Dolby Digital


In 1992, Dolby labs launched its revolutionary audio standard Dolby Digital to theaters at the premier of Batman Returns. The new format they called AC-3 at the time wasn't yet available to the home market.

Dolby Digital at a glance:
Dolby Digital 5.1 consists of six discreet channels of sound:
In 1996, the first DVD players hit the market and Dolby Digital quickly became the de-facto audio standard for the new media. Today, nearly every DVD has a Dolby Digital soundtrack.

The presence of a Dolby Digital surround track doesn't necessarily mean all six channels will be used, however. Older films whose soundtracks are converted from their original stereo or mono analogue soundtracks are cheaply digitized directly to Dolby Digital with almost no discernable change.

Only if the DVD release stipulates that a "remastered" version of the soundtrack is available will Dolby Digital use the surround or LFE channels.