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THX Surround EX ™ - Dolby Digital Surround EX is a joint development of Dolby Laboratories and the THX
division of Lucasfilm Ltd.
In a movie theater, film soundtracks that have been encoded with Dolby Digital Surround EX technology are able
to reproduce an extra channel, which has been added during the mixing of the program. This channel, called
Surround Back, places sounds behind the listener in addition to the currently available front left, front center, front
right, surround right, surround left and subwoofer channels. This additional channel provides the opportunity for
more detailed imaging behind the listener and brings more depth, spacious ambiance and sound localization than
ever before.
When released to the home consumer market, movies that were created using the Dolby Digital Surround EX
technology, may have a note to that effect on the packaging. A list of movies created using this technology can be
found on the Dolby web site at http://www.dolby.com/.
Only receiver and controller products bearing the THX Surround EX logo, when in the THX Surround EX mode,
faithfully reproduce this new technology in the home.
This product may also engage the “THX Surround EX” mode during the playback of 5.1 channel material that is
not Dolby Digital Surround EX encoded. In such case the information delivered to the Surround Back channel will
be program dependent and may or may not be very pleasing depending on the particular soundtrack and the
tastes of the individual listener.
Ultra 2 ™ - THX Ultra2 is a breakthrough technology which allows an entertainment system to accommodate
current and future multi-channel formats for both music and movies. THX Ultra2 specification provides
uncompromised eight-channel playback of multi-channel program material, whether movie soundtracks or music
over the widest possible seating area. In addition, all Ultra2 certified receivers and controllers must incorporate
video switching capable of handling wide-bandwidth sources, including HDTV and progressive scan DVD, without
degrading the picture. THX Ultra2 uses seven channels of amplification to playback multi-channel-encoded
program for use in a single fixed seven-speaker/one subwoofer home theater system. In THX Ultra 2 Cinema
mode or THX MusicMode, program material with 5.1 channels or more is auto-detected and additional processing
is applied to blend the directional and ambient surround information for playback with two surround side speakers
and two surround back speakers.
Boundary Gain Compensation ™ - Room boundaries such as walls and other acoustic obstacles may increase
the perceived volume levels of low frequencies. Depending where the listener or the subwoofer is located, the
listener may experience excess bass level. Boundary Gain Compensation allows a means to adjust for excessive
bass resulting from a boundary gain effect. The Boundary Gain Compensation feature is designed to operate
when used with a subwoofer certified to THX Ultra2 specifications
Advanced Speaker Array ™ (ASA) - In THX Ultra2 Cinema and THX MusicMode, ASA performs additional
processing to optimize the use of surround side and surround back speakers in a home theater system.
THX Ultra2 ™ Cinema mode - Processing a multichannel digital signal (Dolby Digital, DTS, etc.), this mode plays
back 5.1 and 6.1 encoded movies for use with up to 8 speakers to give an enhanced movie watching experience.
In this mode, ASA processing technology is used to blend the surround side speakers with the surround back
speakers to provide an optimal mix of ambient and directional surround sounds. THX's ASA circuitry will
automatically detect DTS-ES (Matrix and 6.1 Discrete) and Dolby Digital Surround EX encoded soundtracks and
apply the required ASA processing for playback using 8 speakers.
THX MusicMode ™ - DVDs encoded for music content typically have their surround sounds mixed differently
than the surround sounds mixed for movie soundtracks. In this mode ASA processing technology is used to
optimize the playback of 5.1 encoded music material, i.e. DTS, Dolby Digital and DVD-Audio, for playback using 8
speakers. THX MusicMode provides a stable wide rear soundstage with surround sounds best suited for music
playback.