Dolby Surrounds the Xbox 360

Dolby and Microsoft Team up to Bring Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound to Both Movies and Games on the Xbox 360

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 17, 2005 — Dolby Laboratories announced today that the new Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft will support Dolby Digital surround sound for both games and movies. This next-generation game console includes both interactive Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound for game play, as well as Dolby Digital decoding for video playback.

The combination of these two Dolby technologies enables consumers to enjoy their games and movies in cinematic 5.1-channel surround sound on the tens of millions of home theater systems worldwide equipped with Dolby Digital technology.

For game play, the Xbox 360 features interactive Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, allowing next-generation games on this platform to deliver a highly realistic sound field that places gamers in the middle of the action. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound gives gamers a competitive advantage by allowing them to hear enemies that may not be visible on the screen.

Microsoft also included Dolby Digital decoding in the Xbox 360 for video playback, including playback of DVD movies. Dolby Digital decoding allows this platform to play the incredible number of DVD movies available today with Dolby Digital soundtracks. With Dolby Digital, DVD movies provide the same pristine sound found in movie theatres all over the world.

"Dolby Digital 5.1 allows me to create games with soundtracks that rival the best Hollywood movies," said Marty O’Donnell, audio director on the top-selling Halo(R) series of games. "Having this technology in the next-generation Xbox 360 allows me to add a level of realism and dramatic effect to my games that is not possible otherwise."

"Gamers expect Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound from the next-generation of games," said Jack Buser, Director of Consumer Electronics, Dolby Laboratories. "An increasing number of consumers are connecting game consoles to their surround sound systems with Dolby Digital to get the ultimate game experience."

Game publishers are rallying behind Dolby Digital, releasing new titles that support the technology. These publishers include: 2K Games (NBA 2K6), Activision (Call of Duty(R) 2, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland(TM)), Electronic Arts (Need for Speed(TM) Most Wanted) and Microsoft (Perfect Dark Zero(TM), Project Gotham Racing(R) 3).

For users without a digital connection, Xbox 360 supports Dolby Pro Logic(R) II encoding, allowing gamers to experience full-range, five-channel surround sound from a stereo analog connection.

For more information, visit www.dolby.com/games.