Toshiba Adds Dolby Volume To Regza TVs

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 4/30/2008 2:08:00 PM

San Francisco — Dolby Laboratories said it has reached an agreement with Toshiba that makes the television manufacturer the first to market televisions incorporating its Dolby Volume audio-processing technology.

The system, which automatically adjusts and levels volume of audio both within programs and between program changes, will be carried on Toshiba’s Regza ZH500 and ZV500 series LCD HDTVs, which will launch in Japan next month.

“Dolby Volume allows consumer electronics products to deliver consistent volume levels from various audio sources, and is part of a comprehensive Dolby solution that addresses loudness issues,” Dolby said in a statement announcing the deal. “This includes professional technologies that aid in setting correct audio levels prior to broadcast and device-level implementations that aid in controlling volume inconsistencies at playback.”

Dolby Volume was designed for consumer electronics products to “automatically and seamlessly control audio levels over a wide range of devices and consumer media formats.”

In addition to audio leveling, Dolby Volume is designed to address subtleties of audible content that can be lost when listening at low audio levels.

The company said Dolby Volume continually analyzes the audio and properly balances low, middle and high frequencies to maintain the nuances and impact of the program material regardless of playback volume. The result is improved surround imaging, enhanced dialogue intelligibility and improved overall clarity of the audio content at lower levels.