Fox, Anchor Bay Adopt Dolby Digital for UltraViolet Releases
12 Dec, 2013 By: Erik GruenwedelStudios join Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment choosing Dolby Digital Plus for their surround sound UltraViolet releases
Dolby Laboratories Dec. 12 said Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Anchor Bay Entertainment now encode movies and TV programs in the UltraViolet common file format (CFF) using Dolby Digital Plus.
With the launch of UltraViolet CFF for downloads, Digital HD titles from Fox and Anchor Bay will feature surround sound from Dolby Digital Plus available on platforms CinemaNow, Target Ticket, and Vudu.
CFF represents an upgrade for UltraViolet in that it allows users to transfer UV titles between consumer electronics devices. Currently, UV titles must be downloaded individually to CE devices, including connected TVs.
“Advancements in technology continue to enhance the digital ownership experience with the freedom and flexibility for consumers to view movies and TV shows on their terms across a multitude of devices,” said Danny Kaye, EVP global research and technology strategy, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. “The addition of Dolby Digital Plus to our Digital HD movies offers consumers the added benefit of a premium audio experience backed by Dolby’s decades-long expertise in delivering cinematic surround sound.”
With more than 15 million registered UltraViolet user accounts, consumers are increasingly embracing cloud-based storage of their digital movies.
“The continued growth of the UltraViolet ecosystem is remarkable,” said Bill Clark, president of Anchor Bay Entertainment.
According to recent research conducted by Parks Associates, 50% of consumers in the U.S. indicated that sound is very important to them when watching movies on their smartphones and tablets.
“These two studios have some of the most iconic and beloved titles in the industry, and represent the diversity of Hollywood content available in the UltraViolet ecosystem,” said Ron Geller, VP, worldwide content relations, Dolby. “This is further validation that the industry trusts Dolby to deliver an optimized audio experience to any screen, across all content genres, to a broad range of movie lovers.”