Dolby Digital 5.1 on 2.0 Setup

[baboon]

I got into a discussion with a Computer nerd friend of mine. A DVD with a Dolby D 5.1 track will still play on a computer or system with only a 2.0 hardware setup with all 5.1 sounds outputed to the 2 speakers right?

correct me if i'm wrongo

[Dennis Gardner]

No right or wrong answer here, with different hardware and software handling the choices differently. Most DD tracks give a 2 channel "stereo" choice and most of the center and surrounds are mixed into the 2 channels. If you chose 5.1 with only 2 channels, you will get only the L/R channels and all others will be lost. Many receivers have intelligent decoders that "see" the speakers hooked up and choose the proper number of channels.

Then again, bass management is another animal with the .1 or LFE info depending on your choice of speaker size in the setup.

[SuperDave]

It will play but it will not sound like it was recorded to.