PHONES TO SOUND BETTER AND BETTER

Dolby Digital Plus, the impressive sound enhancement technology from Dolby, is set to make its way to LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson handsets later this year.

Currently only on board the Nokia N8 and E7, DD+ allows handsets to decode DD+ format video files to allow video playback in a range of audio outputs.

These include 7:1 surround sound, 2:1 stereo and mono, switching seamlessly in real time if you need to unplug your TV and plug in your headphones, for example.

Coming soon to a mobile near you

Robin Dyer, Dolby’s EMEA vice president, told us that the company is in talks with LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, anticipating DD+ devices from the companies to launch in the coming months.

When outputted via HDMI to a big screen, video playback quality can rival that of Blu-ray players, as we saw in a demo at Mobile World Congress.

But DD+ files can also be played using a laptop, tablet or television too, as long as it has the correct decoder installed – Windows 7, for example, supports DD+.

In a world where content is availble…

Given the fact that Nokia is the only manufacturer using the mobile technology at present, content encoded in the DD+ format is currently mainly available in Nokia’s soon to be defunct Ovi Store.

“It’s been a bit of a chicken and egg situation,” Dyer told us. “The technology needed to be available before content providers would invest in encoding, but without the content manufacturers are wary of incorporating the technology.”

Good job Nokia took a punt then, with others now set to follow suit. Dyer also told us that Dolby is in talks with several major movie studios.

Over 80 handsets now incorporate Dolby Mobile, which post-processes files to enhance media sound on handsets; Nokia, however, forwent Dolby Mobile on the N8, because it doesn’t want the smartphone to be known as a mobile.