DualDisc Gets Heady Multichannel Treatment By Darryl Wilkinson December 27, 2004 — Although the new DualDisc format - a two-sided hybrid disc with a CD on one side and a DVD-A on the other - has had a rough beginning, a recent announcement from Dolby and 5.1 Entertainment's Silverline Records label brings to light another benefit of the flipping disc.

Silverline's Dual Discs are currently the only titles available to feature Dolby Headphone-encoded AAC and WMA files. This "pre-encoded personal surround sound experience" is an enhanced aspect of the discs for people who like to listen to music on the go using portable music players such as Apple's iPod, AAC or Windows-based devices, and PCs. Listeners can experience Dolby Headphone technology through headphones via the pre-encoded tracks, or through headphones connected to selected Dolby Headphone hardware devices. The technology aims to create realistic 5.1 surround sound in standard stereo headphones by generating a virtual surround sound envelope that is "out of head", feels open and pleasant, and eliminates the fatigue that typically occurs during extended headphone listening sessions.

"DualDisc is a large part of the next generation of music entertainment and Dolby is thrilled that the first DualDisc offerings from Silverline will feature Dolby Headphone technology. Consumers will be able to download HE-AAC files pre-encoded with Dolby Headphone technology for a personal surround sound listening experience from their portable digital audio players," said Craig Eggers, Dolby's Consumer Electronics Marketing Director.

John Trickett, CEO and Chairman of 5.1 Entertainment Group, added, "We are very excited to include Dolby Headphone technology on our DualDisc releases. Now music fans can experience their favorite albums in surround sound on their portable device--all from one disc."

The new DualDiscs featuring Dolby Headphone-encoded tracks will initially include titles from Robert Cray, Queensryche, The Mavericks, Blondie, and Josh One.