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Next generation of Dolby Digital Plus coming soon to tablets and phones, we go ears-on (video)
Whenever we review tablets, the section on audio quality is usually short, and it usually goes something like this: "The quality is tinny and the volume is low, especially since the speakers are located on the back side." (Translation: "What did you expect, people?") That's a shame, given how tablets are supposedly ideal for content consumption. Fortunately, though, this is something Dolby's been working on. The company is bringing a new version of its Digital Plus technology to tablets, phones and laptops with the aim of enhancing sound quality, and also making movie dialog easier to make out. In the demo video embedded after the break, for instance, that Galaxy Tab is cranked to full volume, but it's still hard to follow along with The Incredibles. With Digital Plus turned on, the conversation is easier to hear, and you can also parse background noises, like a phone ringing in an office. Right now, the technology is compatible with Windows 7, Win 8 and Android. Dolby says the software is specially tuned for each device, and it's up to OEMs to license the technology, so don't hold your breath for an app you can download on your own. For now, we don't know of any devices with Digital Plus, but a Dolby rep told us the first should be announced within the coming months. So, what you'll see in the video after the break isn't some unannounced product but rather, an older Samsung tablet rigged to run the software as a demo. Oh, and the UI is apparently not final, so don't put too much stock in the way the app looks. Anyway, have a listen and let us know if you can hear the difference.
Engadget goes behind the Dolby logo
With AV software and hardware alike carrying at least one Dolby logo, not to mention the presence of that same branding on big screen cinema, Dolby is truly a household name. If you ask people exactly what Dolby does, however, you're likely to get a pretty fuzzy picture, which isn't too surprising -- the brand is so prevalent in the media space that it's kind of like asking a fish to describe what water feels like. So when Dolby invited us to spend a day with them to talk about their current goings-on in home theater, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity.To get a look behind the familiar logo, we spent a day at Dolby's lab in San Francisco. During our time there we talked about TrueHD, Digital Plus, Dolby Volume, the new Pro Logic IIz, and even got a short peek at some current research efforts. It was a fast run over a lot of ground, for sure!
Sogecable's Digital+ brings Canal+ Deportes HD / Dcine HD to Spain
Spain's been dealing with a pitiful lack of high-def content for awhile now, and just a few months shy of a full year since Sogecable's Canal+ HD showed up, we finally have two more making the trip over. The satellite pay-TV operator Digital+ has delivered a new pair that we can only imagine will go over quite well with locals: Canal+ Deportes HD (sport) and Canal+ Dcine HD (movies). Sure, two ain't many, but are you really going to complain about a 300% increase in available HD material? We thought not.
