Surround Sound
Stereo was a great start, but we know that sound can come from anywhere. When you watch a movie in a theater, sound can come from the front, the sides, or behind you. The movies are using surround sound, which is another type of stereo. Several channels of sound are played through a number of speakers located around the theater.
5.1 Stereo
The new HDTV standard accepted for the United States includes a 5.1 surround sound stereo standard. Five main speakers are used: left front, center front, right front, right surround, and left surround. If you are seated in the center, sound can be made to come from any part of the room. A center front speaker was added to the traditional left and right speakers in order to create a larger listening envelope where the full effects of the stereo could be heard. These five speaker positions account for the 5 in the 5.1, but what about the .1? The .1 is for what is called a subwoofer for very low deep sounds. It is hard to tell exactly where sounds in this range come from, so this speaker can really be placed anywhere.
The 5.1 audio standard will allow the creation of the type of sonic environment that before now was only found in theaters. You may have seen ads for “home theater” systems. Surround sound is a big part of that. While 5.1 provides great creative opportunities, it also creates increased responsibilities for people to learn how to use the opportunities effectively.
Traditional stereo.
5.1 surround sound.