The AC3 format, derived from Audio Coding 3, is an extension to surround sound files. It was created by Dolby Laboratories in 1987 for use on DVDs, Blu-ray players, HDTV programming and home entertainment systems. The AC3 format contains up to 6 discrete audio channels. The 5 most frequently used channels are dedicated to the normal range of speakers (from 20 to 20,000 Hz) and 1 low frequency channel (from 20 to 120 Hz) subwoofer power. In particular, the front, front right, middle, rear left, rear right and 1 ultraviolet track are called 5.1 channel, which is the common surround sound most commonly used in commercial rooms and home theaters.
AC3 format
File type name: AC3
Category: Audio Files
Popularity: Popular with home theater enthusiasts
Developer: Dolby Laboratories
AC3 format information
The AC3 format can operate below the audio frequency from 20 to 20,000 Hz, which corresponds to the frequency heard for the human ear. This means that AC3 can produce a unique, detailed and varied sound effect for humans.
Most HDTV programming today uses AC3 as the standard audio format. The combination with the television broadcast’s HD signal makes everything realistic, especially the sound.
Previously, it was not adopted as the standard format for the AC3 company, but Dolby Pro Logic 4.0. Dolby Pro Logic 4.0 can be found on many VHS tapes released in the 1980s.
The bit rate of AC3 audio on DVD reaches up to 640 Kbps and the sampling rate up to 48 kHz.
Benefits: AC3 is accepted as an industry standard for DVD and DTV media. Almost all the audio tracks for the DVD movies take place in AAC format. AC3 is very compressed and is a small file, but the sound effect is true to the sound of the original DVD. AC3 can be converted to video files such as AVI and MPEG to obtain 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround audio or for playback in media players.
Cons: AC3 is widely used on DVDs and very rarely has it appeared in other aspects. Although AC3 supports 7.1 channels when it comes to audio CDs, it only supports a maximum of 5.1 channels and a limit of 448 kbps.
AC3 VS. AAC
AAC or Advanced Audio Coding is very different from AC3. AAC is a type of lossless digital audio format that is promoted as a successor of MP3 because it generally achieves better audio quality within the same file size. The AAC format is a more advanced lossless format than the AC3 format. It will create better sound quality than AC3 with the same bitrate, especially at low bitrate. Below you will find a more in-depth comparison between AC3 and AAC.
History:
AC3 was developed by Dolby Laboratories and was originally called Dolby Digital Stereo until 1994. This format has been taken as an international standard by the Moving Picture Experts Group since 1997.
AAC was developed in collaboration with AT&T Bell Laboratories, Dolby Laboratories, Sony Cooperation, Nokia and Fraunhofer IIS.
