Olga Weis Aug 10, 2021

AC3 for Mac: How to Make It Work

When it comes to playing AC3, Mac users may experience compatibility issues. Fortunately, there is an easy way to overcome them. The right audio player for macOS will play any file type, while providing you with various functionalities, customization options, and more. Read below to learn more about the best AC3 media player for Mac.

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Elmedia Player Free

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Elmedia Player as a Free AC3 Player for macOS

1. Elmedia Player

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Elmedia Player allows you to play AC3 files on your Mac with minimal effort. You might want to know that apart from AC3, Elmedia Player supports a large number of formats, including AAC audio files, WMA, FLAC, ALAC, MP3, FLV, MKV, AVI, WMV. The application also allows you to set up media output parameters and offers a number of customizable options, all the while being extremely easy-to-use.

How to play AC3 on Mac with Elmedia Player

1. Download the app directly from our website or from the App Store.

2. Add an AC3 file to the Elmedia Library and play it back.

This is how you can do it:

Launch the app and use the "File" option in the Main menu to locate the file.
Launch the app and drag-and-drop the file into the window, or drag-and-drop the file onto the Elmedia Player icon in the Dock.
In Finder, bring up the context menu by right-clicking on the file, choose “Open with” option, then Elmedia.

3. That’s it, could it be any easier?

Here are several ways you can play AC3 on macOS

Install an AC3 codec. Mac users might not be happy with this solution, though. There are quite a few options on the markets, but few are AC3 audio codecs that Mac owners could make use of.
Convert AC3 to another format. Note that to convert AC3 Mac might require special software.
Use a third party application for directly play AC3 – such as the Elmedia AC3 Media Player for Mac.

What is AC3?

AC3 (short for Audio Coding 3), is the file extension for surround sound audio files. It was developed by Dolby Laboratories and is mostly used for Dolby Digital audio in movie theaters, DVD and Blu-ray discs, as well as video games, etc. AC3 uses lossy compression to reduce the size of the file, similarly to MP3 and AAC. It features 6 separate sound channels, one for each speaker in a surround sound system. Five of the channels are dedicated to a normal range, while the sixth one is dedicated to low frequency.

Unlike MP3, support for AC3 on Mac is limited. Hence, you need a specific audio and/or video player AC3 files will actually run on. We’ve got an excellent tool for the job.