May 17, 2012
Dolby Elevates the Quality of Lossless Audio on Blu-ray
Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling integrated into Dolby
Media Producer delivers enhanced studio-quality surround sound
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) today announced the ability for
studios, authoring houses, and mastering facilities to unlock the full
sonic potential of television, movie, and music content, further
elevating playback performance of lossless audio on Blu-ray Disc™.
Blu-ray Discs premastered using Dolby®
TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling can now deliver to consumers a
full-range high-definition surround sound experience ensuring optimum
performance from today's advanced A/V receivers and Blu-ray Disc
players. The new Dolby TrueHD coding solution enables facilities to
integrate the benefits of 96 kHz playback quality audio into the final
master while simultaneously reducing the incidence of digital artifacts
introduced during the content-creation process.
"Lossless audio is a key distinguishing feature of Blu-ray content. All
things being equal, you cannot improve on the quality of lossless audio
coding; however, you can improve on the quality of the source PCM
content prior to lossless encoding, and this is precisely what we have
achieved with our advanced 96k upsampling technology," said Craig
Eggers, Director, Content Creation and Playback, Home Theater Ecosystem,
Dolby Laboratories. "A significant amount of Hollywood content has been
captured in native 48 kHz. Studios and authoring facilities that
implement Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling can elevate the
quality of PCM audio prior to lossless Dolby TrueHD encoding, ensuring
that consumers get the very best audio performance possible from their
Blu-ray playback systems."
Besides enabling optimum 96k upsampling, this technology features a
unique apodizing filter that "masks" the unwanted digital artifacts
known as "preringing," which is introduced during the content-capture
and content-creation process. These digital artifacts can introduce an
unnatural edginess or harshness to the audio. Dolby TrueHD with advanced
96k upsampling restores the natural tonality of the soundtrack. The
effect can be subtle or dramatic, depending on the quality of the source
material. Content mastered with Dolby TrueHD with advanced upsampling is
fully playback compatible with all Dolby TrueHD enabled Blu-ray™ players
and A/V receivers. Listeners are assured the highest-quality playback
experiences possible through their systems.
Respected authoring houses and mixing facilities worldwide have recently
upgraded to Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling within the Dolby
Media Producer Encoder v2 to provide customers with the highest-quality
audio experience available on Blu-ray. These facilities include United
States-based Deluxe Digital Studios, Giant Interactive, Mi Casa
Multimedia, POP Sound, and Technicolor®; and leading Greater
China-based companies Best & Original Production Limited, Hualu
Publishing & Media Co., Ltd., and Media Asia Films.
"Deluxe Digital Studios recently installed Dolby TrueHD with advanced
96k upsampling after we conducted a blind test, and everyone agreed the
upsampled stream was better than the original," said Roger Fiets,
Technical Manager, DVD and Blu-ray Audio, Deluxe Digital Studios. "With
the advanced 96k upsampling treatment, the sound was clearer and is
especially advantageous for titles that have levels ranging close to
0dBFS, delivering less fatigue for the listener."
"We were particularly impressed with the excellent results of Dolby's
new Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling on one of our most recent
projects, the San Francisco Symphony at 100 Blu-ray," said Luke
Fazzary, Director of Operations, Giant Interactive. "We're very pleased
to be able to share the benefits of this technology with our clients and
plan to use it on future projects, whether concerts, live-action films,
or episodic programming."
"One of the best features in Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling
is the apodizing filter, which makes remarkable improvement in the
articulation in high-frequency attacks while simultaneously cleaning up
midrange mush," said Brant Biles, President and Chief Engineer, Mi Casa
Multimedia. "Upsampling with the apodizing filter on any program
information, whether it is music, dialogue, or effects, delicately
unveils the sound and adds an extra dimension of depth and clarity. Job
well done, Dolby!"
"I am very impressed with Dolby TrueHD advanced 96k upsampling as it
definitely makes a difference with some of the transient elements of the
audio mix," said Tim Hoogenakker, Senior Mixer, POP Sound. "For example,
when I used the advanced 96k upsampling on a portion of a film that I
mixed recently, I noticed the cannon shots had a sharp transient quality
that blended well with the loud crack and thump of the cannon fire that
provided much more depth at 96k."
"As a pioneer on the premastering of Blu-ray Disc in Greater China, Best
& Original constantly seeks for innovative technologies that help us
better maintain the artistic intent of the content and bring the home
theater viewing experience to a higher level," said Michael Lau,
Production Director, Best & Original Production Limited. "Dolby TrueHD
with advanced 96k upsampling definitely is one of the best from this
perspective, and we are delighted to be the one of the first production
houses in the region to use this solution with the latest Chinese
blockbuster Blu-ray release, The Flowers of War."
"As one of the top studios in the region, Media Asia's mission is to
offer the best possible entertainment experience for people in the
cinema and at home. The capability of Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k
upsampling delivers superior audio that fulfills our needs," said Ricky
Tse, General Manager, Sales & Distribution, Media Asia Films. "We are
planning to use Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling in the Blu-ray
version of a series of movies set to be released in this calendar year."
Dolby plays a critical role in ensuring that the artistic intent of the
audio mix is maintained through the entertainment ecosystem, from the
soundstage into the home theater. Dolby TrueHD delivers powerful sound
that is bit-for-bit identical to the original studio master, unlocking
the full entertainment value of Blu-ray Disc and other HD media. The
advanced 96k upsampling raises the bar for playback of movies,
television, and concert films mastered for Blu-ray Disc. Beyond the
Greater China release of The Flowers of War, Blu-ray Disc
titles including the Joe Satriani concert film, Satchurated: Live in
Montreal, and San Francisco Symphony at 100 have been premastered
using Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling.
To learn more about the use of Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k upsampling
used in the San Francisco Symphony at 100 Blu-ray Disc release,
visit https://vimeo.com/42325868.
Hear director and producer François Lamoureux and drummer Jeff
Campitelli give insight into the making of the Joe Satriani concert film Satchurated:
Live in Montreal now available in Dolby TrueHD with advanced 96k
upsampling, http://vimeo.com/42316824.
Studio staff and others interested in learning more about Dolby TrueHD
with advanced 96k upsampling can read the following PDF white papers: Dolby
TrueHD Encoder with Advanced 96k Upsampling and Elevating
the Performance of Lossless Audio in the Home Theater: Dolby TrueHD with
Advanced 96k Upsampling.
Dolby's virtual press kit is available at dolby.com/press.
About Dolby TrueHD
Dolby TrueHD is a 100 percent lossless audio coding technology that
reproduces movie and music playback in the home that is identical to the
studio master. Supporting up to 7.1-channel playback of 96 kHz/24-bit
audio on Blu-ray Disc, Dolby TrueHD reproduces powerful special effects
and enables you to hear every dialogue track and musical note in rich
detail. Listeners are transported right into the middle of the action in
a movie, and to the best seat in the house for a concert event.
About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) is the global leader in technologies that
are essential elements in the best entertainment experiences. Founded in
1965 and best known for high-quality audio and surround sound, Dolby
creates innovations that enrich entertainment at the movies, at home, or
on the go. 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. Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc are trademarks of the Blu-ray
Disc Association. Technicolor is a registered trademark of Technicolor
Trademark Management SAS. S12/25686 DLB-G
Dolby Laboratories
Joshua Gershman, 415-645-5611
joshua.gershman@dolby.com
Source: Dolby Laboratories
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