Demonstrating the continued momentum for HDTV, MTV Networks Music Group launched MHD, its first high definition channel last month. To enhance the impact of the channel’s high-definition programming, MHD has committed to broadcasting in Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.
MHD will carry music-based native-HD programming including "MTV Unplugged", "VH1 Storytellers" and "CMT Crossroads"; music events such as the "MTV Video Music Awards", new shows from its Vail studio such as "UnCompressed", and the exclusive concert series "Music With Altitude". All of these programs will be broadcast using Dolby Digital 5.1.
MHD will leverage Dolby E, a professional-quality compression technology, to deliver the multichannel audio signal to their broadcast centers. The audio is then re-encoded into Dolby Digital 5.1 for transmission to cable head-ends and satellite providers, where it is passed on to viewers with HDTV receivers or set-top boxes.
Dolby Digital delivers up to 5.1 discrete channels of surround sound: left, center, right, left surround, right surround, and low-frequency effects. Dolby Digital 5.1 is the audio standard for North American HDTV and digital cable systems. It is an optional audio format for most digital video broadcast applications worldwide, including North American Direct Broadcast Satellite systems. Dolby E is a compression technology designed for network distribution of up to eight channels of audio, plus metadata, in the space of two traditional audio channels.
For more information, visit www.mhd.tv and www.dolby.com/consumer/home_entertainment/tv_listings.html#shows.