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MStar Adopts Dolby Vision for 4K Ultra HD TV SoCs

DLB | October 14, 2015

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) today announced a collaboration with MStar Semiconductor, Inc., a leading semiconductor company for display and digital home solutions, to deliver Dolby Vision™ 4K Ultra HD system-on-a-chip (SoC) for high-dynamic-range (HDR) TVs in 2016. By working closely with Dolby to optimize Dolby Vision for integration into MStar’s powerful video processing engine, MStar is expected to deliver an SoC that is a robust and cost-effective solution for TV manufacturers and help enable next-generation dramatic visual experiences.

Dolby Vision augments the fidelity of Ultra HD and HD video signals for over-the-top (OTT) online streaming, video on demand (VOD), broadcast, Ultra HD Blu-ray™, and gaming applications. Today’s state-of-the-art cameras already capture more visual information than current TVs can display, but with Dolby Vision, creative teams can finally have confidence that their content will be reproduced faithfully on Dolby Vision capable televisions.

The Dolby Vision VS10 universal HDR playback solution supports both dual-layer and single-layer Dolby Vision streams and other HDR profiles based on the SMPTE ST 2084 standard. This enables displays to take full advantage of a combination of peak brightness, local contrast, and wider color gamut, and the end result is a dramatically enhanced viewing experience in your living room.

“As early adopters of Dolby Vision, MStar has collaborated with Dolby for the past two years to optimize the HDR engine with MStar’s expertise in display technologies, which will enable the delivery of Dolby Vision to a broader range of TVs,” said Sean Lin, General Manager, TV Business Unit, MStar. “While the TV industry is embracing the 4K Ultra HD era, MStar is committed to provide SoC solutions with the best performance to meet our customers’ needs today and in the future. With the integration of Dolby Vision VS10 in MStar’s 4K Ultra HD SoCs, we will support the TV industry in delivering spectacular HDR images with greater detail, brighter highlights, deeper darks, and a fuller palette of colors than was possible on television screens in the past.”

“We are excited that MStar is passionate about and committed to including Dolby Vision in their market-leading line of TV chipsets in order to deliver the highest-quality HDR experience,” said Giles Baker, Senior Vice President, Broadcast Business Group, Dolby Laboratories. “We look forward to working closely with the large number of our TV OEM partners who will now be able to use MStar’s SoCs to deliver the Dolby Vision experience to consumers.”

About MStar Semiconductor, Inc.

MStar Semiconductor, Inc. (“MStar”) is a world-class leader in Application Specific ICs (“ASIC”) with a focus on consumer electronic products and communication applications. Since its inception in 2002, MStar has established a strong brand and leadership position in LCD controllers, analog and digital TVs, and set-top boxes by fully leveraging its core expertise of cutting-edge design capabilities, continuous innovation, and premier customer-focused services. Headquartered in Taiwan, MStar has a comprehensive global footprint of international R&D and customer support centers to provide a full range of total solutions for various consumer electronic applications. Please visit www.mstarsemi.com for more information.

About Dolby Vision

Dolby Vision is a transformative technology for imaging that delivers a dramatic visual experience—astonishing brightness, incomparable contrast, and captivating color—that brings entertainment to life via OTT online streaming, broadcast, and gaming applications.

Even though most content is captured and rendered using technology that produces the colors and brightness of real life, much of that richness is lost by the time it gets to your living room. That’s because current color-grading standards are based on the limitations of current television technologies and require that the content be altered to match their display performance—dramatically reducing the range of colors, brightness, and contrast.

Dolby Vision changes that, giving creative teams the freedom to use the full gamut of colors, peak highlights, brightness, and contrast, with the confidence that those will be reproduced faithfully on televisions that feature Dolby Vision technology.

As a universal HDR playback solution, Dolby Vision VS10 offers unique value by combining the ability to play back Dolby Vision content as well as other HDR profiles based on the SMPTE ST 2084 standard through one integrated playback solution. This enables a high-quality HDR experience on products ranging from entry level to high end by leveraging the capabilities of the respective hardware as much as possible.

About Dolby Laboratories

Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) creates audio, video, and voice technologies that transform entertainment and communications in mobile devices, at the cinema, at home, and at work. For 50 years, sight and sound experiences have become more vibrant, clear, and powerful in Dolby^®. For more information, please visit www.dolby.com.

Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Dolby Vision is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. Ultra HD Blu-ray is a trademark of Blu-ray Disc Association.