A Wootton Bassett firm has played a key role in bringing a brand new sound into the homes of Sky+ subscribers.

Dolby Laboratories says that British Sky Broadcasting will begin the new transmissions which are called Dolby Digital 5.1 from December 2.

The service will be available to Sky+ subscribers on Sky Premier Widescreen and Sky Box Office Wide-screen channels.

Tony Spath, the marketing director, technology, Dolby Laboratories, said: "We are delighted to see BSkyB embrace our Dolby Digital 5.1 on their premium widescreen channels.

"Dolby Digital is changing the way viewers experience television programming, making it more exciting than ever."

Gladiator, starring Rus-sell Crowe, will be the first blockbuster to herald a season of over 25 movies broadcast in Dolby Digital 5.1 during December.

Other titles include Billy Elliot, Erin Brockovich, and Mission Impossible 2.

Thereafter, additional Sky Premier Widescreen and Sky Box Office Widescreen titles in Dolby Digital will be scheduled each month.

"Having always been a home cinema enthusiast, I'm excited about the prospect of being able to watch Sky movies with the new system," said James Soames, BSkyB's product manager, new product development.

The recently launched Sky+ box is an integrated satellite receiver and personal video recorder that incorporates Dolby Digital decoding.

Featuring an optical digital output, the box will also be able to pipe Dolby Digital audio to a Dolby Digital external home cinema amplifier.

Digital 5.1 enhances sound systems to an exciting level.