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How do you choose the right THX Certified products for your listening environment?
To help you find the right products for your room, THX has established performance categories based on the size of specific listening areas. For example, a THX Select2 Certified AV receiver is engineered for rooms with a viewing distance* of approximately 10 - 12 feet from the display to the primary seating position. By contrast, THX Ultra2 Certified products are engineered for rooms with a viewing distance of 12 feet and beyond.
HDMI Version
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is an industry-supported, uncompressed, digital audio/video interface. By delivering digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, or A/V receiver and an A/V monitor, such as a digital television (DTV).
HDMI supports uncompressed digital audio and currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby Digital and DTS), HDMI 1.3 and later adds additional support for lossless digital audio formats Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™ with bandwidth to spare for future needs.
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby® Digital is the reigning standard for surround sound technology in general and 5.1-channel surround sound in particular.
Dolby Digital is a versatile audio encoding/decoding technology. Dolby Digital technology can transmit mono, stereo (two-channel), or up to 5.1-channel surround sound (discrete multichannel audio).
The sound information contained in each of the six available channels is distinct and independent. These six channels are described as a "5.1-channel" system, because there are five full-bandwidth channels with 3 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range for Front Left and Right, Center, and Surround, plus one "Low Frequency Effects" (LFE) subwoofer channel devoted to frequencies from 3 to 120 Hz.
DTS 5.1
DTS Digital Surround is the standard for providing 5.1 channels of discrete digital audio in consumer electronics products and software content.
Dolby Digital EX
Dolby Digital EX takes the Dolby Digital 5.1-channel setup one step further with an additional center surround channel (reproduced through one or two speakers) for extra dimensional detail and an enveloping surround sound effect.
Current Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtracks contain a digital flag that can automatically activate the EX decoding in a receiver or preamp/processor. For titles released prior to late 2001, however, you need to turn on the EX decoding manually.
DVD-Audio
DVD-Audio is an extension of the highly popular DVD format, distinguished by its capability for delivering a new standard of quality previously unavailable in packaged audio media. A highly compelling feature of DVD-Audio is its multichannel (5.1) audio capability. DVD-Audio also includes a host of value-added multimedia features not previously available on compact disc.
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Dolby® Digital Plus is the next-generation audio technology for all high-definition programming and media. Built on Dolby Digital, the multichannel audio standard for DVD and HD broadcasts worldwide.
Features
* Multichannel sound with discrete channel output.
* Channel and program extensions can carry multichannel audio programs of up to 7.1 channels and support multiple programs in a single encoded bitstream.
* Outputs a Dolby Digital bitstream for playback on existing Dolby Digital systems.
* Supports data rates as high as 6 Mbps.
* Bit rate performance of at least 3 Mbps on HD DVD and up to 1.7 Mbps on Blu-ray Disc.
* Accurately reproduces what the director and producer intended.
* Interactive mixing and streaming capability in advanced systems.
* Supported by HDMI™, the single-cable digital connection for high-definition audio and video.
*Can deliver 7.1 channels and beyond of enhanced-quality audio at up to 6 Mbps
*Allows multiple languages to be carried in a single bitstream.
*Offers audio professionals new creative power and freedom.
*Compatible with the millions of home entertainment systems equipped with Dolby Digital.
* No latency or loss of quality in the conversion process.
* Maintains high quality at more efficient broadcast bit rates (200 kbps for 5.1-channel audio).
* Selected by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) as the standard for future broadcast applications; named as an option by the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) Project for satellite and cable TV.
*Selected as the mandatory audio format for HD DVD and as an optional audio format for the Blu-ray Disc.
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby® TrueHD is Dolby's next-generation lossless technology developed for high-definition disc-based media. Dolby TrueHD delivers tantalizing sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master, unlocking the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs. When coupled with high-definition video, Dolby TrueHD offers an unprecedented home theater experience that lets you enjoy sound as stunning as the high-definition picture.Features
* 100 percent lossless coding technology.
* Up to 18 Mbps bit rate.
* Supports up to eight full-range channels of 24-bit/96 kHz audio.
* Supported by High-Definition Media Interface (HDMI™), the single-cable digital connection for audio and video.
* Supports extensive metadata including dialogue normalization and dynamic range control.
*Dolby TrueHD can support more than eight audio channels. HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc standards currently limit their maximum number of audio channels to eight.
Dolby Pro Logic II/IIx
Dolby® Pro Logic® IIx - Pro Logic IIx is a technology to expand any existing stereo- or 5.1-channel audio to a 6.1- or 7.1- channel playback.
Dolby® Pro Logic® II technology processes any stereo (two-channel) audio into five playback channels of full-bandwidth surround sound. It's ideally suited for home theater systems, PCs, game consoles, and multichannel in-car audio systems (called Dolby Pro Logic II Surround).
It has no impact on the game console's CPU, which means all this extra audio won't slow your game down.
Dolby Pro Logic IIz expands on Pro Logic IIx with the addition of creating front height channels above the front left and right speakers, expanding a 5.1 or 7.1 system into 7.1 Height or 9.1. It identifies spatial cues in low-level, uncorrelated information, such as ambience and effects like rain or wind, and directs it to the front height speakers.The channels it adds are matrixed, not discrete.
