AC3 CODEC FROM DOLBY SOFTWARE
Devices that don't come with built-in support to the AC3 codec can use a software processing application, like the AC3Filter, to be able to provide proper playback to multimedia files containing AC3 audio. Certain sound cards cannot interpret AC3 streams properly and output a PCM stream instead, while others come with native support to AC3 surround sound audio. On desktop computers proper AC3 support is largely dependent on the sound interface. For proper playback, home theater systems need to be equipped with an amplifier compatible with the Dolby Digital technology. It is a lossy compression algorithm based on the technique of perceptual coding, which produces audio with higher fidelity than the preceding Dolby Pro-Logic technology.ĪC3 audio is used on nearly all modern digital mediums like DVD and Blu-Ray. Comparison Between AAC and AC3 in Quality As part of the MPEG-4 standard, AAC codec makes small digital audio files so that it can store a larger amount of audio files using less space while preserving sound quality. Enjoy the consistent, high-quality Dolby Audio experience across Apple. Supported natively on the latest Apple devices. Provides consistent cinema-style audio across your content using an advanced surround sound audio technology designed for evolving media. For that purpose, AC3 files may contain up to six channels of compressed audio data, with five of them meant to carry information for normal range speakers and a sixth channel being reserved strictly for sub-woofer operation.Īudio data stored in AC3 files is encoded with the Dolby AC-3 algorithm, which is Dolby's third generation audio encoding algorithm. AC3 (Dolby Digital) is widely used in HDTV broadcast, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and game consoles. Up to 7.1 discrete channels of high-fidelity surround sound. AC3 (Audio Codec 3) is an audio file format developed by the Dolby Laboratories used for storing surround sound audio for playback on modern Dolby Digital 5.1 home theater surround sound systems.