What is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound? – High Definition (HDTV) FAQs

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound is an audio coding technique capable of delivering sound with five discrete full-range channels–left, center, right, left surround, and right surround–plus a sixth channel for those powerful low-frequency effects that are felt more than heard in movie theaters. This is commonly known as the subwoofer. The subwoofer needs only about one-tenth the bandwidth of the others and is referred to as a “.1” channel. Therefore, the entire group of channels is named Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.