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Dolby Digital EX takes the Dolby Digital 5.1-channel setup one step further with
an additional center surround channel (reproduced through one or two speakers) for extra dimensional
detail and an enveloping surround sound effect.
Feature films originally released in Dolby Digital Surround EX (the cinema version) carry the encoded
extra surround channel in their subsequent DVD releases, as well as onto 5.1-channel digital satellite
and TV broadcasts. If your home theater system has a receiver or preamp/processor with Dolby Digital EX
decoding and speakers to support 6.1 or 7.1 playback, you can hear Surround EX soundtracks as they were
meant to be heard, with the increased realism created by the extra surround channel. As in the cinema,
with regular 5.1-channel Dolby Digital playback no sonic information is lost (although you'll miss out
on the heightened realism).
Current Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtracks contain a digital flag that can automatically activate
the EX decoding in a receiver or preamp/processor. For titles released prior to late 2001, however, you
need to turn on the EX decoding manually.
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