Dolby Digital is a digital encoding system, developed by Dolby Labs, for audio signals (most commonly present on DVDs) that can be decoded by a receiver or preamplifier with a Dolby Digital decoder.
Dolby Digital is often referred to as a 5.1 channel surround format. However, it must be noted that term "Dolby Digital" refers to the digital encoding of the audio signal, not how many channels it has. In other words, Dolby Digital can be Monophonic, 2-channel, 4-channel, 5.1 channels, or 6.1 channels. However, in its most common applications, Dolby Digital 5.1 and 6.1 are often referred to as just Dolby Digital.
For additional terms and definitions, check out my Home Theater Glossary
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