Do you have to pay a license fee to create ac3 soundtracks for games?

[yoda313]

Ok the reason I ask is it was curious to me that a big game like Uncharted 2 for the ps3 only has dolby prologic 2 on the audio track. Why wouldn't they have full blown ac3 5.1? Do you have to pay a license fee to do ac3?

Also wouldn't you have to pay something to dolby to do pro logic 2? Is it a big increase to go all out for normal ac3 audio?

I know the WII uses pro logic 2. My understanding for that is they don't have a digital audio output on the Wii so there is little reason to go to that next level.

Or is this simply a choice a game manufacturer makes? Where to put the money the most?

[lordsmurf]

Dolby licensing, yes.
MP3 has to pay licensing, too.

MP2 and AAC do not.

[yoda313]

@lordsmurf - thanks.

Mp3 is to that franhouser bunch right?

So is there licensing fees for even "dolby stereo"? What is the difference between "stereo" and "dolby stereo"? I know plenty about the surround sound versions of dolby. I guess I just never knew what made its stereo version different from "vanilla" stereo.