Can I use my Dolby Digital home theater system for the new digital TV broadcasts?

Yes, you can: whether high-definition (HDTV) or standard-definition (SDTV), all digital television (DTV) broadcasts use Dolby Digital audio in the U.S., Canada, and other countries that have adopted the ATSC television standard (www.atsc.org). Dolby Digital audio is also used in some countries like Australia in conjunction with other transmission standards. Like other Dolby Digital program material, the audio format of DTV broadcasts varies from mono to full 5.1-channel surround sound. Because most TV facilities have to gear up for multichannel audio production and distribution, many DTV programs are being broadcast initially in two-channel Dolby Digital (some-times Dolby Surround-encoded for four-channel playback with Dolby Surround Pro Logic decoding). Movies prepared with 5.1-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks for theatrical release are the primary source of multichannel Dolby Digital DTV programming initially. DTV sets and tuners also vary with respect to the number of audio ...  more

Yes, you can. Whether high-definition (HD) or standard-definition (SD), all digital television (DTV) broadcasts use Dolby Digital audio in the US, Canada, and other countries that have adopted the ATSC television standard (www.atsc.org). Dolby Digital audio is also used in some countries like Australia in conjunction with other transmission standards, and is an optional multichannel audio delivery format in DVB and DTH broadcasts in Great Britain and Europe. The audio format of DTV broadcasts varies from mono to full 5.1-channel surround sound. Because most TV facilities have to gear up for multichannel audio production and distribution, many DTV programs are being broadcast initially in two-channel Dolby Digital (or sometimes encoded in Dolby Surround for four-channel playback with Dolby Surround Pro Logic decoding). Movies prepared with 5.1-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks for theatrical release are the primary source of multichannel Dolby Digital DTV programming.