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Nº40 Media Console Getting Started
Significantly, this remarkably effective jitter-rejection circuitry is
used for all digital signals, on all paths. Remote and record zones
also benefit from the sonic improvements of the Intelligent FIFO.
Digital processing
Digital processing of the signal in the main zone is performed by
four powerful SHARC DSP chips. These DSPs perform 32-bit fixed
point processing as well as 32-bit and 40-bit floating point process-
ing. This compares rather favorably with more conventional 24-bit
DSPs, as 32-bit parts are 256 times more accurate than 24-bit parts.
In short, the main zone has a terrific amount of DSP power at its
disposal, allowing it to easily perform all of the following simulta-
neously and in real time:
• Signal decoding (for example, Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG, etc.).
• Various music and film surround modes to provide a multi-
channel experience from two-channel material.
• Second-level decoding like SurroundEX and DTS ES 6.1 Matrix
processing.
• Speaker crossovers and bass redirection/management.
• Post-processing (for example, the latest THX Ultra2™ algo-
rithms).
All of this, with power left over for future applications.
Fully independent zones
One of the design criteria of the Nº40 was complete independence
of its five “zones” (that is, the main theater and as many as four
remote and/or record zones). “Independence” in this case means
“any input to any output,” or what is known technically as a “full
crosspoint switch.”
In support of this goal, each of the “RZone” (Remote or Record
Zone) audio cards has two SHARC DSP chips of its own. With this
level of processing power, it becomes possible (for example) to
select a Dolby Digital 5.1 channel signal for enjoyment in the
master bedroom, and have the signal both decoded and then down-
mixed to two channels for reproduction. You do not have to think
about the format of a given source – the Nº40 works everything out.
In fact, each “RZone” card is much like an entire Nº40 audio pro ces-
sor in microcosm, with full A/D, DSP, D/A, and volume control
capability.