Dolby Digital Plus is the next-generation audio technology for all
high-definition programming and media. Built on Dolby Digital,
the multichannel audio standard for DVD and HD broadcasts worldwide, Dolby
Digital Plus was designed for the delivery formats of the future, but remains
fully compatible with all current A/V receivers.
[Source:
Dolby Technologies]
Dolby Digital Plus supports two important new digital connections:
High-Definition Media Interface (HDMI) and
IEEE 1394 (FireWire). Other features of Dolby Digital Plus include:
Multichannel sound with discrete channel output.
Channel and program extensions can carry multichannel audio programs of
up to 7.1 channels.
Supports data rates as high as 6 Mbps.
Bit rate performance of at least 3 Mbps on HD DVD and up to 4.7 Mbps on
Blu-ray Disc.
Supported by HDMI, the new single-cable digital connection for
high-definition audio and video.
Dolby Laboratories home page Offers links to company information, news and products, as well as technical information about Dolby Digital, DVD, and Dolby Surround and multimedia.
How to Buy Surround Sound Sound & Vision Online provides the simple steps that will take you from just thinking about a great home theatre to actually having one.
Surround Sound Past, Present, and Future (PDF) A history of multichannel audio from mag stripe to Dolby Digital. The first commercially successful multichannel sound formats were developed in the early 1950s for the cinema. At the time, stereophonic sound, a concept new to the public, was heavily promoted along with new wide-screen formats by a film industry feeling threatened by the rapid growth of television.
Surround Sound Speaker Placement This SoundStage article discusses issues and common problems associated with surround sound speaker positioning.
