Dolby Digital Plus

[Andrew Pratt]

Dolby demos Dolby Digital Plus

Are you ready for 13.1 sound? Dolby Digital Plus features more than 10 times the bandwidth of Dolby Digital.
LAS VEGAS--Dolby Digital has seen some enhancements over the years as it's become the most common multichannel standard. But in the not-so-distant future, it's going to get a huge overhaul. At CES, Dolby gave Dolby Digital Plus its major debut, showing how it takes advantage of advances in storage, recording, optical density, and bandwidth.


Previously announced and briefly demoed at AES late last year, Dolby Digital Plus has had enough time behind the scenes to gather industry support. It's been named as a standard for the upcoming HD DVD format, though the forces behind the competing Blu-ray disc format have yet to make a similar announcement.

Dolby Digital Plus builds on the original Dolby Digital specifications, allowing for higher bit rates and more channels. Dolby Digital Plus has a maximum bit rate of 6mbps and supports 13.1 channels. In comparison, Dolby Digital caps out at 640kbps and 5.1 channels. So Dolby Digital Plus essentially provides 10 times the bandwidth of the original Dolby Digital. The new format also allows for extremely low bit rate multichannel sound for streaming on the Web or over the air. The benefits of the Dolby Digital Plus codec include transient prenoise processing, enhanced channel coupling, adaptive hybrid transform processing, and channel and program extensions.

Whereas the original Dolby Digital signal was sent over either optical or coaxial cables, Dolby Digital Plus uses the new HDMI connector. Content encoded with Plus will be backwards compatible, but the resulting sound won't be as detailed.

Dolby couldn't explicitly say if Dolby Digital Plus will be used on upcoming game consoles, leaving those announcements for first parties. But that may be the next logical step, if bit rates are practical for real-time applications, given that the current generation supports Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II.

On another front, Dolby is bringing Dolby Digital 5.1 encoding to the masses. With Dolby Digital 5.1 Creator, you can create your own 5.1 mixes for home movies. This new feature was demonstrated at CES with the Sony DVD Handycam DCR-DVD403. Using a multichannel microphone, the Handycam allows you to capture sounds from all directions so you can produce home movies with 5.1 sound.

By Sarju Shah -- GameSpot

[CJ Paul]

I would hope that even in its full implementation (i.e. not the backwards compatible part) that the number of channels is logically scalable without a compromise in the sound. Lots of people arent going to have room for more speakers but may want the advantage of higher bitrate (less compressed) sound.

[Andrew Pratt]

Right...where are you supposed to put 13 channels? I'd guess some will be in the ceiling and they will be more in the back but that still leaves a bunch more on the sides

[CJ Paul]

Like I said, there are other benefits to this (it looks like) besides more channels so I hope those features arent thrown to the wayside to make room for more sexy features that joe sixpack can understand (even though he wont buy them).

[CJ Paul]

Actually, I just thought of something. Is this essentially going to be a "home only" format? I mean, if they are going to add some high-up effects channels on the front stage, a theater could maybe implement that, but if they are going to more side surround channels, how would they even do that? The thing with only having a single left and right "surround" channel and now side and rear surrounds was not that difficult for theaters but if a sound is supposed to come from only slightly in front and to the side or something, that wont work in a theater.

[aud19]

I would guess there probably at least a couple (if not 3 ) front "height" effects speakers and possibly front "surrounds" (between your mains and side speakers). Then some additional ceiling speakers, maybe two at the front and two at the rear. That's eight channels right there plus the orginal 5, equals 13...?

[boe]

Andrew - Since I'm in the market for a preamp- this leaves me wondering about requirements to take advantage of the higher bitrate - any inside info? I'd hate to buy a new preamp only to say a year later I'll need to replace it if I want the full bitrate.

[H.T.C]

Yamaha,i think has something like that on thier recievers that had two speakers in bettween the fronts but higher and more forward than the mains.

[CJ Paul]

Yamaha matrix's those channels from the current DD and DTS standards. DD Plus would involve additional discrete channels.

[Shane Martin]

Right now as it sits no receiver is going to see the true potential of DD Plus or DTS HD. They will be backwards compatible so you'll get DD or whatever but you won't get the full realization of the format until you upgrade your pre/receiver.

There are numerous discussions about this on other forums(avs in particular) and it's atleast caused me to pause my receiver purchase for a while. Being i'm not an upgrade king, I'll live w/o 7.1 etc until this all gets figured out. Then again the latest HK receiver is REALLY TEMPTING.

[CJ Paul]

The thing that stumps me about this the most is that manufacturers cant get full power ratings (some not even CLOSE) for 7 channels. When the first receiver comes out that weights 22lbs and claims 125w x 13, we can all have a nice chuckle. On top of which, I JUST got a 7 channel amp and it weights ~70-80 lbs. So, the manufacturers that DO put out ~100x13 are going to have 200 lb amps.

[Shane Martin]

I don't think the 13 channel deal will ever come out for a home market. Most people barely have room for 5 speakers let alone 7.

[CJ Paul]

Go back and read my posts. My questions pretty much address what my "thoughts" on this format are. How is a commercial theater going to implement more channels either while trying to maintain the same sound field for all patrons???

[Foxman]

13 Channels = divorce court. :cry: