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By contrast, modern soundtracks use discrete channels of information. That is, each
speaker has a distinct signal that is completely independent of every other channel. This
approach is clearly more desirable, since it gives the movie makers more creative control
over the quality of your experience. Musicians also prefer discrete formats, since it allows
them to place their instruments and voices with greater precision, to create the musical
effects they desire.
There is a host of various multichannel formats available. Here is a summary grid to help
you sort out the possibilities.
multichannel formats Name # Chs Discrete? Notes
analog stereo 2 yes as found on almost all sources,
including tape decks & CD players
multichannel in 6-8 yes a multichannel analog input used
mostly for SACD & DVD-Audio
Dolby Surround 4 matrix the original matrix decoding system
Pro Logic designed to squeeze four channels
into two and then retrieve them
Dolby Digital 1.0-5.1 yes the most common modern digital
(AC-3) source, used in HDTV, DVD, etc.
Dolby Digital EX 6.1 mostly yes the center rear channel is a matrixed
channel hidden in the left and right
surround channels; all others are
discrete
DTS 1.0–5.1 yes similar to Dolby Digital in practice,
though it uses a different technology
DTS-ES Matrix 6.1 mostly yes the center rear channel is a matrixed
channel hidden in the left and right
surround channels; all others are
discrete
DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 yes all 6.1 channels are discrete
post-processing possibilities Once the SSP-300 has decoded the signal it is provided in the appropriate manner, you
still have some options as to whether you would like additional processing of the signal.
This point is sometimes confusing. The first thing any surround processor must do is
to recover the various channels that were intended to be delivered into your home. This
might be a single mono signal, or a Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtrack with 6.1
channels, or anything in between; it may have been delivered to your home via a satellite
receiver, a cable set top box, or a simple DVD disc. Regardless, the first task is to recover
as many channels as are being delivered, with great accuracy and fidelity.
Having done so, however , it may make sense to provide further processing, after the
fact. Hence the notion of post-processing
.