April 7, 1999
New Product: Dolby Headphone surround sound simulation makes its debut on Singapore Airlines in-flight system

Sydney, Australia. Beginning May 1, passengers on Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be able to enjoy cinema-quality surround sound in their seats. SIA is installing Dolby Headphone technology, developed by Dolby Laboratories and Lake DSP, in all seating classes on its planes.

Dolby Labs is offering Dolby Headphone to OEM's, and it will soon be showing up in consumer electronics and personal computers. But the first listeners to experience the simulated surround sound "in production" will be SIA passengers, while enjoying SIA's in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld.

Dolby Headphone was born out of pioneering work by Lake DSP, an audio R&D company based in Sydney, Australia. Over a period of eight years, Lake made a series of breakthroughs in the computer simulation of 3D acoustic environments, culminating in the development of Lake Personal Surround (LPS) in 1997. Lake licensed LPS to Dolby late in October 1998.

Lake's technology is said to require less computation and processing power than competing methods of simulating surround sound via headphones. This makes it suitable for low-cost consumer applications. Lake DSP and Dolby also say that compared to rival technologies, the Dolby Headphone system provides better results for a wider population of listeners. Typically, HRTF-based (head-related transfer function) simulation technology such as Dolby Headphone is heavily dependent on the specific shape and acoustic response of each listener's ears and aural passages.

"Lake DSP is very pleased to be working with Singapore Airlines to introduce the technology, and I am sure SIA passengers will appreciate this new advancement in in-flight sound," said Leonard Layton, marketing director for Lake DSP. "It has been gratifying to work with an airline with such a strong commitment to in-flight entertainment and services."

The in-flight implementation of Dolby Headphone will simulate the familiar Dolby digital 5.1 channel surround sound that has become standard in cinemas and home theatre systems, as well as on DVD.

Web Site: Lake DSP
Web Site: Dolby Laboratories

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