Home theater sound, online in Sweden
Swedish Radio and DTS are experimenting with streaming 5.1 channel audio online
Turns out that Swedish Radio is ahead of everybody on broadband digital audio. Who knew? DTS, the same company that does audio for theaters and high-end home audio, has been helping the station put 5.1 surround sound downloads of broadcasts on its Web site for a while. Now the two have paired to do high-quality 5.1 sound over a streamed Internet connection.
It takes a 1.5 mbps connection, but it sounds like the video on DVDs, they say. That might be tough with the average DSL connection in the U.S, but might just squeak in over a good cable modem connection.
At least last year, Sweden was ahead of the U.S. in broadband penetration, and they're doing more with fast technologies like VDSL. Customers in Stockholm get 26 mbps. Drool.