Microsoft, Dolby team up for Windows 8 tablets, PCs
updated 07:10 pm EDT, Thu May 3, 2012
Windows 8 to feature Dolby-friendly APIs
Dolby and Microsoft are partnering to bring Dolby Digital Plus' audio technology to Windows 8 tablets and PCs. The addition of Dolby Digital Plus will allow Windows 8 devices to play Dolby-encoded content. Microsoft has used Dolby encoding since Windows Vista shipped in 2007, but Dolby in 2008 raised the possibility that Windows 8 might not feature Dolby technology.
Dolby Digital Plus 5.1-channel decoding and two-channel encoding will be incorporated into all PCs and tablets licensed to run Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, and Windows RT editions. The partnership allows for both x86 and ARM-based Windows 8 machines to access Dolby's high-quality audio standard.
Dolby has for some time been partnering with a variety of manufacturers and content distributors to bring its audio standard to a widening array of devices.
