Denon AVC-A11SR Mode D'emploi page 40

ENGLISH
(4) DTS 96/24
The sampling frequency, number of bits and number of channels used for recording of music, etc., in studios
has been increasing in recent years, and there are a growing number of high quality signal sources, including
96 kHz/24 bit 5.1-channel sources.
For example, there are high picture/sound quality DVD video sources with 96 kHz/24 bit stereo PCM audio
tracks.
However, because the data rate for these audio tracks is extremely high, there are limits to recording them
on two channels only, and since the quality of the pictures must be restricted it is common to only include
still pictures.
In addition, 96 kHz/24 bit 5.1-channel surround is possible with DVD audio sources, but DVD audio players
are required to play them with this high quality.
DTS 96/24 is a multi-channel digital signal format developed by Digital Theater Systems Inc. in order to deal
with this situation.
Conventional surround formats used sampling frequencies of 48 or 44.1 kHz, so 20 kHz was about the
maximum playback signal frequency. With DTS 96/24, the sampling frequency is increased to 96 or 88.2 kHz
to achieve a wide frequency range of over 40 kHz.
In addition, DTS 96/24 has a resolution of 24 bits, resulting in the same frequency band and dynamic range
as 96 kHz/24 bit PCM.
As with conventional DTS Surround, DTS 96/24 is compatible with a maximum of 5.1 channels, so sources
recorded using DTS 96/24 can be played in high sampling frequency, multiple channel audio with such normal
media as DVD videos and CDs.
Thus, with DTS 96/24, the same 96 kHz/24 bit multi-channel surround sound as with DVD-Audio can be
achieved while viewing DVD-Video images on a conventional DVD-Video player (
96/24 compatible CDs, 88.2 kHz/24 bit multi-channel surround can be achieved using normal CD/LD players
( 1).
Even with the high quality multi-channel signals, the recording time is the same as with conventional DTS
surround sources.
What's more, DTS 96/24 is fully compatible with the conventional DTS surround format, so DTS 96/24 signal
sources can be played with a sampling frequency of 48 kHz or 44.1 kHz on conventional DTS or DTS-ES
surround decoders ( 2).
1: A DVD player with DTS digital output capabilities (for CD/LD players, a player with digital outputs
for conventional DTS CDs/LDs) and a disc recorded in DTS 96/24 are required.
2: The resolution is 24 or 20 bits, depending on the decoder.
(5) Home THX Cinema Surround
THX is an exclusive set of standards and technologies established by the world-renowned film production
company, Lucasfilm Ltd. THX grew from George Lucas' personal desire to make your experience of the film
soundtrack, in both movie theaters and in your home theater, as faithful as possible to what the director
intended.
Movie soundtracks are mixed in special movie theaters called dubbing stages and are designed to be played
back in movie theaters with similar equipment and conditions. The soundtrack created for movie theaters is
then transferred directly onto Laserdisc, VHS tape, DVD, etc., and is not changed for playback in a small home
theater environment.
THX engineers developed patented technologies to accurately translate the sound from the movie theater
environment into the home, correcting the tonal and spatial errors that occur. On the AVC-A11SR, when the
Home THX Cinema mode is on, THX processing is automatically added after the Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby
Digital or DTS decoder:
TM
Re-Equalization
The tonal balance of a film soundtrack will be excessively bright and harsh when played back over audio
equipment in the home because film soundtracks are designed to be played back in large movie theaters
using very different professional equipment. Re-Equalization restores the correct tonal balance for watching
a movie soundtrack in a small home environment.
TM
Timbre Matching
The human ear changes our perception of a sound depending on the direction from which the sound is
coming. In a movie theater, there is an array of surround speakers so that the surround information is all
around you. In a home theater, only two speakers located to the side of your head are used. The Timbre
Matching feature filters the information going to the surround speakers so that they more closely match the
tonal characteristics of the sound coming from the front speakers. This ensures seamless panning between
the front and surround speakers.
40
Adaptive Decorrelation
In a movie theater, a large number of surround speakers help create an enveloping surround sound
experience, while in a home theater there are usually only two speakers. This can make the surround
speakers sound like headphones that lack spaciousness and envelopment. The surround sounds will also
collapse into the closest speaker as you move away from the middle seating position. Adaptive Decorrelation
slightly changes one surround channel's time and phase relationship with respect to the other surround
channel. This expands the listening position and creates—with only two speakers—the same spacious
surround experience as in a movie theater.
TM
THX Ultra
Before any home theater component can be THX Ultra certified, it must incorporate all the features above
and also pass a rigorous series of quality and performance tests. Only then can a product feature the THX
Ultra logo, which is your guarantee that the Home Theater products you purchase will give you superb
performance for many years to come. THX Ultra requirements cover every aspect of the product including
power amplifier performance, pre-amplifier performance and operation, as well as hundreds of other
parameters in both the digital and analog domain.
Lucasfilm, THX, Home THX, Re-Equalization, Timbre Matching, Adaptive Decorrelation and THX Ultra are
trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd.
(6) THX Surround EX
In 1999, a new surround system was launched simultaneously with the release of the movie "Star Wars
1). Furthermore, with DTS
Episode I". "Dolby Digital Surround EX" is a new movie sound track that greatly enhances the sense of
spatial expression and the positioning of the surround channel sound. The result is 360 degrees of movement
and moving sound effects that seem to pass right over the listener's head.
This system was developed jointly by Lucasfilm THX and Dolby Laboratories, fusing Lucasfilm's idea of
improving spatial expression and achieving a uniform 360 degree sound positioning with Dolby Laboratories'
matrix encoding technology. Emphasis was placed on compatibility with the existing system Dolby Digital 5.1-
channel, and the new "surround back (SB) channel" was added to achieve improvements over the
conventional 5.1-channel system in terms of the positioning of the sound at the rear, the acoustic image of
sound moving from the two sides to the back as well as sound moving from the front to the center rear with
the multi surround speaker systems used in movie theaters, thereby enabling various types of surround
sound.
The surround back channel signal is a matrix-encoded signal inserted into both the Dolby Digital SL (surround
left) and SR (surround right) channels. Upon playback, the signals are decoded by a high precision digital
matrix decoder within the Dolby Digital decoder into the SL, SR and SB channels and output as 6.1 channels
of signals. With the AVC-A11SR, the signals further undergo Home THX Cinema processing to achieve a THX
Surround EX system.
Even without the proper environment for playing the SB channel, Dolby Digital Surround EX signals are 100%
compatible with existing 5.1-channel playback systems, so they can be played as such. In this case, the SB
channel signal is produced as a monaural signal from both the SL and SR channels, so none of the signal
components are missing. The effects specific to THX Surround EX (the sense of spatial expression and the
positioning of the sound), however, are the same as with conventional 5.1-channel surround systems.
©Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. Surround EX is a jointly developed technology of THX and Dolby
Laboratories, and is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. Used under authorization.
TM