Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through - (From Apple TV Spec)

Question

Level 1

25 points

Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through - (From Apple TV Spec)

I understand that Dolby Digital is a way of encoding audio with 5 channels which gives "surround" sound if the correct speakers are used. I'm wondering what the pass-through actually is. Does one need a receiver that can decode an audio stream that is passed through in the encoded state? I'm assuming that appleTV does not decode and passthrough the decoded result. I'm assuming that the Dolby Digital 5.1 would need an HDMI cable.

Am I correct? I'm just trying to figure out what type of receiver would work for me if I decided to purchase an Apple TV.

iMac G5 1.8 mhz, Macbook Core 2 Duo 2.0 mhz, Aiport Extreme - N, Mac OS X (10.4.10), iPod 5.5 30 gig, iPod Touch, iPod Shuffle 2G

Posted on Mar 21, 2008 4:37 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Alley_Cat

Level 7

20,560 points

Mar 21, 2008 5:18 PM in response to CurlyGirl

As far as optical out goes, stereo sound from MP3s/WAVs/AACs etc, and stereo soundtracks seem to get converted by the Apple TV to a linear PCM type bitstream. Since Take 2.0 AppleTV can also output dolby digital 5.1 bitstream but does not need to do any onboard decoding.

Most amps/receivers that can accept an optical audio feed from a DVD player should do fine (certainly for the 5.1 DD). I would imagine if you are connecting via HDMI to the amp/receiver then you would have no trouble with any modern amps that support HDMI.

AC

AC

Reply

Answer 2

CurlyGirl Author

Level 1

25 points

Mar 22, 2008 11:09 AM in response to Alley_Cat

Thanks for the reply. It really helps.

Reply