CES: Dolby enters the third dimension with PRO LOGIC IIz

Big Picture Big Sound: Not content to rest on their 7.1-channel Surround Sound laurels, Dolby is exploring a new dimension in surround sound — height, that is — with their new matrixed surround sound codec Dolby PRO LOGIC IIz (PLIIz).

Dolby used their demo time at CES this year to show off the possibilities of PLIIz with a computer game demo segment featuring a helicopter which was audibly flying over the audience’s heads thanks to an additional pair of height speakers added to the system (near the ceiling) and Dolby PLIIz decoding.

Because the technology is matrixed into existing 5.1-channel or 7.1-channel soundtracks, it requires no new codecs or standards be added to videogames or Blu-ray Discs in order to work. Onkyo’s upcoming TX-SR607 home theater receiver is expected to be among the first to support Dolby PLIIz decoding.

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