Dolby 5.1 from iTunes 8?

Is there a way to get Dolby Digital 5.1 surround from the new HD downloads in iTunes 8? Whenever I change the audio track to surround, the audio goes away completely. Windows Vista Media Center has no trouble sending Dolby 5.1 audio to my receiver.

After messing about with handbrake, VLC, Quicktime and itunes I found that quicktime / itunes does not support AC3 audio files. An Ac3 audio track is what most DVD's use for discrete audio separate channel surround sound. 5.1 tracks are ac3 and the only way to get a video on my mac to play these files was to encode with handbrake using ac3 passthrough for the audio with certain video codecs. Avi can have an ac3 track as an example but quicktime will not play them in surround but vlc did. I downloaded Dexter hd from the Apple store and if you hit "command i" you will see the info of what codec and audio track is in use by the video. Dexter in HD from the Apple store is only stereo, usually it's dolby prologic II which uses phasing to create a fake surround sound and sends audio to your surround system but it is not 5.1 discrete individual channels of audio like a dvd.
I don't have an apple tv I have a Power Mac g5 hooked up to my tv via dvi and optical for audio.
Apple announced that Apple tv does surround sound now.
Apple says this about the Apple TV new software 2.0 update
Apple TV Software Update 2.0 features:
* In the US, rent movies from the iTunes Store in Standard Definition and stunning High Definition with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound directly from Apple TV.
Audio formats supported
* AAC (16 to 320 Kbps); protected AAC (from iTunes Store); MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps); MP3 VBR; Apple Lossless; AIFF; WAV; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound pass-through.
After reading some other posts people are saying some movies come with AAC and AC3. I beleave in my tests using the latest Handbake that quicktime and itunes will now play the ac3 files but it down streams them into stereo or it defaults to the aac stereo track, so only the new Apple TV can playback AC3 true 5.1 surround.
People say the quick start up movie when you turn on the Apple tv plays some 5.1 audio. I think one of the facts are very few movies except for really new ones have the ac3 tracks. Even my Dexter dvd only has stereo sound which I thought was cheap of Showtime. So number one is you must have a movie or show that actually has an AC3 track and two I guess the only way to play them back is with Apple tv 2.0 or maybe VLC. I have yet to get a file from Apple that has an ac3 track but I don't buy that many shows or movies from Apple.
If any one can name a tv show that is in fact has ac3 5.1 on their Apple tv I would love to check it out and see if vlc will play it in surround, that could be a way to get your computer to play movies in 5.1 from apple without the Atv.

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