Ask S&V

Q Most movies on DVD and Blu-ray default to 5.1 surround sound, but most concert videos default to 2.0 stereo, and the viewer has to manually select 5.1 surround when playing the disc. What’s the reason for this? —John Kellam / Tucson, AZ

My guess as to why stereo is the default audio option for music Blu-rays and DVDs instead of 5.1 surround is that the target consumer for music video titles isn’t necessarily a home theater enthusiast. Disc producers are playing it safe in assuming that the end user is watching/listening on a TV that isn’t hooked up to a 5.1-channel audio system. That said, be glad that many music discs do have 5.1—and in some cases, 7.1-channel—soundtracks. Having to manually select the multichannel option in a disc menu ultimately isn’t such a big deal.