Film/TV

Paramount Becomes Latest Studio to Support Dolby Vision for UHD Blu-ray, Streaming (MESA)

Paramount has become the latest Hollywood studio to throw its support behind Dolby Vision for Ultra High-Def (UHD) Blu-ray and streamed movies featuring High Dynamic Range (HDR), following Disney in recent weeks, and before that, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.

Dolby and Paramount Home Media Distribution said July 20 they planned to master content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for online streaming services and Ultra HD Blu-ray. Dolby Atmos content is planned for Blu-ray Discs also, they said. As a result, consumers with Dolby Vision-enabled TVs and Dolby Atmos-enabled home theater products will now be able to enjoy a wide range of entertainment from Paramount Pictures and have access to a growing catalog of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision content globally, the companies said.

Paramount’s support gives another major boost to Dolby as it continues to compete against rival HDR standards including HDR10 for dominance in the home. Up until this year, HDR10 has enjoyed a healthy lead over Dolby Vision. But Dolby Vision had a much more significant presence at CES in January than it did only a year earlier.

“Dolby has always been at the forefront of transforming the entertainment experience both in the cinema and in the home,” Curt Behlmer, SVP of content solutions and industry relations at Dolby Laboratories, said in a news release. He added: “Our agreement with Paramount signifies yet another example of our commitment to providing consumers with access to exceptional movies and original content with a life-like audio and visual entertainment experience through Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.”

Dolby Vision leverages the HDR innovation that powers Dolby’s most advanced cinemas globally and “transforms the TV experience in the home by delivering greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colors,” Dolby said.

Dolby Atmos-enabled home theater products, meanwhile, enable sound to move around the room “in a three-dimensional way in order to create a more powerfully immersive and emotive soundscape and experience,” it said, adding: “The fusion of these two groundbreaking technologies provides viewers with a premium home entertainment experience.”

“The combination of high quality, immersive audio and dramatic visual imaging truly elevates the home viewing experience,” Bob Buchi, president of Worldwide Home Media Distribution at Paramount Pictures, said in the news release. He added: “Having diligently studied the range of offerings in next generation home entertainment technologies, we are thrilled to be working with Dolby to enhance the consumer entertainment experience as they enjoy Paramount’s movies in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.”

To date, more than 100 studio titles are available in Dolby Vision, and more than 200 titles are available in Dolby Atmos, Dolby said. Also, more than 125 hours of original content is available in Dolby Vision across leading over-the-top providers worldwide, it said.