Dolby Digital DTV and HDTV Transmission

Television viewers are ready for the heightened excitement, realism, and quality of DTV audio with Dolby^® Digital. Also known as AC-3, Dolby Digital delivers up to 5.1 discrete channels of surround sound and is applied to the final broadcast transmission signal, just prior to multiplexing with the digital video. It is used extensively today on digital satellite (DBS), cable, and DTV and HDTV terrestrial services (including ATSC and DVB).

The flexibility of Dolby Digital enables broadcasters to deliver any number of audio channels, from all-encompassing 5.1 surround sound down to mono audio, plus multiple-language programs and other specialized services. In the home, the Dolby Digital signal adapts to the viewer's playback system, delivering the best possible sound to all viewers, regardless of their equipment.

To enjoy the full 5.1 surround experience, viewers simply connect any DTV set-top box with a Dolby Digital output to a Dolby Digital home theater receiver.

Explore our complete guide to the implementation of Dolby 5.1 audio for HDTV in Europe.

Find out about the latest DTV and HDTV programming in Dolby Digital 5.1.

For more on Dolby Digital products, see the following information.

Find out more about Dolby Digital products.

Metadata

The key to the adaptability of Dolby Digital is metadata, "data about the audio data." Metadata is created during the production of DTV programming and is carried in the Dolby Digital bitstream. Metadata parameters maintain the "vision" of the audio created by a program's producer, make life easier for broadcasters, and give viewers the best audio DTV has to offer, whether viewers own mono, stereo, or 5.1-channel audio systems.

For more information on Dolby Digital metadata parameters, see our Technical Library.

Professional Licensed Broadcast Equipment Manufacturers

To locate manufacturers of major broadcast equipment that incorporate Dolby Digital technologies into their products and solutions for DTV, see the complete lists:

Licensed and approved manufacturers of Dolby Digital decoders

International Broadcast Standards

For information on international broadcast standards, see
"ATSC Standard: Digital Audio Compression (AC-3), Revision B".

For information on audio and video coding for digital television for satellite, cable, and terrestrial broadcasting applications, download the DVB implementation guidelines document from ETSI.