Classic stereo utilizes two independent audio channels to reproduce sound with depth and directionality. “Surround sound” refers to a growing number of available formats, like Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, that use multi-channel audio to create a more immersive, three-dimensional audio experience via additional speakers strategically placed around the listener. Surround-sound technology has long been familiar to moviegoers, but it’s fast becoming the common choice for consumers of home theater systems, video game consoles, and personal computers, too. More and more entertainment companies are encoding audio in surround-sound formats, including producers of video games, DVDs, and HDTV broadcasts.
There are many surround-sound formats available for use in the home, ranging from 3-speaker setups, to 7-speakers and beyond. The most common, standardized speaker configuration is known as 5.1 Surround Sound, which refers to left, right, and center speakers up front, surround-left and surround-right speakers in the rear, plus an additional low-frequency speaker. Several competing audio formats are used to encode DVDs, video games, and other popular forms of entertainment to achieve some like-variation of 5.1 Surround Sound, the most common being proprietary technologies by Dolby and DTS. Many home theater systems, including those made by LG, allow you to switch between these and other standard formats, so you can enjoy the widest variety of entertainment options.