Looking for who said what in the sound world? Well there is no better place to find every audio related press release than 3DsoundSurge.!

The Prius DECK 610N, which incorporates MGI's Pure Diva software DVD player that realizes Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding and the Dolby Headphone process all-in-one software, will be released in Japan on Feb. 19, allowing buyers to experience cinema-quality surround sound via a personal computer.

Dolby Headphone was developed by Dolby and Australian company Lake Technology. Dolby Headphone is a processing algorithm, designed for ordinary headphones, and can by performed completely in software, as in this new product or on a specialized digital signal processing chip.

This flexibility makes the technology easy to incorporate into DVD-video players, upcoming DVD-audio players, set-top cable boxes, satellite receivers, digital televisions, VCRs, personal computers, video game consoles, A/V surround decoders, auto sound systems, multimedia speaker systems and even headphone portables.

Any ordinary stereo headphones can be used with the Dolby Headphone technology.

``The demand for multichannel audio continues to grow at a rapid pace and, as a result, multichannel surround sound is no longer the exclusive province of movie theaters,'' said Roger Dressler, director of Technology Strategy for Dolby Laboratories. ``As Dolby Digital has become the standard for 5.1-channel audio in movies, television and music videos playing in home theaters, consumers can now expect the same high-quality sound from computers and other consumer products with Dolby Headphone technology.''

Leonard Layton, marketing director at Lake Technology, said: ``Lake is very happy to be working with Hitachi, MGI and Dolby on this very first Dolby Headphone product. It's fantastic to work with a group of companies with such a strong commitment to high-quality PC audio.''

Multichannel products that incorporate Dolby Headphone to emulate multispeaker surround playback, such as those equipped with Dolby Digital 5.1-channel and/or four-channel Dolby Pro Logic Surround decoding, display the Dolby Headphone symbol. These products also apply the Dolby Headphone process to stereo programs. Stereo equipment that provides Dolby Headphone to emulate only the two-speaker listening experience is identified with the Dolby Headphone Stereo symbol.

Prius DECK 610N Features

The Prius DECK 610N features a DVD-ROM drive, built-in TV tuner and recorder, and a 15-inch Super In Plane Switching TFT color LCD display. In addition to providing Dolby Headphone functionality, the Prius DECK 610N can record TV programs to its hard drive, allowing the user to pause a TV show while watching it, and then resume to the show from the point where they left it. The recorder uses original audio/video codecs based on MPEG2, allowing the user to record up to seven hours of material to its 30.0-GB hard drive.

Also, the Prius DECK 610N can receive multiplexed data broadcasts, making it possible to watch news and weather broadcasts on the PC and to download EPG (electronic program guide). It comes with a remote control that allows the user to control the TV, DVD and VCR functions of the product, just like standard audio/video products. An added bonus is that the mouse and keyboard are wireless.

About Lake Technology

Lake Technology (previously Lake DSP) is an innovative Australian-owned and -operated company with a primary focus on researching, developing, commercializing and licensing digital signal processing technology (DSP), which is the software at the heart of emerging digital communication.

Founded in early 1991, Lake Technology has established an international industry reputation in advanced DSP applications, developing high-value-added products for leading researchers and multinational organizations in the fields of communications, automotive acoustics, consumer audio and acoustic research. The company's stock is traded on the Australian Stock Exchange under the ASX code LAK.

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 and Tokyo.

Contact:

     Dolby Laboratories Inc., San Francisco
     Jim Arnold, 415/645-5116
     jja@dolby.com
         or
     Shandwick International, Los Angeles
     Lynne Daily, 310/203-0550
     ldaily@shandwick.com