Dolby Laboratories
2013 CES - Day One
Sitting on the concrete steps, next to a sign that most of us are disregarding - “Do Not Sit On Stairs,” I’m beginning to understand what CES is really like, and while I’ve gotten lost a couple times, I’m left nearly breathless after lots of walking and some amazing gadgets.
There was the Intel booth, the first sight I saw as I came through the door, complete with a roof that glowed. There was the HiSense booth next to that, with a massive 110” 4K display. And just when I thought I’d gotten a sense of the scale of the average booth, I walked into the enormous ring that is this year’s Sony booth, and had to recalibrate once again.
But perhaps more amazing than the sheer size of these booths is the exhibitors’ ability to fill them. I’ve seen gorgeous 4K displays, even an 8K display at the Sharp booth. I’ve seen flying quadcopters that dance together to music, an incredible amount of high-end automobiles parked inside the convention center, and an Elvis impersonator singing Frank Sinatra. Heck, I even saw the founder of Red Digital Cinema chatting about creating 4K content (you can see the interview here).
So far, one of my favorites has been the Huawei booth, where they’re showing off the new Ascend D2, a 5”, 1080p smartphone that outputs Dolby audio. They’ve got it set up in a home theater environment where it powers multiple displays, bringing HD content from your phone into the home.
It’s just one trend we’re noticing here at CES, as more content moves into the cloud and access to high quality content from home and the road becomes a more common want and need.
But while this show is all about tomorrow’s gadgets, you, the consumer, are the one who could make one of these technological advances the next must have app, appliance, gadget, or toy. As an amateur audiophile and gadget geek, I can’t help but get a little excited.
My next stop after the Las Vegas Convention Center will be the Venetian, where Dolby is showing some of its newest products - some that we’re not even showing to anyone without a strict non-disclosure agreement. It’s a window into the industry I’ve yet to look through, seeing tomorrow’s gadgets on the show floor, and next year’s behind closed doors.
It makes me wonder: if you could be a fly on the wall in any company’s top-secret demo rooms, where would you go?
From a Thursday spent with press at the Dolby Labs HQ in San Francisco to a weekend full of playoff football in Dolby Digital 5.1, to a seat on a flight from Oakland to fabulous Las Vegas, the trip here was a whirlwind, and 100% worth it:
This is CES!
At the moment I’m writing this, I haven’t even seen the bulk of what’s to come inside the convention center, but even my trip to pick up a badge was more than a little awe-inspiring.
Each year, over 100,000 people descend on Las Vegas en masse, some of them carrying notebooks and cameras, some of them carrying illustrations and prototypes, others still carrying massive displays and the finished products the average consumer won’t get their hands on for months.
It’s not the only show like this in the country, but it’s the biggest, and each year companies save some of their best offerings to announce in the surprisingly cool desert sun of January’s Las Vegas.
This year is my first year in attendance, and while I didn’t quite know what to expect, after seeing the folks working diligently to set up booths and tents just outside the convention center just 24 hours prior to doors opening, I can hardly wait to share what I’m seeing with all of you.
Keep track of Dolby at CES by following us on Twitter and Facebook, and let us know what YOU’RE most excited about! With so many things to see, I’m anxious to make sure I see the gadgets that will define the show, and you, tech fans, are the ones who decides what sinks and what swims!
- Thom Brekke is Dolby’s Community Manager and the guy you are likely to hear from on Facebook and Twitter. He is also a computer musician, Oregon Ducks football fan, and dance floor freak.
Sotaro Tojima is a name that brings a smile to many gamers faces. Until recently, he was a personality that PlayStation lovers were likely to know for his work on the Metal Gear Solid franchise, one of that system’s staple exclusives, and now Xbox fans have gotten to hear his work on a major exclusive of their own, Halo 4.
As the audio lead on Halo 4, Tojima had control over all aspects of the game’s sound, from score to sound effects, and was able to shape the game’s sonic world to create a unique experience. In this video, Tojima discusses his favorite audio moments in the game, how he approached having the game scored, how he and his team developed some of the sounds of the game’s alien world, and more.
Have you played Halo 4? What were some of your favorite sound moments in the game?
The list is here! Find out where you can see The Hobbit in Dolby Atmos this weekend: http://bit.ly/U5jkqK
We’re counting down the days until The Hobbit arrives in theaters! See it in Dolby Atmos on December 14. We will be sharing the list of theaters very soon.
You can find more exceptional sound scenes from Life of Pi our “Behind The Sound of Life of Pi with Dolby Atmos.”
You can find more exceptional sound scenes from Life of Pi our “Behind The Sound of Life of Pi with Dolby Atmos.”
Life of Pi and Rise of the Guardians in Dolby Atmos - Have You Heard?
Life of Pi (Twentieth Century Fox) and Rise of the Guardians (Paramount Pictures / DreamWorks Animation’s) both open in Dolby® Atmos™ tomorrow, Wednesday November 21st with extraordinary soundscapes that transport audiences into the onscreen adventures.
Even the music sounds and feels different in Dolby Atmos. In the words of Life of Pi Composer Mychael Danna:
“Dolby Atmos is an incredible system. It is for music and sound what 3D is for visuals. For the music for Life of Pi, we were able to bring various elements separately out into the theatre: choir circling overhead, gongs on the back wall, harps running down the side walls…. In an organic way, the music envelopes the audience and better tells our story.”
For more examples of how the Life of Pi sound team used Dolby Atmos, read the Life of Pi audio guide click here. Or watch this exclusive behind-the-scenes SoundWorks Collection video here.
A list of theatres selected to show Life of Pi and Rise of the Guardians in Dolby Atmos can be found here.
