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Dolby Goes Digital

© Asif Iqbal

The Digital revolution of the 80’s fueled Dolby’s venture into the Digital Audio arena. With increasing interest in the industry it was inevitable that films shift to the Digital audio format. The new format had six, yes SIX distinct channels arranged in the 5.1 channel configuration. The 5.1 configuration in simple terms means “five discrete full-range channels—left, center, right, left surround, and right surround—plus a sixth channel for those powerful low-frequency effects (LFE) that are felt more than heard in cinemas”. The LFE channel (played by the sub-woofer) requires only one-tenth of the bandwidth of other high frequency channels hence the “.1 channel”. In most speaker systems the LFE channel works by taking data from all the other channels & filtering out all the sounds except for the deep bass sounds (20Hz to about 50Hz & up to 200Hz in some cases).

Since 1992 the Dolby Digital Sound System has been the norm for all DTS equipped cinemas. The Dolby Digital has expanded to include many consumer/home sound systems and equipment. Laser Discs, DVDs, Digital TV, PC games, Game Consoles, Home Theatre systems are available with 5.1 channel surround sound systems. For example Creative offers the Desktop Theatre Series of 5.1 channel Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround sound, Cambridge SoundWorks speaker system, which I personally believe are the best in the business. Creative Home Theatre Series: From the Creative website: “Movie fans will marvel in the powerful Dolby® Digital or Dolby Surround sound of the Cambridge SoundWorks® DeskTop Theater™ speakers. Boasting an attractive ensemble of five compact satellites and a subwoofer, the DeskTop Theater™ speakers will connect to PC-DVD's or set-top DVD players for an overwhelming home theater experience.”

And for all you PC-Gamers out there: Creative’s “Four Point Surround” speaker line up is the best thing that could’ve happened to the world of PC games (apart from Half Life ofcourse). Creative FPS Speakers: “Get an edge on your games with the Cambridge SoundWorks® FourPointSurround™ speaker line-up. Hear your opponent approaching from any direction and gunshots bouncing off the walls around you with dynamic realism. With four compact satellite speakers and a powerful subwoofer, the Cambridge SoundWorks® FourPointSurround™ speaker line-up will take your gaming to a whole new dimension!”

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