I am currently an analogue cable subscriber, and am thinking of upgrading to digital, with the hope of enjoying Dolby Digital sound from TV broadcasts.

These are the options:

SKY DIGITAL
Sky are starting to broadcast some movies with Dolby Digital 5.1. However, in order to take advantage of this, I have to choose Sky+ (£300 plus an extra £10 per month). The standard digibox does not even have a digital output.
QUESTION: I am not prepared to pay for Sky+. Could I subscribe to standard Sky Digital and upgrade the digibox to one that can output Dolby Digital?

ITV DIGITAL
I understand bandwidth restrictions mean that Dolby Digital will never be broadcast on terrestrial services such as ITV Digital.
However, one of decoders available for use with ITV Digital, the Nokia, has a digital output.
QUESTION: Is there any point in using the Nokia's digital output when I'll never be able to receive Dolby Digital? Would using a digital instead of analogue connection to my A/V amp give better sound with stereo and Dolby Surround broadcasts?

DIGITAL CABLE
QUESTION: Does anyone know of any plans by Telewest/NTL to broadcast Dolby Digital? If so, do their decoders have a digital output?


(I read somewhere that DD has been broadcast via satellite for a number of years already in the US.)

The only way to get DD5.1 via Sky is by buying the Skyplus digibox and paying £12 a month extra.

Sky Plus is £10 p/m. If you didn't pay the £10 extra I think the Sky+ box would act as a normal Sky box also with Dolby Digital. Though £300 is a bit much to pay just for DD.

That's right £10 p/month is for the PVR services, without this the sky+ unit would act like a normal digibox (the DD output will still work), however their is a minimum contract of 12 months.

You could purchase the Sky+ unit for £300, have it installed (at a cost) and subscribe as a normal digi box subscriber hence you would not have the PVR features, but you would save the £10 p/month, although this is a very odd way of doing it, you've payed £300 you might as well pay the £10p/month for the facilities that go with it.

Eitherway way DD is currently only available on the Premier Widescreen & Box Offfice Widescreen channels. That's means either a premium subscription or continous box office films.

If I were you I would just pop along to my local blockbuster and rent a DVD????

Although there are no sorces of DD 5.1 broadcasts int he UK other than on Sky there is no technical reason why DD 5.1 can not be broadcast via Cable or Terestrial Digital services. There are both bandwidth and political issues though.

In the case of terrestrial I seem to remember that although it is not is the DTT specification at least one coutry has decided to go for DD rather than MPEG audio so it is feasable if outside the specification. This also means it is unlikely to happen in the short term.

Further to the previous post, one must remember that although cable operators can run a DD service, I'm sure it will not be commercially viable for them to do this.

Lets take films for example, in order for an operator to purchase films in DD (which will obvioulsy cost more from the relevant distributor) they need to have big purchasing power, hence they will need many subscribers to their movie service. Now we all now that Sky is the biggest here, furthermore they have invested heavily in both the technical and polital side of things.

Also, I think they'll have to pay Dolby Labs a fee of some kind for the 'privelige' of using their technology!