Dolby Licensees Take In-Car Surround to the Next Level
LAS VEGAS--Jan. 8, 2002--Alpine, Clarion, Rockford-Fosgate, Volvo, and Zapco roll out new Pro
Logic II products at ICES, North American International Auto Show
Dolby Laboratories announced that several audio manufacturers are unveiling in-car surround solutions featuring Dolby(R) Surround Pro Logic(R) II technology. Alpine, Clarion and Zapco join Rockford-Fosgate in offering aftermarket car surround products at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, taking place January 8-11 in Las Vegas. In addition, Volvo will roll out its new SUV, which includes a Pro Logic II entertainment system, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 12-21. These new offerings expand the surround entertainment options available to consumers.
"The emergence of both aftermarket and OEM car entertainment solutions featuring Pro Logic II underscores its dramatic market gains over the past year. With the success of Pro Logic II for home surround systems, it is inevitable that in-car entertainment systems would begin to incorporate it," said Martin Lindsay, Director of Business Development, Automotive Entertainment, Dolby Laboratories. "Automotive systems and environments can be even more conducive to surround sound than the home, because so many cars already have rear speakers. As evidenced by both the Volvo and Clarion solutions, Pro Logic II holds great promise as an audio-only surround technology in the car."
Pro Logic II is one of the technologies Dolby Laboratories is showcasing at CES -- along with Dolby Digital and Dolby Headphone -- as part of its comprehensive Surround in Motion(TM) solutions. Pro Logic II represents today's most natural-sounding matrix decoding technology for converting standard two-channel stereo into multichannel surround sound. Unlike many competing technologies, it uses no artificial reverb or pitch-shifting, and produces no unnatural steering effects. It can be incorporated into car sound systems to transform conventional stereo into a new kind of listening experience, via a variety of sound formats (CD, FM or satellite radio, cassette, MiniDisc, games, and so on). As such, Pro Logic II helps to bridge the entertainment gap between two-channel audio and the full-fledged surround sound of 5.1-channel discrete systems.
Newly introduced car entertainment systems and products featuring Pro Logic II include the following:
| -- | Alpine Electronics of America (www.alpine1.com) is introducing its PXA-H700 integrated surround processor, a component that may be combined with an in-dash receiver head unit or a DVD changer to create multichannel surround entertainment. In keeping with Alpine's system component approach -- which enables consumers to mix and match Alpine components to build the system that best matches their needs and budgets -- consumers can add Pro Logic II surround sound capabilities to any Alpine Ai-NET head unit, at any time, simply with the addition of a PXA-H700 surround processor. |
| -- | Volvo (www.volvocars.com), a division of Ford Motor Company's Premier Automotive Group, maintains its leadership role in automotive entertainment options. The new Volvo XC90 SUV, to be introduced at the North American International Auto Show, will feature a factory-installed entertainment system featuring Pro Logic II. The company pioneered automotive surround solutions with Dolby Surround Pro Logic, starting with its C70 sports coupe in 1997, and recently received a Best of the Best 2001 award from the Robb Report for its premium car sound systems. |
| -- | Clarion (www.clarion.com) is launching its DXZ925 CD/receiver head unit, with Sirius DARS capability. The DXZ925 will be one of the first Sirius satellite radio units available on the market, and more importantly represents the first integrated aftermarket car product to incorporate Pro Logic II for audio-only applications. |
| -- | Zapco (www.zapco.com) is introducing its eight-channel car surround decoder unit to complement the company's renowned product line. The DSP-based product provides the ultimate in processing and postprocessing capabilities and will feature custom user presets for equalization, crossover settings, time delay, and independent bass, treble, and level controls. |
| -- | Rockford-Fosgate (www.rockfordfosgate.com) is demonstrating its benchmark RFQ5000 surround processor, a Pro Logic II decoder that plugs into existing car audio systems, creating a surround system for people who want to upgrade their vehicle's sound system rather than replace it. The high-quality analog decoder, designed by surround expert and Pro Logic II inventor Jim Fosgate, is packaged as an outboard processor module that can be mounted in a trunk or under the dashboard. The RFQ5000 unveils hidden information in standard two-channel stereo sources, regardless of recording technique or the age of the recording, thus delivering an enveloping surround sound experience for passengers and driver alike. |
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.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Dolby will webcast its Surround in Motion press conference from CES in Las Vegas, scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Tuesday, January 8, 2002. In addition, a presentation from that press conference will be available at the Dolby website, www.dolby.com. A press kit is also available on the site.
Dolby, Pro Logic, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Surround in Motion is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks mentioned remain the property of their respective owners.