KUNGSBACKA, SWEDEN—While Dolby’s decision to exit the live sound market initially caused some consternation among AV’s rental and staging community, Swedish amp manufacturer Lab.gruppen is keen to play down the development as it continues to develop Dolby’s Lake Processing (DLP) technology in its PLM series of intelligent power amplifiers. Tomas Lilja, managing director, Lab.gruppen, told SCN that Dolby’s decision to stop making a standalone processor was, if anything, a vindication of his company’s decision to incorporate the processing technology into amps.
“Although Dolby has decided to exit the live sound market and, as such, will discontinue manufacture of the much-loved and hugely successful Dolby Lake Processor (DLP), one of the main reasons they cite for this move is the success of our PLM Series of Powered Loudspeaker Management systems with integrated DLP technology,” Lilja said. “We at Lab.gruppen are flattered by this observation, and honored to take DLP technology to the next level. Development of the PLM Series
BUENA PARK, CA—For one of its largest annual fundraising events, the San Diego Zoo tapped Special Event Audio Services of Oceanside, CA to handle production. Relying on a Nexo Geo S8 line array, the system was carefully constructed and positioned using GeoSoft for full venue coverage but with little ‘spill’ outside the immediate area. Even with a large orchestra, the event proceeded without a single noise complaint from the theater nearby. will therefore continue apace, with full support from Dolby.”
And while the precise nature of that support is not yet clear, Lab.gruppen is clearly excited about the prospect of becoming the exclusive licensee of Dolby Lake Processing technology in the live sound market. “Dolby has incorporated the technology into its cinema sound products, and that is its core business,” Lilja added. “If we wanted to develop cinema products using the technology, they wouldn’t let us. But there is a vast number of DLP enthusiasts and owners in the global sound reinforcement market. All of these customers can now look to Lab.gruppen to perpetuate and further develop the DLP technology in a unique format that offers a number of advantages over standalone system processor/power amp combinations.”
- Summing up, Lilja said that while the discontinuation of the standalone processors marks the end of an era, it is also the beginning of a new one: “The move to integrated systems is well underway, and with PLM we have a proven platform to lead this transition.
