Dolby® Digital, also referred to as AC-3, is an advanced audio encoding/decoding technology that efficiently delivers up to 5.1 discrete channels of vibrant surround sound for broadcasting, home theater, cinema, PC, online streaming, and video game programming.
Enables the efficient storage and transmission of high-quality 5.1 digital surround sound
Immerses audiences in the onscreen action
Provides compatibility with millions of existing playback units
Dolby Digital technology ensures that your audience experiences a rich, enveloping surround sound experience by delivering up to 5.1 discrete audio channels.
Three front channels (Left, Center, and Right) provide crisp, clean dialogue and accurate placement of onscreen sounds, while two surround channels (Left Surround and Right Surround) immerse the audience in the action.
The Low-Frequency Effects (LFE) channel delivers deep, powerful bass effects that can be felt as well as heard. As it needs only about one-tenth the bandwidth of the other channels, the LFE channel is referred to as a “.1” channel.
Already found in thousands of cinemas and millions of homes worldwide, Dolby Digital is the reigning standard in surround sound today.
Dolby Digital technology is a designated global audio standard for DVD. Every DVD-Video player includes Dolby Digital decoding, with a digital output for 5.1-channel surround sound and stereo outputs for two-channel mixdowns of the Dolby Digital movie soundtrack.
Nearly 60 million digital cable and satellite set-top boxes are currently in use worldwide, supported by over 30 million audio/video receivers equipped with 5.1-channel Dolby Digital decoding.
Dolby Digital is also a standard audio codec for Blu-ray Disc™. On Blu-ray, it delivers its full data-rate capability (640 kbps) for 5.1-channel audio.
Dolby Digital’s coding efficiency lets you deliver high-quality multichannel surround sound without compromising video quality. Through the inclusion of metadata, it gives you considerable control over many sound parameters, including dialogue level and dynamic range.
By setting the metadata parameters properly, you can ensure that the consumer will hear the audio as you intend. Dolby Digital can provide the optimum sound quality for any consumer setup, from a mono radio to a full-featured home theater.
Dolby Digital Products
The Dolby Digital solution includes a complete suite of hardware products for encoding, decoding, content preparation, and audio synchronization.
Dolby Digital is also supported by Dolby Media Producer, the definitive suite of professional software designed to support all Dolby audio codecs used in mastering DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, Blu-ray Discs—and beyond.