stereo mp3's on 5.1 speakers

[sandman1687]

I just bought a set of 6 speakers, hooked up correctly in a 5.1 surround setup. I was wondering if there is a way to output a stereo mp3, or a movie, to all 6 speakers, instead of just the 4 (left, right, center, and sub). if there was a codec/program/plug-in that i could get this would help, but if this means reencoding the mp3 to a multichannel format, such as ac3 or ogg, could you tell me how to do that also. Thanks for any help, sandman1687

[OvERaCiD23]

the best solution is using Dolby Pro Logic to decode the audio. it will put sound out to all 6 speakers (L/R/C/Surround/Sub). you'll only have a mono surround source (same sound coming from the left/right surround speakers). If you're outputting the audio to an external decoder, it must have DPL decoding. If your speakers are hooked to your computer, you'll need a software DPL decoder (PowerDVD has it, not sure on other players). you'll be much better off in the future retaining the original 5.1 AC3 if you want true surround sound, otherwise you'll be putting the audio through multiple algorithms to recreate it (a big difference can be heard).