Height channels are audio channels in surround sound

Surround sound

Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...

 multichannel audio. Height channels are located above the listening area and increase the sound field beyond the horizontal plane.

Two systems that use height channels, Dolby Pro Logic IIz and DTS Neo:X, which matrixes a front left and front right height out of the front left and front right channels. According to Dolby, non-directional ambient effects such as rain and wind are mapped to the height channels. This is similar to what is mapped to rear surround channels

Surround channels

Surround channels are audio channels in surround sound multichannel audio. They primarily serve to deliver ambience and diffuse sounds in a film or music soundtrack...

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DTS-HD is a format which supports virtually any amount (over 2000) discrete channels for which a demonstration of an 11.2 system using four height channels was given at a Consumer Electronics Show

Consumer Electronics Show

The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...

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Tomlinson Holman's 10.2

10.2

10.2 is the surround sound format developed by THX creator Tomlinson Holman of TMH Labs and University of Southern California . Developed along with Chris Kyriakakis of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, 10.2 refers to the format's slogan: "Twice as good as 5.1"...

surround sound, a format currently under development, uses 12 or 14 fully discrete channels, both including two height channels; front left and front right.