NBC to Use Dolby E

NBC is using N/A's Dolby E and Dolby Digital equipment to distribute multichannel and stereo sound with its DTV programming.

NBC will use Dolby E encoders at the network to encode the audio and Dolby will provide technical assistance to NBC and its affiliates. NBC began using Dolby Digital equipment for DTV broadcasts beginning with the first high definition Tonight Show a year ago. NBC currently broadcasts in digital in 24 markets in the US.

Dolby E encoders and decoders allow broadcasters to distribute up to eight channels of high-quality audio, as well as Dolby Digital metadata, via a single AES/EBU pair, and via two audio tracks on digital video tapes, digital audio tapes or video servers. Dolby-E encoded audio does not reach the consumer; it is re-encoded with Dolby Digital, the coding used for ATSC DTV broadcasts just prior to transmission.

Edited by Tom Butts