AT&T's Headend in the Sky to Offer Dolby 5.1

Dolby Laboratories and AT&T's Headend in the Sky service, which provides digitally compressed programming via satellite for digital cable providers, will now offer cinematic Dolby Digital 5.1 audio on certain premium services.

Previously, HITS transmitted its audio feeds in Dolby Digital 2.0 (stereo). Officials cited the growing number of programs available in Dolby 5.1, and the number of households with digital cable set-tops capable of playing Dolby 5.1 and Dolby 5.1 home receivers as a reason behind the deployment.