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March 3, 2003
San Jose, Calif., March 3, 2003--Dolby Laboratories announced that it has approved
the first software application for Dolby® Pro Logic® II encoding: Minnetonka Audio's
new SurCode™ for Dolby Pro Logic II. The Dolby Pro Logic II software encoder
allows game developers to easily encode highly realistic ambience and surround sound
effects in game software. Minnetonka will demonstrate this solution in Dolby's booth
(928) at the Game Development Conference (GDC) from March 6th to 8th.
The Dolby Pro Logic II encoder will soon be available for purchase from Minnetonka
Audio as a standard Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plug-in, which is compatible with
many digital audio workstations, and as a stand-alone software encoder for the PC.
"Dolby Pro Logic II is an exceptional surround sound technology and we are thrilled to
provide the first software encoder to game developers," said John Calder, director of
marketing at Minnetonka Audio. "We expect Dolby Pro Logic II encoding to become a
big part of the game sound industry."
"The introduction of a VST-based encoder for Dolby Pro Logic II should make it even
easier for many developers to create games with high-quality surround sound," said
Jack Buser, manager of game developer relations, Dolby Laboratories. "Minnetonka
Audio is providing the simplest, fastest way of getting pre-encoded Dolby Pro Logic II
content into games."
Dolby Pro Logic II encoding is the world's fastest-growing matrix surround technology,
and can be decoded by virtually every Dolby Digital home theater system sold today.
Media encoded in Dolby Pro Logic II is backward-compatible with the millions of
Dolby Pro Logic receivers and decoders in use worldwide.
For more information about Minnetonka Audio's SurCode products, please visit
www.surcode.com or
www.minnetonkaaudio.com.
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 Pro Logic II
Dolby Pro Logic II technology provides full-bandwidth, five-channel sound for
applications ranging from home theater systems to PC audio, game consoles, and in-car
entertainment devices. Dolby Pro Logic II incorporates recent advances in matrixed
surround decoding to achieve better channel separation than previously possible.
Broadcasters and content creators can use Dolby Pro Logic II technology to provide a
surround sound experience for viewers of stereo TV services with no change to the
broadcast delivery infrastructure. For game developers, Dolby Pro Logic II allows nextgeneration
game consoles to deliver five-channel sound with virtually no cost to the
host CPU.
Dolby Pro Logic II is also fully backward-compatible with Dolby Surround Pro Logic
technology, and can optimally decode the thousands of commercially available Dolby
Surround movies and television shows with enhanced surround spatiality. In addition,
Dolby Pro Logic II converts any high-quality stereo programming, especially music,
into a natural, immersing surround sound experience.
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. SurCode is a trademark of Minnetonka Audio Software,
Inc. © 2003 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. S03/14650
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
