INTRODUCTION TO HOME THEATER
The DVD 38 may be the first multichannel surround sound component you’ve owned. This introductory section will help to familiarize you with the basic concepts, which may make setup and operation smoother.
If you are already familiar with home theater, you may skip this section and proceed to the Connections section on page 17.
Typical Home Theater System
A home theater typically includes your audio/video receiver, which controls the system; a DVD player; a source component for television broadcasts; (e.g., a cable box, a satellite dish receiver, an HDTV tuner or simply an antenna connected to the TV); a video display (TV); and loudspeakers.
All of these components are connected by various types of cables for audio and video signals.
Multichannel Audio
The benefit of a home theater system is that several loudspeakers are used in various locations around the room to produce “surround sound,” immersing you in the musical or film presentation for increased realism.
The receiver used with the DVD 38 may have up to seven speakers connected to it (plus a subwoofer). When more than two speakers are used, it is called a multichannel system
•Front Left and Right – The main speakers are used the same way as in a
•Center – The center speaker is usually placed above or below the video screen, and is used mostly for dialogue in movies and television programs. This placement allows the dialogue to originate near the actors’ faces, for a more natural sound.
•Surround Left and Right – The surround speakers are used to improve directionality of ambient sounds. In addition, by using more loudspeakers in the system, more dynamic soundtracks may be played without risk of overloading any one speaker.
•Surround Back Left and Right – Additional surround speakers may be placed behind the listening position, improving the precision with which ambient sounds may be placed and allowing for more
The surround back speakers may also be used with specialized surround modes that are designed for use with
Many people expect the surround speakers to play as loudly as the front speakers. Although all of the speakers in the system will be calibrated to sound equally loud at the listening position, most sound tracks use the surround speaker for ambient effects only, and they program their materials to steer very little sound to these speakers.
•Subwoofer – A subwoofer is a
in Dolby Digital, contain a special
Surround Modes
There are different theories as to the best way to present surround sound and to distribute soundtrack information among the various speakers. A variety of algorithms have been developed in an effort to accurately reproduce the way we hear sounds in the real world. The result is a rich variety of surround mode options. Some modes are selected automatically, depending on the signal being received from the source. In many cases, you may select a surround mode manually.
Several companies have taken surround sound in slightly different directions. It is helpful to group the numerous surround modes either by their brand name, or by using a generic name:
•Dolby Laboratories Modes:
ÍDolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX – These modes are encoded in the program material either on a disc or within a television broad- cast. They provide up to five or six separate main audio channels and a dedicated
ÍDolby Pro Logic® II/IIx – These modes are derived by an analog decoder that creates five or six
•DTS Modes – DTS is a digital surround format that is encoded in the program material. It uses a different encoding and decoding method than Dolby Digital to provide up to 5 discrete main channels, plus an LFE channel. The
•Stereo Mode – Two-channel mode with no surround sound.
Surround modes are selected using your receiver or processor. The availability of multichannel surround sound depends on the capabilities of your receiver/processor; consult its owner’s manual for more information.
16