Dolby used SET Expo 2026 to bring its audio and imaging technologies closer to Latin American consumers, exhibiting hands-on demonstrations ranging from game-based experiences to production tools for film and streaming.
Company shifts marketing from B2B toward consumers
The move reflects a strategic change for Dolby, historically focused on B2B relationships. Paula Pimentel, Dolby’s Marketing and Brand Communications director for Latin America, said 2026 was the first year the company ran a structured marketing effort in the region with a stronger emphasis on end consumers.
Pimentel explained that Dolby’s past emphasis on business customers meant limited investment in direct-to-consumer activities, and the company now aims to increase public awareness of brand names such as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision so buyers consider those technologies when choosing TVs, phones or headphones.
Games used to translate technical features into felt experiences
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At the Dolby stand, a collaboration with Microsoft placed an Xbox inside a cockpit with headphones to demonstrate how Dolby technologies operate during a session of Forza. The setup was designed to let visitors perceive three-dimensional audio cues—different sounds coming from around the player—to convey the sensation of being inside the game environment.
According to Dolby, presenting technology through playable scenarios helps consumers grasp benefits that specifications alone cannot convey. Pimentel said the company prefers that people feel the impact of the technology rather than try to explain it only through technical details: “You don’t explain, you don’t describe, you have to feel it,” she said.
Dolby notes the same immersive principles apply across devices, from phones and TVs to soundbars, headphones and cinema auditoriums, which complicates marketing because simply listing specs does not communicate the user experience.
Products for the production chain remain central
Despite the consumer push, Dolby continues to serve early stages of content creation. The company demonstrated workflows used in movie and streaming production that ensure content is created and processed to take advantage of Dolby technologies during playback.
Dolby partnered with Colorfront at the event to show a station for image conversion, quality control and video processing similar to systems used by large studios and streaming services. Luciano Abreu of NMF, Colorfront’s representative, said the company’s software specializes in color-space conversions and supports working with SDR and HDR content as well as Dolby Vision workflows.
Abreu added that Colorfront’s solutions are prepared to handle Dolby Vision 2.0 metadata, which he said the company demonstrated at NAB earlier this year.
Connecting backstage technology with buying decisions
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The broader strategy in Latin America aims to bridge two sides: the production and manufacturing chain that adopts Dolby’s tools, and the end consumers who consume content on compatible devices. Dolby’s intention is for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to move beyond specification pages and become factors that influence purchase decisions.
At SET Expo, Dolby representatives also took part in panels covering television technology, audiovisual production and visual effects, reinforcing the company’s dual focus on professionals and public recognition.
For gaming specifically, Dolby emphasized enabling players to experience spatial audio directly: handing over a controller and letting the gameplay demonstrate the difference rather than relying on technical descriptions.
