Dolby: We can sort out dodgy sound on tablets

Dolby Home Theater - we *know* it's spelled the US way
Dolby Home Theater - we *know* it's spelled the US way

Dolby has told TechRadar that it would love to see its latest technology used to improve the sound on tablets, insisting that there's no reason that they can't be proper audio hubs.

Dolby was showing off its latest Dolby Home Theater 4 technology for PCs with launch partner Acer, which provides the kind of audio processing that you would normally only find in high end amplifiers.

Dolby told TechRadar that there was no reason why tablets as well as laptops could not use its offering – which includes company technicians carefully tailoring the sound of each different device.

MWC 2011

"We showed off our first tablet with Dolby technology at Mobile World Congress," said a Dolby spokesman.

"There still seems to be some doubt in the industry as to whether a tablet is a small laptop or a big phone.

"But we do have an emphasis on tablets – and the first one has Dolby's mobile tech in it."

Improving sound

Sales director Andy Dowell insisted that the Dolby Advanced Audio was something that could quickly be integrated into the spate of tablets coming to market.

"We think we can improve sound in tablets as well," he said. "There's no reason that the form factor can't handle it.

"Our story in the tablet market will be quite similar to what we are showing here today.

"Dolby Advanced Audio is a subset of Dolby Home Theater which is tailored to devices that are smaller and I think tablet market will go in that direction as well.

"Tablets without HDMI outputs are perhaps focused on a more personal experience but there will be tablets in the market with HDMI that can be docked into a home theatre."

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.