Description
This article is from the DVD Formats
FAQ, by jtfrog@usa.net (Jim Taylor) with numerous
contributions by others.
1.23 Do all videos use Dolby Digital (AC-3)? Do they all have 5.1channels?
Most DVD-Video discs contain Dolby Digital soundtracks. However, it's not
required. Some discs, especially those containing only audio, have PCM
tracks. It's also possible for a 625/50 (PAL) disc to contain only MPEG
audio, but so far MPEG audio is not widely used.
Don't assume that the "Dolby Digital" label is a guarantee of 5.1 channels.
A Dolby Digital soundtrack can be mono, dual mono, stereo, Dolby Surround
stereo, etc. For example, Blazing Saddles and Caddyshack are mono movies,
so the Dolby Digital soundtrack on these DVDs has only one channel. Some
DVD packaging has small lettering or icons under the Dolby Digital logo
that indicates the channel configuration. In some cases, there is more than
one Dolby Digital version of a soundtrack: a 5.1-channel track and a track
specially remixed for stereo Dolby Surround. It's perfectly normal for your
DVD player to indicate playback of a Dolby Digital audio track while your
receiver indicates Dolby Surround: it means that the disc contains a
two-channel Dolby Surround signal encoded in Dolby Digital format.
See 3.6 for more audio details.
Continue to:
Share and Enjoy
Bookmark this story so others can enjoy it:
Tags
pc, dvd, dvd-rom, dvd-video, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, recording, playing
