Audio: Is 5.1-channel or stereo better?

[timmus]

I know that the prevailing wisdom is that you always rip the 5.1 channel. However I don't use surround-sound speakers, nor do I use a home theater rig.. just a basic rear projection HDTV. Is there any case in which I should use the stereo channel instead?

I've been ripping movies with 5.1 so far and they've all sounded muddy and monophonic. I tried the generic.avi.xvid and confirmed the bitrate is the same as source but it still sounds the same. I'm going to try ripping stereo instead, but I'm not sure if this is the right way to do it... I'm also worried about ripping 50 movies and finding out all I have is the directors commentary!

[GregiBoy]

Mate, It depends on what you are using to play the files.

Most hardware and software players will allow you to "DOWNMIX" 5.1 to stereo and that is why I always use the 5.1 sound as it is the best supported and because I then have two choices.

1. When I am just playing through the TV, I have the "DOWNMIX" on and all plays fine.
2. When I switch my surround sound system on and route the sound through there, I have genuine 5.1 sound.

If you only encode to stereo, you are not future proofing yourself if you put in a surround system.

In your situation, I would be investigating the "MUDDY" sound as usually this can be resolved by settings on the player or on the TV.

Hope this helps.