Dolby Surround 7.1: Big Sound for the Big Screen

Dolby® Surround 7.1 is the newest cinema audio format developed to provide more depth and realism to the cinema experience. By adding two additional discrete audio channels, Dolby Surround 7.1 takes the excitement of movies to the next level and truly immerses you in the action. Dolby Surround 7.1 also improves the spatial dimension of soundtracks and enhances audio definition. The result: full-featured audio that better matches the visual impact of film.

Look for a theater with Dolby Surround 7.1 when you go to the movies, and prepare for surround sound like you’ve never experienced before.

Dolby Surround 7.1 Benefits

Introduces a new level of realism and excitement to movies

Improves the surround sound experience across the entire theater seating area

More thoroughly immerses you in the onscreen action

Adds a new dimension to audio, making movies more engaging

Where to Find Dolby Surround 7.1

Find a theater near you in our worldwide list of locations equipped with Dolby Surround 7.1 systems.

Find movies released in Dolby Surround 7.1.

Are you a theater owner? Learn more about Dolby Surround 7.1 for your theater.

The typical movie theater today is capable of playing only 5.1 channels of audio. Dolby Surround 7.1 adds two new discrete channels to establish four distinct surround zones in the theater for a more vivid and engaging moviegoing experience.

With Dolby Surround 7.1, filmmakers now have greater control over the exact placement of each detail in their soundtracks. The new orchestration possibilities that Dolby Surround 7.1 introduces allow mixers and sound designers to more accurately match their audio to the visuals onscreen. What this means to you is more depth, more realism, and more excitement.

In addition to improving the side-to-side panning of sounds and sound localization, Dolby Surround 7.1 enhances audio definition, so individual sounds are clearer and more distinct. It also widens the listening sweet spot—in other words, the full power of Dolby Surround 7.1 is not limited to a handful of seats in the center of the theater.

Dolby Surround 7.1 Movies

Recent Releases

Captain America: The First Avenger  
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Cars 2  
Super 8  
Kung Fu Panda 2  
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Thor  

See the complete list of movies released in Dolby Surround 7.1.
Find out more about the latest releases and find a Dolby Surround 7.1 theater near you.

5.1 Surround Sound vs. Dolby Surround 7.1

Dolby Surround 7.1 adds two new discrete channels to establish four distinct surround zones.

Using these four zones, mixers now can move sounds from the screen to the rear wall behind the audience without using the speakers on the side walls. They can also pull sounds off the screen into the middle of the room without activating the speakers behind the audience. The result: full-featured audio that better matches the visual impact of the picture.

Note: The channels shown in the above images are Left (L), Center (C), Right (R), Left Surround (Ls), Right Surround (Rs), Back Surround Left (Bsl), and Back Surround Right (Bsr).