This new recording technology is able to play 6.1 channel sound and was developed in a collaboration between Dolby Laboratories and Lucasfilm, Ltd. for the film "Stars Wars: The First Episode", the first movie ever to be made with Dolby Digital Surround EX technology. In a movie theater this format affords the listener vivid surround sound experience replete with the effect of sounds flying overhead, even for those seated towards the sides of the theater. Dolby Digital Surround EX contains surround back channels which are dubbed into the soundtrack in the studio. The channels are encoded into the left and right channels of the soundtrack so this format can be compatible with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel decoding

Development of Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio that includes a ‘matrixed’ centre-rear audio signal to provide additional surround envelopment. Requires a suitable decoder, with amplification, and either one or two additional centre rear speakers. See also THX Surround EX

Dolby's latest surround format. It is essentially Dolby Digital with an added center rear channel. It premiered with Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.