Dolby Digital Sound

1. Dolby Digital Sound Card

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Updated: March 26, 2016 Dolby Sound Formats Explained A Guide to Dolby Multi-Channel Surround Sound Dolby Sound Systems are synonymous with surround. For many, Dolby is the king of surround sound, yet very few home users have a real understanding of the different Dolby audio formats available on most home theater receivers.

Help is on the way! We look at the different multi-channel audio formats available from the king of surround - from Dolby Surround to Dolby Virtual Speaker, and the latest high definition audio formats designed to match the picture quality on Blu-ray Disc players. THX Select 2 Plus certified AV receiver 125W/ch A great AV receiver capable of superb sound clarity and numerous features, including Internet music streaming, Audyssey DSX and Dolby PLIIz, multi-zone music, and 10 HDMI connections. Introducing Dolby Multi-channel Audio for surround sound Dolby Laboratories introduced the first surround sound format, named Dolby Surround, in 1976.

It was an analog cinema sound format for use on 35mm film. Later in the early 1980s, this first multi-channel surround format became available on consumer gear. Since then, the lineup of Dolby sound formats has grown to a point that it has become increasingly difficult for end customers to follow suit, with loads of surround sound formats each with its very specific requirements to support a unified soundfield. And as you will soon discover in this guide, today's discrete digital surround sound formats are a far cry from the first four-channel matrix-encoded analog Dolby Surround; their ability to reproduce a wide yet enveloping soundfield, intelligible dialog and pin-point localization of sounds, is more superior than that of the first surround sound format. We start our discussion by looking at the mainstream Dolby sound formats for multi-channel audio playback, namely, Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital EX, and Dolby Digital Surround EX. Dolby Surround and Dolby Pro Logic Dolby Surround technology delivers four channels of audio - Left, Center, Right, and Mono Surround - that are matrix-encoded onto just two audio tracks.

These two tracks are then carried on stereo program sources such as TV broadcasts and feature films on VHS. Synonymous with Dolby Surround is the Dolby Pro Logic decoder; this is required to reconstruct Dolby Surround encoded audio to its original four-channel surround sound; the diagram below explains further the whole decoding process: Dolby Surround/Pro Logic is a Matrix-based technology. When a Dolby Surround soundtrack is created, four channels of sound are matrix-encoded into a two-channel sound track (ordinary stereo), by using phase shift techniques. The Pro Logic decoder extracts the four channels from the stereo sound; systems lacking the decoder will simply play back the audio as standard Stereo. Dolby Surround is the consumer version of the original multi-channel analog-optical film Dolby sound technology - Dolby Analog and Dolby Spectral Recoding; it is still included today on nearly all 35mm film prints to serve as a backup in cinemas in case of problems with the digital soundtrack. Dolby Spectral Recording (Dolby SR) is in effect a noise reduction technology used in almost all modern professional audio analog recordings. When used with Dolby Analog, Dolby SR helps improve the dynamic range of the analog recording by as much as 25 dB - between peak level and noise floor.

The introduction of the Dolby Digital multi-channel film sound format has eventually replaced Dolby Surround as the preferred technology to deliver surround sound via DVD-Video, digital television, and games. Interesting to note that though Dolby Surround was introduced as an analog format, all Dolby Digital decoders include a digitally implemented Dolby Surround Pro Logic decoder for digital stereo signals that carry this matrix-encoded Dolby Surround sound format. Editor's Note: Our discussion on Dolby Pro Logic decoder based formats continues under of this series of articles, where we discuss Dolby Sound Expansion technology. Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Live Dolby Digital - formerly known as Dolby AC-3 (AudioCoding-3), delivers the movie experience through a maximum of 5.1 channels of surround sound audio.

Since the mid-1990's, this Dolby sound format has become the most popular surround sound format in use today. Dolby Digital can be considered as the multi-channel audio standard for DVD-Video, HDTV, PC games, digital cable, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems; it is found in practically every A/V receiver and HTIB on the market. (picture courtesy: ) Dolby Digital is, as its name implies an all-digital standard. The sound information contained in each of its six available channels is distinct and independent. It is described as a '5.1-channel' Dolby sound system because it carries five full-bandwidth channels having a frequency range from 3 Hz to 20 kHz for Front Left and Right, Center, and the two Surrounds, plus one 'Low Frequency Effects' (LFE) channel devoted to frequencies from 3 to 120 Hz. While the sound quality associated with Dolby Digital is not up to the same standard as the high resolution formats of DVD-Audio, SACD and the latest ultra-HD audio formats from both Dolby and DTS, yet its efficient coding structure is still capable of delivering high-quality discrete multi-channel audio that is more than adequate for home movie applications.

It is thanks to this efficient coding that Dolby Digital has become the 'quasi' de facto surround sound standard for the DVD world — it is capable of delivering quality audio without compromising on available DVD storage space for quality video content. Dolby Digital is a flexible surround sound format. More specifically, it is an audio encoding scheme that supports up to 5.1 channels, but not all Dolby Digital soundtracks have 5.1 channels of audio; those that are, carry the designation 'Dolby Digital 5.1. For example, within Region 1 (U.S. And Canada), Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack (stereo, or Dolby Surround Pro Logic) is compulsory on all DVDs.

Dolby Digital Live: This is a Dolby sound encoder that is generally found in PC and console-based video game applications. It is capable of converting any stereo or multi-channel audio signal to a Dolby Digital format bitstream — on the fly — for transport and playback through a home theater system. This yields for more realistic surround sound effects during interactive video game-play. Transport of the encoded bitstream through Dolby Digital Live is carried out over a single digital connection (fiber optic link), equipped with an S/PDIF connector.

Dolby Digital EX and Dolby Digital Surround EX Dolby Digital EX creates a more intense surround sound experience by adding a sixth full-range channel - referred to as Center Back - for enhanced localization of surround effects and a more spacious soundstage. It is optimized for content, however interest in this Dolby sound format is low and availability of EX-encoded DVDs is scarce. This extra 'Center Back' channel is in reality matrixed over the two left and right surrounds, rather than discrete. This is somewhat different from the design philosophy adopted in its extended DTS counterpart where this extra channel is discrete.

This also explains why DTS ES can provide a more precise location for the rear-effects soundstage than the Dolby Digital EX format. This extended surround Dolby sound format was originally developed by Lucasfilm THX and Dolby Laboratories under the brand name THX Surround EX. It is the home theater version of the 'Dolby Digital Surround EX'. Later, Dolby Laboratories began to license the THX Surround EX format under its own name as Dolby Digital EX for consumer home equipment. In other words, THX Surround EX and Dolby Digital EX are equivalent.

To enjoy Dolby Digital EX, you need a home theater receiver or preamp/processor with Dolby Digital EX decoding and a speaker setup that supports 6.1 or 7.1 audio playback. In the case of a 7.1 speaker setup, the two back surround channels in this Dolby Sound format will be actually playing the same identical sound (ref. To picture below). Dolby Digital EX 6.1 Speaker Configuration Dolby Digital EX 7.1 Speaker Configuration Note:A 6.1 or 7.1 speaker playback setup implies that to implement this extended surround format in a home theater room, your prime listening position should not be located near a wall.

(pictures courtesy: ) Dolby Digital EX encoded content is fully backward compatible with the standard 5.1-channel Dolby Digital playback systems in that no real sonic information is lost, though the added realism provided by the sixth channel would be missing from the overall listening experience. Current Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtracks contain a digital flag that can automatically activate the EX decoding in a Home Theater receiver. For titles released prior to late 2001, however, you need to turn on the EX decoding manually. As already indicated, Digital EX encoded content is scarce but this extended surround Dolby sound format can be used to improve the sound of regular Dolby Digital encoded DVDs. Dolby Digital Surround EX is the movie theater version of the Dolby Digital EX; rather, the Digital EX was developed by Dolby as the home theater version of the Digital Surround EX for cinema surround sound). As expressed under the Digital EX format, this is a 6.1 surround Dolby sound format and the extra back surround channel helps to create a fuller, more realistic sound for increased dramatic effect in the theater. On the film itself, the additional back surround information contained in the Surround EX soundtrack is matrix-encoded onto the regular left and right surround channels of conventional Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks.

This means that even if a cinema is not equipped with the extra Surround EX speakers in the rear, the information intended for it through this Dolby sound format, will still be played through the traditional left and right surround-channels. Next: Part 2.

A photo of a 35 mm film print featuring all four audio formats (or 'quad track')- from left to right: SDDS (blue area to the left of the sprocket holes), (grey area between the sprocket holes labelled with the Dolby 'Double-D' logo in the middle), analog optical sound (the two white lines to the right of the sprocket holes), and the (the dashed line to the far right.) Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (: ソニーダイナミックデジタルサウンド,: Sonī Dainamikku Dejitaru Saundo, SDDS) is a system developed by, from which compressed digital sound information is recorded on both outer edges of the release print. The system supports up to eight independent channels of sound: five front channels, two surround channels and a single sub-bass channel. The eight channel arrangement is similar to magnetic sound formats like. The five front channels are useful for very large cinema auditoriums where the angular distance between center and left/right channels may be considerable. SDDS decoders provide the ability to downmix to fewer channels if required.

Original logo, used on the first several SDDS releases Although originally slated to premier with 1991's, the SDDS project was delayed and instead premiered on June 17, 1993, with. Since then, over 1,400 movies have been mixed in Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, and as early as 1999 over 6,750 movie theaters were equipped with SDDS. The code name for the SDDS project was 'Green Lantern', taken from the name of and the old term of ' used to describe the original projected pictures in the late 19th century. Green came to mind because the key to imprinting the 8 data bits was to use a green laser. Initial development efforts were conducted for Sony's Sound Department under contract with Corp. At Semetex, the SDDS Chief Architect was Jaye Waas and the Chief Optical Engineer was Mark Waring.

The Semetex prototype design actually had the eight channels of uncompressed data placed into three locations: data bordering both sides of the analog sound track and additional data tracks bordering the opposite edge of the picture frame. These locations were chosen to ensure the data were not placed into the sprocket perforation area of the film to prevent the known wear and degradation that occurs in the perforation area (due to the mechanical film sprockets) from degrading the data. Clocking and guide tracks were placed on each side of the film near the sprockets. The prototype sound camera imprinted the Digital audio and Analog audio 'at speed'. A companion digital reader was designed to form a complete system.

After Sony received the prototype they enlarged the data bits from the original 8 micron (micrometer) size and moved the data locations; the eight digital audio channels are now recorded on (and recovered from) the edges of the film. As Sony engineers became more actively involved in the project, the design of the SDDS format evolved toward a more robust implementation, including the use of 5:1 data compression, extensive error detection and correction, and most critically redundancy. The redundancy allows data to be recovered substantially intact even in the presence of a film splice (common for repairing damaged film). The data bit size on film was enlarged from 8 micron (micrometer) to 24 micrometers square, and Semetex's green laser system for the sound camera was replaced with simpler LED/fiber optic assemblies resolving to 24 micrometers.

Using data compression allowed 24 micrometers square data bits to fit within the newly allocated areas. The SDDS development took just 11 months from concept to working sound camera. When it came time for deployment, since Sony also owned the chain (later sold to ), it was able use SDDS in its own theaters.

Dolby Digital Sound Card

And via its highly successful Columbia/Tristar Studios arm, it was able to use SDDS as the exclusive digital soundtrack on its titles. In addition, in the early days of the 'megaplex explosion', Sony struck a deal with in 1994 to include SDDS in all of their new auditoriums.

This gave SDDS a much needed, albeit artificial, kick-start. More than likely it would have garnered far less penetration had Sony not controlled both a theater chain and a film studio. SDDS was consistently the least popular of the three competing digital sound formats, the other two being. Along with being the most expensive to install (and the last to arrive), there were major reliability issues with SDDS. Due to the change from the prototype placement to the very edges of the film stock, SDDS tracks are prone to damage as are some other digital formats.

As with other digital sound formats: any failure of the digital track could result in a 'drop-out' of the digital format and possibly a switch to analog sound. Additionally a drop-out resulting in a switch to Analog (Analogue) may produce a slight loss of fidelity and high and low-ends, similar to a 'CD skipping', although it is more difficult to tell in a properly calibrated auditorium. SDDS's much-touted eight track playback capability never quite caught on, as it required that a separate eight channel sound mix be created in addition to the six channel mix that is needed for SRD and DTS, an additional expense for the studios.

Out of the 1,400 plus films mixed in SDDS, only 97 of them to date have been mixed to support the full 8 channels, most of them Sony (Via Sony Pictures/Columbia/Tristar) releases. Because of the added installation expense, the majority of SDDS installations are 6 channel (5.1) installations, as opposed to 8 channel (7.1) installations.

SDDS 8-Channels; this logo is used when all 8 channels are used as opposed to the usual six. While most major studios eventually began putting SDDS tracks on their releases (Universal exclusively supported DTS until late 1997, WB and Disney exclusively supported Dolby until 1994-1995, and Paramount and Fox placed SDDS tracks on their biggest releases until 2001–2002), most independent films only came with Dolby Digital tracks, leaving many SDDS-equipped, or DTS theaters playing analog sound in otherwise state-of-the-art auditoriums. A few titles released under the program used SDDS tracks. As Dolby Digital (and to a lesser degree, DTS) began to emerge as the clear winner in the digital sound battle, Sony Cinema Products quit manufacturing SDDS encoders and decoders, although it will continue supporting equipment that is still deployed in the field. Until the conversion to digital projection began to render 35mm film less cost effective, not withstanding the superior visual quality of film, a majority of release prints for major studio films were created with all three digital tracks –, and Sony's SDDS (each digital track uses different film geography so all three, as well as the analog track, can coexist on one print).

Out of the three competing formats, SDDS was the only format not to have a corresponding home-theater version, and Sony ceased production of new units in the early 2000s. Technical.

SDDS channel arrangement with 5 front channels, 2 surround channels and a subwoofer channel or '5/2.1'. Original format used: 8 micron (micrometre) square data bits, 16 bit per audio channel, 8 audio channels, 2 clock tracks, 2 guide tracks for alignment with the film.

Final format used: 24 micrometre square data bits. The format carries up to 8 channels of discrete digital sound encoded using Sony's codec with a compression ratio of about 5:1 and a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. The channels are:. 5 screen channels.

Left. Left center.

Center. Right center. Right. 2 surround channels.

Left surround. Right surround.

Subwoofer channel Additionally there are 4 backup channels encoded – in case of damage to one side of the film or the other. These are:.

Center. Subwoofer. Left + left center. Right + right center This gives a total of 12 channels, for which the total bitrate of 2.2 megabits per second. This is more than the maximum 1.536 megabits per second format bitrate, and far greater than the cinema bitrate of 0.64 megabits per second. For additional data reliability the two sides of the film are separated by 17 frames, so a single splice or series of missing frames will not result in a total loss of data.

A Sony DFP-R2000 SDDS reader mounted on a projector, with film threaded. The SDDS reader is mounted on top of a 35mm.

The film is threaded through the reader before it passes through the picture aperture. As the film runs, red LEDs are used to illuminate the SDDS. CCDs read the SDDS data and convert the stream of dots on the film into. This information is pre-processed in the reader and passed on to the SDDS decoder.

Decoder The SDDS decoder is installed in the sound equipment rack. The decoder receives the information from the reader and translates it into signals routed to the cinema's power. The decoder is responsible for a series of processes that must be performed before the audio is recovered. Next, errors caused by scratches or damage to the film are corrected using redundant error recovery data. Since SDDS is read at the top of the projector, the data is delayed slightly to restore synchronization with the picture. And finally, adjustments in tonal balance and playback level are made to match the specific auditorium's sound system and acoustics.

SDDS is designed to process sound entirely in the digital domain, bypassing any existing analog processor, preserving clarity and providing full dynamic range. External links. at the.