The Difference Between Dolby Digital and THX (eng)

   Because you are a home-theater Jedi, my question may seem a bit primitive. However, I am compelled to ask only because my own A/V guy can only seem to give me answers in terms of bass curves and decibels. Which processing mode is better to use, Dolby Digital or THX?

   I am using an Integra DTR-7.9 A/V receiver with Anthony Gallo A'Diva Ti speakers for the front left, right, and center, three Gallo Micro Nucleus Ti speakers for the surrounds, and a Gallo MPS-150 sub modified by Gallo with its upgraded TR-3 driver for a 6.1 setup. My receiver automatically switches to Dolby Digital EX or THX Surround EX (whichever I choose) when I play 5.1 or better content, but which one should I have it switch to?

   Where THX is concerned, I know that all speakers should have a frequency response down to at least 80Hz, which only three of mine do—the A'Diva Ti speakers (the Nucleus Micro Ti speakers only go down to 90Hz). I fear you may tell me to just set it to whichever sounds better, but a guy like me needs more than that. With my setup, what would you do? I like the brightness of Dolby Digital, but I also like the punch of THX, though the highs seem muddled because of Re-EQ (which I can turn off). Should I turn on Loudness Plus and ditch Dynamic EQ? Lots of questions, too many settings, I need guidance!

"Help me Obi-Scott Kenobi, you're my only hope."

Adam Meyerson

   I am honored that you think of me as a home-theater Jedi! And your question is not primitive at all—in fact, it reveals a common misconception that THX modes are somehow equivalent or similar to Dolby Digital and DTS. They are not the same thing at all. Dolby Digital and DTS are codecs (coder/decoders) that are used by content creators to encode sound so it takes less storage space and bandwidth, and then by A/V receivers and preamp/processors to decode the audio information so it can be played back.

   THX modes do not encode or decode audio—instead, they process the sound after it has been decoded by the Dolby Digital, DTS, or any other codec. For example, THX Surround EX in the Integra DTR-7.9 applies Re-Equalization (Re-EQ), Timbre Matching, and Adaptive Decorrelation to the audio decoded by Dolby Digital EX. So you don't choose one or the other—instead, you choose whether or not to apply THX post-processing to the decoded audio. In your case, if you enable THX Surround EX, the AVR applies THX post-processing to the Dolby Digital EX soundtrack; if you choose Dolby Digital EX, the THX post-processing is not applied to the audio.

   According to THX, "THX Listening Modes can be used in conjunction with a variety of audio encodings (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc). For instance, THX Cinema Mode does not override material that was encoded with Dolby Digital. However, it does add some settings that help adapt the audio for the home environment.

   "Setting your speakers to 'Small (80Hz)' insures that they are passing off the appropriate amount of bass to the subwoofer. If you are not able to do that, for whatever reason, with one or more of your speakers, that's okay. It just means you'll hear a little less bass out of the subwoofer." You won't notice this much at all, since your surrounds go down to almost 80Hz.

   You fear that I'll tell you set your AVR to whatever sounds good to you, and I'm afraid I must do just that. If you like the brightness of unprocessed Dolby Digital and the punch of THX Surround EX processing but the highs sound muddled, enable THX Surround EX and turn off Re-EQ.

   You also mention Loudness Plus, which is a THX function, and Dynamic EQ, which is part of the DTR-7.9's Audyssey processing. Both do much the same thing—they adjust the frequency response when listening at volumes lower than so-called "reference level" to maintain the soundtrack's intended tonal balance. (Reference level is loud, so I certainly listen at volumes lower than that.) I wouldn't expect to hear much difference between the two, but I recommend trying them both (not at the same time!) to see if you have a preference. Also, try listening at your normal volume without either one. If you do find one to sound better than the other, use that one and disable the other one; if you prefer the sound without them, so be it.

   May the A/V Force be with you!

sursa: soundandvision.com

DTS:X Details to Be Unveiled at Launch Event on April 9th (eng)

   The immersive audio format wars just got a little more interesting. DTS, who teased us at CES with demos of their object-based immersive surround format DTS:X (but no hard details), just announced a DTS:X launch event for April 9th at their headquarters in Calabasas, California.

   The company will unveil details about how -- and hopefully when -- consumer electronics hardware vendors will have products to support the new surround sound format as well as which studios are on board to bring it home. To date, we've only seen a few hardware makers announce support of the format (including high-end processor vendors Trinnov and Steinway-Lyngdorf), but DTS has said that support for the format will be widespread, from companies such as Anthem, Denon, Integra, Krell, Marantz, McIntosh, Onkyo, Outlaw Audio, Pioneer, Theta Digital and Yamaha.

   For those unfamiliar with the term, "immersive audio," it's the next generation of surround sound. In addition to using speakers in front of you, behind you and (in some cases) next to you, immersive audio also places sounds above your head for a more immersive surround sound experience. Similar to Dolby Atmos, DTS:X is an object-based system which means sounds can be placed in discrete points in space, and will be rendered at playback time, depending on your particular speaker configuration. This is more flexible then a purely channel-based system which hardcodes a mix for a specific number of speakers.

   As for software, we haven't heard from any studios yet of their support for the format, however the company gave out a demo disc earlier this year (at CES 2015) which included clips from movies from Lionsgate ("Divergent") and 20th Century Fox ("Rio 2"). Neither studio has made any formal announcements but we're hoping for more details next month.

A DTS demo disc given out at CES:2015 left some tantalizing clues as to how the format will come to the home market.

   As with Dolby Atmos and their use of existing codecs (Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus) as the delivery mechanism for Atmos, it appears that DTS will deliver DTS:X in a format that is already in use. The DTS:X cuts on the demo disc all play back on existing gear (players and receivers) in standard DTS:HD Master Audio 7.1 surround. We're guessing that existing Blu-ray players will support the new format by bistreaming the audio track out to a new DTS:X-capable receiver. More details will follow after the event.

sursa: bigpicturebigsound.com

LG a lansat în România gama de televizoare 2015

   

   LG a lansat în România noile televizoare din seria 2015. Acestea integrează tehnologii de ultimă generaţie, oferind panouri OLED şi IPS, cu rezoluţii Full HD şi Ultra HD, şi dimensiuni care variază între 32 şi 65”. Acestea fac parte din categoria de produse premium a companiei, oferind acces la funcţii smart avansate prin integrarea sistemului de operare WebOS 2.0, unul dintre cele mai performante dintre cele disponibile pe televizoare smart.

   Accentul LG pare să fie în popularizarea televizoarelor cu rezoluţii înalte. Astfel, modelele din gama Prime Ultra HD au fost în centrul atenţiei. UF9500 a fost realizat folosind panouri IPS 4K şi vine în variante de 55 şi 65”. Televizorul afişează o gamă largă de culori prin tehnologia LG ColorPrime, dar are şi un raport de contrast îmbunătăţit. Printre funcţiile mai avansate ale acestuia se regăsesc Prime Master Engine, un algoritm care optimizează automat setările de imagine, şi 4K Upscaler, care transformă imaginile SD, HD sau Full HD în Ultra HD în timp real. UF9500 integrează designul ULTRA Slim, care îi conferă un profil de 8,5 mm în cel mai subţire punct.

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   UF8500 va veni într-o gamă mai largă de dimensiuni, cu panouri de 49, 55, 60 şi 65”. Acesta va beneficia de tehologia ULTRA Luminance, care analizează luminozitatea conţinutului afişat în timp real şi încearcă să adapteze setările pentru o experienţă de vizualizare cât mai bună. Panourile sunt de asemenea IPS 4K comparabile cu cele de pe UF9500. Ambele variante vor beneficia de sistemul audio ULTRA Surround, realizat de Harman/Kardon, care foloseşte un software avansat pentru a crea sunet de înaltă calitate.

   Tot în gama Prime Ultra HD intră si televizorul UF6700. Acesta oferă cele mai multe opţiuni de diagonală, cu modele de 40, 43, 49, 55, 60 şi 65”. UF6700 este cel mai accesibil din gamă şi include un sistem sonor diferit, numit Virtual Surround, dar are în continuare acces la tehnologia 4K Upscaler.

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   În gama de televizoare OLED, LG prezintă EC9300, un model curbat cu diagonală de 55 sau 65”. Acesta dispune de un profil subţire (Paper Slim), rezoluţie Full HD şi tehnologia brevetată WRGB, care afişează de două ori mai multe nuanţe de culori prin includerea unui subpixel alb în fiecare pixel dedicat. Sistemul sonor ULTRA Surround este de asemenea integrat în aceste variante, iar LG Smart Sound Mode aplică automat cele mai bune setări audio.

   Oferta LG de televizoare LCD smart cu retroiluminare LED include modelul LF6300 în diverse dimensiuni. Acesta ese bazat pe panouri IPS Full HD, care măsoară 32, 40, 43, 49, 55, 60 ş 65”. Marele avantaj faţă de modelele precedente este sistemul de operare WebOS 2.0 şi noua telecomandă Magic Remote, care înlocuieşte complet telecomanda clasică.

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   Cel mai exclusivist televizor prezentat de LG este modelul Swarovski OLED. Acesta este un televizor Full HD bazat pe panou OLED curbat construit folosind cristale Swarovski. Culorile afişate de acest model sunt foarte bine definite şi reuşeşte să fie unul dintre cele mai subţiri din lume, cu o grosime aproximativ 4 mm.

   În cele din urmă, mai mult ca o demonstraţie tehnologică, LG a prezentat gigantul 98UB980V. Acesta este cel mai mare televizor disponibil în România, cu o diagonală de 98” (249 cm). Acesta oferă acces la toate tehnologiile avansate integrate în celelalte modele, precum panoul IPS 4K, 4K Upscaler şi sunet ULTRA Surround.

sursa: go4it.ro