Gefen, the signal switcher and converter gizmo company, has announced the GefenTV Digital Audio Decoder, which remixes 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround audio for stereo (L/R) outputs. That means the unit lets any movie or television program broadcasting in 5.1 Dolby digital audio to be decoded, and output on an existing pair of analog speakers.

The idea is to give two-channel stereo systems the ability to convey some of the same surround sound information as a proper 5.1 system, but without the artificialness (I assume) that usually accompanies "surround" enhancement circuitry.

The Digital Audio Decoder comes with S/PDIF and TOSlink inputs; users can switch between them using a selector on the Decoder, in order to connect, say, a set-top box and a computer simultaneously. Meanwhile, the built-in digital to analog converter includes a digital interpolation filter and support for up to 6 channels of audio encoded in Dolby Digital. The GefenTV Digital Audio Decoder costs $129.00 and is available now.