More Than 30 UPMAX:neo Upmixers to Enable NBC Sound Its Best
During Coverage of the Beijing Olympics, Aug. 8-24, 2008
Linear Acoustic has been selected to provide its UPMAX:neo™
upmixers featuring DTS technology to NBC during the network’s
coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Aug. 8-24. The announcement was
made today by Bob Dixon, director of sound design, NBC Olympics, and Tim
Carroll, president, Linear Acoustic.
NBC Olympics is offering all of its Beijing Olympic Games programming in
HD with 5.1 sound. When content can’t be
broadcast live and is recorded or edited through a system without enough
channels for 5.1 sound, the UPMAX:neo will provide the upmixing
capability critical to maintaining the 5.1 sound field.
“NBC is breaking new ground with its
comprehensive HD coverage of the Beijing Olympics, and the network’s
ability to provide high-quality sound will be key to the delivery of the
Games in all their glory,” said Carroll.
“The quality of 5.1 sound brings television
viewing to a whole new level of enjoyment, adding another dimension that
engages viewers in programming,” Dixon said. “If
we were to shift between 5.1 and stereo audio during our broadcasts, our
digital viewers would experience quite a shock as sound collapsed to the
front wall. By providing very good 5.1 sound quality, the Linear
Acoustic UPMAX:neo upmixer will allow us to incorporate prerecorded or
edited stereo content into our broadcasts without interrupting the
continuity of the viewing experience. For those listening in stereo, the
UPMAX:neo ensures that downmixed audio also sounds its best.”
The UPMAX:neo provides the proven Linear Acoustic UPMAX algorithm along
with a special broadcast version of the DTS Neo:6®
algorithm. DTS Neo:6 expands the palate of upmixing choices and allows
the creation of a natural surround sound field with precise localization
of sound elements. “We’re
pleased that through our close partnership with Linear Acoustic, we can
help to provide professional broadcasters such as NBC with innovative
new options for delivering superior multichannel sound,”
said Ted Laverty, director of business development at DTS.
The Linear Acoustic UPMAX:neo system will be in use at virtually every
Olympics venue involved in live broadcasting and at the NBC Olympics
broadcast center in audio control rooms, edit rooms, and in the quality
control area as a monitoring and troubleshooting tool. More than thirty
units will be installed for the network’s
coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games. The UPMAX:neo will allow audio
engineers to analyze the quality of incoming stereo feeds, whether for
stereo broadcasts or for upmixing to 5.1 audio. The system will also
downmix audio, yielding stereo sound comparable to the stereo audio
originally fed into the system.
Based on the award-winning upMAX 2251 product, the UPMAX:neo provides
advanced processing in a compact, rugged 1-RU chassis. Additional
upmixing choices are added to the original upMAX algorithm for increased
flexibility in post-production applications. Metadata input is standard,
along with GPI inputs to control upmixing. Available options include an
eight-channel monitoring-grade balanced analog output with remote
volume, mute, and return to reference inputs.
More information about the UPMAX:neo and other Linear Acoustic products
is available at www.linearacoustic.com.
About NBC Olympics
NBC, “America’s
Olympic Network,” owns the exclusive U.S.
media rights to the Olympic Games, television’s
most powerful property, through 2012, which includes Beijing in 2008,
Vancouver in 2010, and London in 2012. From Aug. 8-24, 2008, NBC
Universal will present an unprecedented 3,600 hours of coverage,
highlighted by NBC in primetime with live swimming, gymnastics, and
beach volleyball. In August 2004, 203 million viewers watched as the
networks of NBC Universal — NBC, MSNBC, CNBC,
USA, Bravo, Telemundo, and NBC’s HD
affiliates — offered a then record 1,210
hours of Olympic coverage from Athens. For additional information, go to
NBCOlympics.com, a year-round destination for fans of Olympic sports,
featuring news, Beijing previews, athlete features, expert blogs,
photos, Olympic video from the NBC archives, and social tools enabling
users to build communities around their favorite sports, post comments,
and blogs.
About DTS
DTS, Inc. (NASDAQ:DTSI) is a digital technology company dedicated to
delivering the ultimate entertainment experience. DTS decoders are in
virtually every major brand of 5.1-channel surround processor, and there
are hundreds of millions of DTS-licensed consumer electronics products
available worldwide. A pioneer in multi-channel audio, DTS technology is
in home theatre, car audio, PC and game console products, as well as
DVD-Video, Blu-ray Disc and Surround Music software. Founded in 1993,
DTS is headquartered in Agoura Hills, California and has offices in the
United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan and China. For
further information, please visit www.dts.com.
About Linear Acoustic
Linear Acoustic provides innovative, customer-centric solutions for
managing multichannel surround sound audio and loudness issues in
digital broadcast. The company designs and manufactures the acclaimed
AEROMAX™, StreamStacker™,
and MetaMAX™ lines of products, and licenses
key technologies to OEM partners. It has been involved worldwide in
projects with all major U.S. terrestrial networks, multiple local
stations, and companies including Dolby Laboratories, Sirius Satellite
Radio, Microsoft, HBO, Viacom (Showtime, MTV, etc.), Disney (ABC, ESPN),
Sony Studios, and others. It is also actively involved in the ATSC, the
NRSC, and other industry organizations, as well as being members of the
AES, IEEE, and a sustaining member of the Society of Motion Picture and
Television Engineers. More information is available at www.linearacoustic.com.
Linear Acoustic
Christina H. Carroll, Director of Operations
+1-717-735-3611
christina@linearacoustic.com
or
DTS,
Inc.
David Blasucci, Director of PR
818-827-2279
(office)
david.blasucci@dts.com
or
Agency
Contact:
Wall Street Communications
Rachel Dwyer,
+1-801-266-0077
rachel@wallstcom.com
