Q: “Has Dolby E replaced Dolby Digital – are there plans for it to?”
A: Dolby E does not replace Dolby Digital: it is an encoding technology for multichannel audio used only (at this point) for professional distribution of audio, such as from television networks to affiliates through satellite communication or via hard media like digital videocassettes. Dolby E is specifically designed to allow numerous generations of encode/decode cycles that are sometimes necessary for the production and distribution of audio in a broadcast environment. Dolby Digital is still a popular format for eventually delivering digital audio to the consumer through digital television broadcast, DVD, or other media.