5.1

The term "5.1" denotes a speaker setup which comprises three speaker units positioned in front and two speakers towards the rear of the listener(s). The ".1" determines the sixth unit, which is a subwoofer unit of the system. This is currently one of the most widely used six-channel digital surround sound systems for home theatre systems, computers, video games, technical theatres and other such devices for music lovers, movie freaks, serious listeners and sound engineers. The 5.1 system is basically used for experiencing enhanced sound effects when playing video DVDs and HDTV content. The sound streams are encoded using Dolby Digital or DTS standards. Theatrical film 5.1 surround sound also uses an additional format that is Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS). Positioning of these speakers is extremely essential in experiencing true 3-D sound effect.

Centre channel (C), Left (L) and Right (R) are positioned in the front. of the listener(s). Two more channels, Surround Left (LS) and Surround Right (RS) are positioned at the rear. The Low-Frequency Effect (LFE) channel connected to the subwoofer is generally kept at the rear near a corner of the room or a wooden surface. However, the exact position of the subwoofer cannot be ascertained. The 5.1 channel standard is divided into two types: the analogue matrix i.e. Dolby Pro Logic II and the digital discrete i.e. Dolby Digital, DTS and SDDS. The above stated position is ideal for movies in both digital discrete and analogue matrix.