I'd like to use airplay as I do for the rest of my house but have this airport express using airplay output to a receiver with a 5.1 surround sound system. Will it play as 5.1 or just even to all channels?
AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Gen), iOS 5.0.1
Good question, but unfortunately the Express cannot stream 5.1 audio, not even the optical output.
There are a couple of KB articles that confirm it:
Do movies support surround sound?
Yes. Movies include audio which is encoded using Dolby Surround which delivers multichannel audio when played using Dolby Pro Logic systems.
Can I listen to the audio of a movie through AirTunes technology with an AirPort Express?
No.
DTS audio can be played with iTunes though: http://support.apple.com/kb/TA47850
When using Airport Express can you output to 5.1 receiver?
