Stereophonic sound uses two speakers to create a balance of sound from the left and right.
Movie theaters use surround sound to impact large audiences with the feeling of being in the middle of the action, rather than distant observers. Likewise, surround sound is an essential element in creating the home theater experience. Each of these will be discussed in detail later. The concept of surround sound for motion pictures was introduced by Disney Studios in the early 1940s and first used for Fantasia . Movie-theater surround sound became truly popular with the creation of Dolby Stereo, first introduced to movie going audiences in 1977 with Star Wars .