Dolby decides to release Dolby Digital EX decoding without THX for home use (1 Viewer)

[Patrick]

Here is the press release from Dolby's website.
Dolby Laboratories Begins Licensing
Dolby® Digital EX TM
San Francisco, November 5, 2001—Dolby Laboratories announced that Dolby Digital Surround EX ™, the award-winning multichannel audio technology originally developed jointly by Lucasfilm THX and Dolby for the cinema, is now available under the name Dolby Digital EX for consumer electronics license from Dolby.
This technology is available from Dolby Laboratories as Dolby Digital EX, under licensing agreements similar to those already in use for technologies including Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logicâ II, and Dolby Headphone. Dolby's licensing program makes Dolby Digital EX available to a wider range of receivers, and expands the availability of the technology into entirely new product categories including DVD players, laptop and desktop computers, personal surround systems, and home-theater-in-a-box systems.
"This new licensing program is designed to make Dolby Digital EX, Dolby's most advanced cinema sound technology, available to an extremely broad and diverse range of consumer electronics products," said Brent Butterworth, Director of Consumer Technology Marketing, Dolby Laboratories.
"With more than 20 million DVD players and multimedia systems in US homes, more and more DVD titles are pushing the envelope on delivering the maximum sound experience possible," said CE industry analyst Richard Doherty, Director of Research for the Envisioneering Group. "Dolby Digital EX licensing is poised to ensure many DVD player designers will incorporate Dolby Digital EX playback in their newest models."
About Dolby Digital EX
Dolby Digital EX (released in cinemas as Dolby Digital Surround EX), which adds a center rear surround channel to the 5.1-channel format, provides a new tool for delivering greater sonic realism and excitement to home theater systems. Since the technology was introduced in May 1999 with the release of Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace, more than 60 titles have been released in the format, more than 30 of which are currently available on DVD, including two of this year's Academy Award® nominees for Best Sound: Gladiator and The Perfect Storm. For the full list of films in Dolby Digital EX available on DVD, please visit www.dolby.com/movies/films_previous.0110.html
All Dolby Digital EX software is 100-percent backward-compatible with all existing Dolby Digital decoder products. Products displaying the Dolby Digital EX or THX Surround EX logos are required to reproduce the extra surround channel.
About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit www.dolby.com.
Dolby Digital and Surround EX are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.
Additional Editorial Contact: Richard F. Doherty, The Envisioneering Group
Telephone 516-783-6244, email: [email protected]
S01/13994

 

[Wes]

I think this is a great thing, now EX will be more common in entry level receivers also. I always thought the THX Surround EX was just another way to confuse consumers as if the needed something els that was confusing with DVD/Audio purchasing.
Wes

 

[Patrick]

In true THX style, surely they must release another decoding process/format to keep one step ahead of the game. Perhaps we will soon see a height channel in the next incarnation of THX - rumoured to be introduced with the Episode 2.