Dolby introduced fourth generation technology for its PC Entertainment Experience program: Dolby Home Theater v4, for surround sound and high fidelity audio; and Dolby Advanced Audio v2, for a consistent listening experience and virtual surround sound via built-in PC speakers as well as high-fidelity audio.

Acer will release the first products to incorporate the Dolby technologies: Aspire Ethos consumer multimedia notebooks, and Aspire Z Series PCs.

Dolby reports that Home Theater v4 features include:
— Surround Decoder: converts stereo content into 5.1- or 7.1-channel surround sound and converts 5.1 surround sound into 7.1 surround sound.
— Surround Virtualizer: creates a virtualized surround sound experience over the PC’s built-in speakers or over headphones.
— Volume Leveler: maintains a consistent volume across all content and applications according to where the user sets the volume level.
— Volume Maximizer: boosts the level of the audio signal so users can turn up the volume without causing noise or clipping.
— Graphic Equalizer: lets consumers tailor audio to their specifications using high-quality digital filtering.
— Dolby Digital Output: real-time encoding of PC content into the Dolby Digital format over S/PDIF or HDMI outputs.
— Audio Optimizer: improves the frequency response of the PC’s built-in speakers so content sounds true to the creator’s intent.

Dolby Advanced Audio v2 offers Surround Virtualizer (for built-in speakers), Volume Leveler, Volume Maximizer, Graphic Equalizer, Audio Optimizer, and Audio Regulator.