Poland’s TVP1 adds Dolby Digital
August 4, 2011
By Chris Forrester
Poland’s national public broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) has become the first major broadcaster in eastern Europe to implement Dolby Digital Plus audio streams on a national broadcast channel. TVP1, Poland’s most popular terrestrial TV channel, has begun transmissions using Dolby Digital Plus audio for viewers on the DVB-T platform.
While TVP1 is the oldest TV channel in Poland and has the distinction of being the first channel ever broadcast in the country, it is also one of the most progressive, having led the way in the transition to digital TV in the region. The adoption of Dolby Digital Plus means TVP1 is now able to provide terrestrial viewers with 5.1 surround sound programming, as well as enhance existing stereo broadcasts.
“The advantage of Dolby Digital Plus is highly efficient audio coding and the possibility to use the same system for broadcast and multimedia applications,” said Andrzej Bialczyk, Technical Specialist, TVP. “Another benefit is that broadcasters can transmit a single mix with associated mono substreams, rather than transmitting multiple mixes. This is an especially useful feature for broadcasting additional services such as audio description.”
The performance and flexibility of Dolby Digital Plus is ideal for broadcasters such as TVP, allowing them to deliver excellent-quality next-generation audio while retaining the ability to decode Dolby Digital broadcast bitstreams for compatibility with existing broadcast services. Dolby Digital Plus is also compatible for delivery to a variety of other multimedia platforms, such as mobile phones, tablets, and additional streaming devices.
“Telewizja Polska is a public broadcaster committed to providing the very best digital TV experience for its consumers. We have been working with them for some time as they have been moving towards the introduction of Dolby Digital Plus,” said Andreas Spechtler, Regional Vice President, EMEA, Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby Digital Plus audio is already mandated in the Polish digital terrestrial specification and so we are excited that TVP1 has become the first Polish TV channel on air with Dolby Digital Plus, allowing it to lead the way in bringing the cinematic surround sound experience to viewers in Poland.”