Dolby previews revolutionary HDR picture and Dolby Volume sound systems

Dolby, best-known for its noise reduction and theatrical and domestic surround-sound systems, has previewed two exciting technologies; an LED-backlit LCD display system, and an audio control system which promises to take the shock out of noisy adverts.

While conventional LCD panels have a single fluorescent backlight, meaning that brightness variations are limited in their range, the Dolby HDR (High Dynamic Range) system uses multiple locally modulated LED backlights to offer much more convincing brighness variations. Because this also allows colour gradations to be more realistic, the result is a picture which though it has no higher resolution than conventional HD, appears to have much greater detail. Demos of a prototype against a conventional LCD panel showed significant improvement, with bright objects on dark backgrounds taking on an almost '3D' appearance. Of course, there are already sets with variable LED backlighting on the market, but Dolby claims that its system is more effective.

Dolby's European Sales Director Andy Dowell said that a system using 1,836 LEDs would be shown on a high-end TV set produced in collaboration with Sim2 Multimedia, during the forthcoming CES event. Subsequently, like all Dolby technologies it would be available for licensing.

Dolby's other technology will give relief to anyone who has ever dozed off in front of the TV, only to wake with a start when the adverts blare out at high volume. Broadcasters have used audio compression to create this effect, but after recent industry rulings it's been suggested that they might start to transmit programmes more quietly, so there's a still a jump in volume when the ads go out at full blast.

The Dolby Volume system would solve this problem by controlling volume intelligently, using multi-band equalisation, so the volume could be reduced automatically but the sound quality maintained. It could also iron out volume differences between TV channels or different audio sources. The Dolby Volume system could be incorporated into TVs, set-top boxes or amps, and could be implemented as a simple on/off menu option, or offered with more flexible settings. Two receivers, the harman/kardon AVR 7550HD and Arcam FMJ AVR600, will be the first products to incorporate the system.

More from www.dolby.com.