Dolby Laboratories and Lenovo have announced the launch of three new mobile devices with the former’s Atmos sound at the Mobile World Congress 2015. The phones are Lenovo A7000 smartphone and tablets Lenovo TAB2 A8 and Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70.
This makes the A7000 the first smartphone in the world to have Dolby Atmos. The A8 will be the first Android Lollipop tab while the A10-70 will be the first 10 inch Android tablet to also feature the technology.
It will create a new mobile headphone experience with audio that moves above and around the user. “Dolby and Lenovo have collaborated on a number of projects over the past years, always with the shared goal of delivering the best-possible mobile entertainment experience to consumers worldwide,” said Lenovo vice president and general manager, tablets, mobile business group Jeff Meredith. “We are delighted to bring the experience to a whole new level with Dolby Atmos, the most significant audio advancement in the entertainment industry in recent years.”
With the new Lenovo smartphones and tabs with Dolby Atmos, users can hear sound from all directions, including overhead from the earphones with realism.
“The best entertainment experiences put you in the center of the action,” said Dolby Laboratories senior vice president, E-media business group John Couling. “Dolby Atmos provides audiences with a powerful mobile headphone experience with moving audio that flows all around you, and we’re thrilled to be working with Lenovo to elevate entertainment on the go.”
The Lenovo A7000 smartphone and the Lenovo TAB 2 A8 and A10-70 tablets are expected to be available in June and April 2015, respectively.
This apart Dolby is working with virtual reality company Jaunt to bring its Atmos technology to VR headsets for the next generation of music, movie and gaming experiences. Since VR is about giving a 360 degree experience, it fits in perfectly with Dolby’s vision of giving surround sound technology.
“The freedom to look where you want is a key difference between conventional film and cinematic virtual reality. Since the filmmakers can’t control where you’re looking, they have to use sound to direct your attention. Dolby Atmos is perfect for this kind of content. Dolby Atmos allows filmmakers to precisely place and move sounds anywhere in a scene, including overhead. That means that cinematic VR creators can depend on Dolby Atmos to make sure that viewers always know what’s happening – and where it’s happening – in a complex and fascinating environment,” said Couling.
Dolby is clear that cinematic virtual reality will play an important role in how stories are told in the future, for which the company will be heavily associated.
