The audio format (mono, stereo, 2.1,5.1, etc…) isn’t proprietary. The encoding scheme and codecs are i.e Dolby. However, this is a bit more complicated then wha

The audio format (mono, stereo, 2.1,5.1, etc…) isn’t proprietary. The encoding scheme and codecs are i.e Dolby. However, this is a bit more complicated then what maybe is apparent. The post production sound department for a film will create and mix the sound to a specific format (usually 5.1) and depending on how it will be distributed, Dolby (or other) is used for encoding the distribution. Dolby has been popular because it solves for cases when someone only has stereo or when a theatre doesn’t have a specific capability (Atmos) by mixing down or up the film’s delivery format. It is preferred that audio sources are uncompressed PCM in the WAV format. Most audio in a film is actually mono, but is mixed to a surround format with various effects and processing applied to achieve a desired effect. When the mixing process is complete, it is then rendered to a delivery format which is usually a lossless format and/or a property format. It is worth mentioning that the sound mix for cinema distribution is not the same for digital distribution.