Dolby AC3 in Europe -- follow-up to your post last week..........
Dolby's Got The Whole World Listening
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 1997--It is now official that PAL DVDs which carry only Dolby
Digital audio soundtracks are fully compliant with the DVD Video standard. One hour before the new DVD Forum met
for the first time on December 5th, in Tokyo, Japan, the DVD Steering Committee, which is composed of the original 10
member companies of the DVD Consortium, met in a separate meeting. The steering committee conducted some final
discussions, and then took a vote to decide the issue of audio for the PAL DVD format. The vote was in favor of
changing the status of Dolby Digital from an "optional" format to the category of "mandatory" formats in the PAL DVD
specification. This was announced at the DVD Forum meeting to all attendees.
Prior to this announcement, DVDs in PAL countries were required to carry either a PCM or MPEG soundtrack in
addition to the Dolby Digital one. Areas of the world which adhere to the PAL standard include Europe, China, Australia
and parts of South America.
This is a welcome change for those content providers who wish to provide content containing a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital
track and, for reasons of limited disc capacity, do not wish to also have to include a two-channel MPEG-1 audio track.
With the specification change, the MPEG-1 track is no longer required for conformance.
"We are very pleased with the decision made by the DVD Forum yesterday. It is yet another indication that Dolby
Digital (AC-3) is the worldwide standard for multichannel audio," said Ed Schummer, Vice President, Dolby
Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
Since the introduction of DVD Video in Japan and the USA, over 600 DVD titles have been released or announced.
Almost every release is Dolby Digital encoded. Every DVD player sold -- 460,000 units -- features Dolby Digital audio.
Dolby Laboratories is the developer of audio signal processing systems used worldwide in consumer audio and video
products, on consumer audio and video entertainment software, and in professional sound applications that include music
recording, broadcasting, and motion picture sound.
The privately-held company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai,
Tokyo, and European headquarters in England.
CONTACT: Kanner Public Relations Inc.
William A. Kanner
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212/545-7426, Fax
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