Dolby expands cinema technologies

Dolby scientists use biosensors, including a 64-channel EEG cap and a wrist tracker measuring heart rate and galvanic skin response, to study how people react to what they are watching in the Biophysical Lab in San Francisco. Provided to China Daily

Dolby Laboratories has teamed up with Chinese brands to target more Chinese consumers not only in the cinema but also at home and on the go.

Since the San Francisco-based company launched the latest audio technology Dolby Atmos, which precisely places and moves sound around in three-dimensional space, five years ago, the company has been promoting the entertainment technology in the Chinese market.

So far, 22 Dolby Cinemas, which combines Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision laser projection, have been open in China in partnership Wanda Cinema Line, Jacky Chan Cinema and other cinema operators since the debut of Dolby Cinema in China last June.

The company has also been working with Chinese OEMs to expand what the company calls its "immersive" and "emotive" experience to home audience and mobile device users.

"China has some of the most innovative and large-scale manufacturers and brands around the world. The global impacts of those brands are incredibly important," said Bob Borchers, Dolby's senior vice-president and CMO.

Lenovo has launched the Y720 gaming PC, the world's first Dolby Atmos Windows-based PC. Huawei has shipped a new series of Matebook laptops featuring the world's first Dolby Atmos Sound System, a system that combines Dolby speakers and software to deliver surround sound from a PC.

Dolby Vision TVs, which deliver high range with enhanced color technology and a higher contrast ratio than other image technologies, have been adopted by TCL and Skyworth. Oppo currently has a Dolby Vision-enabled product on the market.

Following iQIYI, a Chinese video streaming website which launched the first Atmos mobile content in the world two years ago, Tencent is beginning to deliver content in Dolby Atmos, according to the company.

"The China market is dynamic, phenomenal and it's got its own eco-system of content that is incredibly important for us to get in and get out of there," Borchers said.

"One of the most important things we've done in broadcast with surround sound is The Voice of China (a popular Chinese reality talent show)," he said.

Wanda, Dolby's largest partner in China and the world, plans to open at least 100 Dolby Cinema movie theaters by the end of 2018, two years earlier than originally planned.

Despite Wanda's recent funding turmoil and lackluster growth in China's box office revenue, Dolby sees China as a "fundamentally" and "incredibly" important market.

"The cinema market in China is rich and vibrant, and there's a huge culture of movie-going. People want to have the best cinema experience," said Borchers.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com