At a glance:
At CES 2020, Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos® continued to grow. More and more devices have exploded onto the scene supporting our technologies, including our new and award-winning innovation, Dolby Vision IQ.
At the very core of this growth is the expanding content library available in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. New and rapidly booming streaming services like AppleTV+ and Disney+ launched with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support as standard features, at no additional cost to the consumer.
We also recently launched Dolby Atmos Music with Amazon Music and TIDAL. Artists such as Ariana Grande, J Balvin, Lizzo, and The Weeknd are mastering their music in Dolby Atmos. GRAMMY Award Winner Coldplay recently released their album Everyday Life in Dolby Atmos. Music enthusiasts can now enjoy Dolby Atmos Music in the home and on the go via over millions of devices today.
With all the new services that span across movies, TV, and music, 99% of worldwide consumers can now access a service with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos explosion
As Digital Trends’ Simon Cohen puts it, “Dolby Labs is already at the forefront of HDR technology,” and we’re always looking for ways to push the boundaries. We've seen such positive reaction for Dolby Vision IQ and it won Engadget's Best of CES 2020 for Home Theater Product. Richard Lawler, Senior News Editor writes:
"Dolby Vision IQ takes a good thing (Dolby's enhanced spec for creating and displaying HDR content) and improves its application in everyday life. While some of us would prefer to watch every bit of The Mandalorian or John Wick 3 in a darkened theater room, that's not what's available. Beyond just tweaking the picture so it looks the best for the room you're in, Vision IQ is also going to make sure that different types of content, like action sports, documentaries or feature films, are presented with the settings that best match what's on-screen. It's tech that should make everyone's home theater experience better and more accurate."
In CNET's review of Dolby Vision, David Katzmaier comments "I got to check out the demo at Dolby's suite and it worked well. There were two LG OLEDs set up side by side, one with IQ engaged and showing standard Dolby Vision. In the dark the two looked basically identical but when an engineer turned up the lights the TV with IQ looked markedly better." TechRadar also commented in their review of the Panasonic HZ2000 OLED, "the additions of Dolby Vision IQ — which uses external sensors in the set to adjust the pictures on-screen based on the level of light in the room — is exciting."
Dolby Atmos for the home continues to impress as well. In Digital Trends’ top soundbars of CES 2020, all four featured Dolby Atmos, including the Vizio Elevate, TCL Alto 9+, JBL Bar 9.1, and Klipsch 54 A. Furthermore, the Vizio Elevate soundbar won Digital's Trend's Best Audio product: "[Vizio] has raised its game, offering cutting edge-features like Dolby Atmos and Wi-Fi connectivity at pricing that makes competitors look downright greedy." PC Magazine also awarded the VizioElevate with Best Home Theatre Gear, citing immersive audio as the "new big thing."
Dolby Audio and ATSC 3.0
This year saw the official launch of NextGen TV, the consumer-facing name for the ASTC 3.0 broadcast standard that enables 4K UHD broadcasting. LG, Samsung, and Sony all announced new 4K and 8K TVs incorporating ATSC at CES, a total of 20 models to start 2020. All NEXTGEN TV broadcasts in the US, Canada, and Mexico will exclusively use Dolby AC-4 audio and will be able to offer customizable features such as Voice Boost and consistent audio levels, and interactive features such as the ability to offer additional audio channels.
A look forward
As consumer preference continues to build, we have collaborated with our partners to not only bring these premium technologies to their high-end devices, but their mainstream devices as well. We have seen our partners incorporate them into TVs as low as $350 and soundbars as low as $400. It is more affordable than ever to access to the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos experience. Our goal has always been to deliver the best entertainment experiences through innovation with consumers at the center of that experience. For 2020 and beyond, not only will we continue to collaborate with the best entertainment partners to redefine how on how consumers can connect with and deepen their passion with the content and devices they love.
Next up, check us out at NAMM 2020 at the Anaheim Convention Center, where we'll be showing how to create and experience music in Dolby Atmos!
