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Inside Dolby and Odeon's mission to revive a British cinematic icon
Trips to the movies are just the worst, with exorbitant prices, endless trailers, bad seats and, of course, the other people. Attendances in the UK are flat and dwindling in the US as more folks choose to stay at home. As gimmicks like 3D fizzle, the cinema industry may be waking up to the fact that it needs to up its game -- or become second fiddle to Netflix. Which is probably why a British cinema chain decided to team up with Dolby to revive a once-loved "Cathedral of the movies."
Dolby Dimension review: Excellent sound, exorbitant price
Dolby has been delivering 3D sound to people's living rooms through other companies' Atmos-equipped soundbars and systems for years. So it's no surprise the company is harnessing some of that expertise for its first piece of consumer hardware. Its first product is aimed at two very popular activities: binge watching and listening to music. The Dolby Dimension headphones pack in a lot of features and tech to power your marathon Netflix sessions, but at $599, they're a serious investment.
Dolby’s Dimension headphones bring home theater sound to your ears
For more than 50 years, Dolby's brand has been synonymous with top-of-the-line audio (and visual) quality. Its innovations in the space, including recent technologies like the Atmos immersive sound, can be experienced in movie theaters and living rooms around the globe. But Dolby has become a household name without actually building its own consumer products. It's always worked with third-party manufacturers on the hardware used to deliver its tech to your ears. That changes, though, with the introduction of Dolby Dimension. They're a pair of over-ear wireless headphones designed with a particular set of people in mind: video-streaming binge watchers.
The UK's first Dolby Cinema to open in London
London's iconic Odeon Leicester Square cinema has already firmly established itself in the silver screen history books, having hosted more than 700 film premieres since its opening in 1937. Now, it's getting another accolade. Following an 11-month, multi-million pound refurbishment, the cinema will re-open its doors this Christmas, complete with the UK's very first Dolby Cinema.
Dolby Vision HDR is ready for testing on Xbox One
Microsoft promised Dolby Vision HDR support for the Xbox One and starting today, testers with an Xbox One S or Xbox One X (and a compatible 4K TV) can try it out with Netflix streaming. Dolby's expansion on HDR10 -- that already drastically improves the capabilities for lighting and contrast -- adds 12-bit color support plus features for content publishers to adjust settings for the best lighting and color in each scene. Most owners of Ultra HD TVs with Dolby Vision and 4K probably already have an app built-in that will stream the right content, but now they can enjoy it without switching back and forth. There's still no word on support for Dolby Vision-ready 4K Blu-ray discs, but at least this step is done.
Samsung's Harman unveils its new premium soundbar lineup
When Samsung acquired Harman International Industries last year, it was pretty obvious the tech brand had eyes on the Harman Kardon audio division. The pair have worked together on a few projects since --smartphones and tablets featuring Harman-owned AKG-tuned audio, for example -- but now the collaboration is taking Samsung further into the premium audio sector. Two new co-branded premium soundbars developed with Harman, the Samsung HW-N950 and HW-N850, will go on the market later this month.
Lenovo's UFO-like hub brings Dolby audio to conference calls
Business meetings can be dreary at the best of times, but that's made worse by the flakiness of modern technology. Between hard-to-hear remote callers and a lack of consistent file sharing, it could be hard to sustain what little interest you have. Give Lenovo some credit for trying to fix this sad state of affairs, though -- it's introducing the ThinkSmart Hub 700, a flying saucer-shaped mini PC that serves as the cornerstone of office chats. It promises a big boost in audio quality, for starters -- it revolves around a four-speaker Dolby Audio system that should help your Skype (or Zoom, or BlueJeans) conference calls.
'Hearables' could diagnose disease, if we let them
Poppy Crum is the Chief Scientist at Dolby labs, and no stranger to the conference circuit. Her talk at this year's SXSW -- "A Hearable Future: Sound & Sensory Interface" -- promised to dive into the hidden possibilities that sound and the human ear have to offer technology. Unfortunately, and perhaps ironically, Crum's talk was plagued by audio problems throughout (through no fault of her own).
Dolby knows what you're feeling at the movies
If you thought it was creepy that technology lets networks know what you're watching, you'd better sit down. It turns out that Poppy Crum, chief scientist at Dolby Labs, has been researching how our bodies and emotions react to what we see and hear. Don't panic, though. All that information is being used to understand how to make us feel more when we watch a Hollywood epic, as Crum explained to Engadget on stage at CES. Watch the highlights in the video above. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.
Dolby's plan for 2018 includes Atmos and Vision in more places
It's no surprise that many companies are touting Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos in products announced at CES. You're making a safe bet if you assume that's an annual occurrence. However, there's always something unique about the devices that carry Dolby's visual and audio tech, and this year is no different. Here's a quick rundown of what was announced in Vegas and what Dolby has in store for 2018.
Sony's new soundbars can virtualize Dolby Atmos sound
Sony always makes home audio products a part of its CES presentations, and 2018 is no difference. Perhaps most notable are the HT-Z9F and HT-X9000F, two soundbars that include Dolby Atmos surround sound. Of course, true Atmos requires overhead speakers, and these are just 2.1(HT-X9000F) and 3.1 (HT-Z9F) soundbars. As such, this requires some virtualization, which happens courtesy Sony's "virtual surround engine," which the company claims can replicate the wide soundstage Atmos provides. And regardless of whether you're watching content mixed for Atmos or not, the more expensive HT-Z9F include a "Vertical S" button that Sony says will provide virtual 3D sound. The HT-Z9F will retail for $900/£600 and the HT-X9000F will cost $600/£450 when they arrive this spring.
TCL's 6-Series Roku TVs sport a metal design, 4K and Dolby Vision HDR
Building off of the success of its budget-friendly P-Series TVs, TCL is teaming up with Roku again on new 4K HDR sets for 2018. First up, the company has introduced its 6-Series premium line, which feature a slim, metal design, Dolby Vision and will be available in 55- and 65-inch models. The 6-Series models also come with a new Roku TV voice remote, 802.11ac WiFI, Ethernet and three HDMI 2.0a ports. TCL says that its latest TVs are designed to be a powerhouse in image quality, with things like a Contrast Control Zone Technology and an HDR Pro Gamma that's meant to reproduce the smallest of details in the darkest and brightest scenes.
Amazon's redesigned Echo features improved sound, Alexa smarts
If you thought Amazon would sit back and let Apple reap the rewards of a smart speaker with decent sound, you're wrong. The shopping juggernaut just unveiled the new Echo. In addition to an all-cloth covering (with options for wood veneer) sports "all new sound architecture" including a dedicated woofer and tweeter in addition to Dolby-certified audio. More than that, it's rocking second-gen far field tech for better voice recognition. Speaking of voice, it'll make free calls to Canada and Mexico using Echo Connect. That'll launch in the US later this year.
Sky Q’s Dolby Atmos support arrives for new Premier League season
When Sky surprised subscribers with the launch of its new Devialet-made surround sound speaker late last month, it also dropped in news that Sky Q customers would soon enjoy enhanced sound courtesy of Dolby Atmos. At the time, the company remained coy, teasing a "summer" launch, but with the new Premier League season imminent, Sky today confirmed that Dolby's surround sound standard will now be ready for when Arsenal host Leicester tomorrow night.
Dolby Vision software promises HDR on more of your devices
Wonder why you can only get Dolby Vision's high dynamic range video on a limited number of devices? It's because you've needed specialized hardware -- if a device wasn't designed with Vision in mind, you're out of luck. Expect to see it in many more places before long, though. Dolby tells Forbes that Vision is now available in pure software form, enabling its take on HDR for any reasonably capable device. In theory, your console, media hub or TV can get Vision support through an update. It could also lower the cost of including Vision by avoiding the cost of dedicated components.
Watch today's Liverpool vs Chelsea game in 4K and Dolby Atmos
Are you a soccer (football to the rest of the world) fan with a state-of-the-art home theater? If you answered "yes" to both of those questions and happen to be a BT Sport subscriber, today's match between Chelsea and Liverpool should be of special interest to you. That's because the network will broadcast the game in 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos, according to Dolby's Lab Notes blog.
Warner, Universal and Lionsgate promise Dolby Vision 4K Blu-ray discs
Ultra HD Blu-ray already features high-dynamic-range (HDR) video for better colors and contrast, but now a few more studios are promising to support the expanded Dolby Vision standard on their disc releases. Warner Bros., Universal and Lionsgate are on the list, although there's no mention of which movies will be released that way this year.
Xbox One starts testing support for Dolby Atmos audio
If you both have a state-of-the-art surround sound setup and are in the Xbox One Preview Program, this week should sound pretty great. That's because the update adding support for Dolby Atmos is rolling out to the Xbox One and Xbox One S, according to Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb. It's via Bitstream pass-through and was originally promised back in October. The feature is under Blu-ray disc options and says "let my receiver decode audio (beta)." It isn't clear when this will make its way to everyone's console, however, so your dreams of marrying next-gen audio with your video format of choice might take a bit longer to materialize.
Dolby Atmos audio is coming to the Xbox One
One of the gripes audiophiles have had with the Xbox One S is that despite the console's Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, it doesn't support next-gen audio standards. That changes sometime in the future for all* Xbox Ones with a free update adding Dolby Atmos playback (via bitstream). It's not nearly as dramatic as Sony adding 3D Blu-ray playback to the PlayStation 3 via an update in 2010, but for audio geeks this is pretty big news. And this is why buying a game console is a better idea than a standalone Blu-ray player: constant updates adding new features, rather than something with a fixed feature set that may never be updated. Now it's time to drop $1,500 on a soundbar that can help you make the most of that improved sound.
Jaunt adds Dolby's cinematic sound to its VR library
Immersive, 360-degree video is great, but there's a worry that while the pictures will surround you, the audio will not. Dolby and Jaunt are looking to remedy the situation by launching a dull-sounding but important way for you to find clips that sound as good as they look. The "dedicated VR content portal featuring titles mixed in Dolby Atmos" will showcase footage that are held to Dolby's higher standards for our ears. The films are available, via Jaunt's app, for a range of platforms including GearVR, Oculus Rift, Vive and third-party headsets for Android and iOS phones.
