by using Dolby technologies.
New Dolby Pro Logic II Software Encoder
Minnetonka Audio's new SurCode™ for Dolby Pro Logic II software encoder makes it
easy to integrate Dolby Pro Logic II technology into games. SurCode is a software
solution available to sound designers and musicians to encode multichannel music and
sound effects directly from their digital audio workstations. The SurCode for Dolby Pro
Logic II encoder will be available as a stand-alone program and as a VST Plug-In. The
Nintendo® GameCube™ and the Sony PlayStation® 2 platforms already incorporate
interactive Dolby Pro Logic II for real-time game play--now it's that much simpler for
game developers to seamlessly integrate true surround sound content.
Dolby Launches New PC Game Developer Program
Dolby will also introduce its new program to provide PC game developers with
excellent custom support, tools, and resources to get their PC games up and running
with discrete Dolby Digital 5.1 easily and at no charge.
PCs with Dolby Digital technology are becoming the standard for serious PC gamers.
Real-time Dolby Digital encoder technology is now available on PCs that feature the
Nvidia® NForce® 2 with Sound Storm® program and will soon be available on select PCs
that ship with the C-Media chipset. The technology enables real-time Dolby Digital 5.1
encoding for PC game enthusiasts to experience explosive, cinematic audio in their
game play.
Dolby Instructional Sessions at GDC
GDC attendees are encouraged to attend the following educational sessions led by
experts from the Dolby Laboratories game developer relations group.
Sex, Lies, and Surround Sound on Any Platform
On March 6 at 10:30 a.m. in room C2, Jack Buser, manager of game developer relations
at Dolby, presents an introduction to the various surround sound technologies available
on the major platforms and the PC. Session attendees will be shown how to integrate
surround sound into any game engine.
Master Class Techniques for Surround Sound in Games
Dolby's Kristoffer Larson, recording engineer for the game developer relations group,
will offer a class on surround mixing techniques used by audio professionals in games
on March 7th at 10:30 a.m., in room C2. Surround mixing principles used in broadcast,
cinema, and music applications will be presented for discussion, and specific mixing
issues concerning matrix technologies such as Dolby Surround and Dolby Pro Logic II
will be covered in depth.
Additionally, John Griffin, lead technical consultant, game developer relations, Japan
Licensing Division for Dolby Laboratories, will discuss advances in gaming hardware
for consoles, PCs, and beyond. The discussion starts at 8:50 a.m. on March 6th, 2003,
and is part of the Game Development Market Trends Acacia Research Group Breakfast
Seminar held in the Gold Room at the Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. Interested parties can
register at www.acaciarg.com.
Dolby Committed to Providing Technology, Support
"Dolby multichannel audio is now a must-have feature in any best-selling game, and we
are making it even easier for developers to get it into their titles," said Jack Buser.
"We have free surround sound solutions for every major game platform, and offer a
variety of development options to suit the individual needs of game developers. There
are over one hundred million home receivers sold that can decode Dolby Digital or
Dolby Pro Logic II games, including some very affordable new home-theater-in-a-box
systems," Buser continued. "Seven of the ten best-selling game titles of the past two
years have supported Dolby multichannel audio technologies, as do all the major game
platforms. Gamers have come to expect multichannel audio in games."
For more information regarding Dolby in games, please visit our newly redesigned
website at www.dolby.com/games, and stop by booth 928 on the show floor.
About Dolby in Games
Dolby audio technology, the de facto standard for next-generation games, makes game
play more thrilling and realistic by placing sounds around the gamer in real-time
response to the action. Dolby Laboratories has developed groundbreaking interactive
encoders that enable real-time Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II encoding in all
major game consoles and PCs; Dolby also works closely with the game development
community to raise the bar in game audio quality. Today, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro
Logic II, and Dolby Surround are incorporated in hundreds of game titles on every
major game platform.
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, Pro Logic, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks remain the property of their
respective owners. © 2003 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. S03/14659
Media Contacts:
Adam Anderson, Dolby Laboratories, 415-645-5176 aja@dolby.com
Krys Grondorf or Christine Oh, Bender/Helper Impact for Dolby, 562-421-1842 or 310-477-4647, ext. 218, Krys_grondorf@bhimpact.com / christine_oh@bhimpact.com, On-site at GDC: 562-458-8847
