GLOSSARY

■Dolby Surround

Dolby Surround uses a 4 channel analog recording system to reproduce realistic and dynamic sound effects: 2 main left and right channels (stereo), a center channel for dialog (monaural), and a rear channel for special sound effects (monaural). The rear channel reproduces sound within a narrow frequency range.

Dolby Surround is widely used with nearly all video tapes and laser discs, and in many TV and cable broadcasts as well. The Dolby Pro Logic decoder built into this unit employs a digital signal processing system that automatically stabilizes the volume on each channel to enhance moving sound effects and directionality.

■Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital is a digital surround sound system that gives you completely independent multi-channel audio. With 3 front channels (left, center, and right), and 2 rear stereo channels, Dolby Digital provides 5 full-range audio channels. With an additional channel especially for bass effects, called LFE (low frequency effect), the system has a total of 5.1 channels (LFE is counted as 0.1 channel). By using 2-channel stereo for the rear speakers, more accurate moving sound effects and surround sound environment are possible than with Dolby Surround. The wide dynamic range (from maximum to minimum volume) reproduced by the 5 full-range channels and the precise sound orientation generated using digital sound processing provide listeners with previously unheard of excitement and realism.

With this unit, any sound environment from monaural up to a 5.1-channel configuration can be freely selected for your enjoyment.

Dolby Digital EX creates 6 full-bandwidth output channels from 5.1-channel sources. This is done using a matrix decoder that derives 3 surround channels from the 2 in the original recording. For the best results, Dolby Digital EX should be used with movie sound tracks recorded with Dolby Digital Surround EX. With this additional channel, you can experience more dynamic and realistic moving sound especially with scenes with “fly- over” and “fly-around” effects.

■Dolby Pro Logic

Dolby Pro Logic is an improved technique used to decode vast numbers of existing Dolby Surround softwares. This new technology enables a discrete 5- channel playback with 2 main left and right channels, 1 center channel, and 2 rear left and right channels (instead of only 1 rear channel for conventional Pro Logic technology). A music mode is also available for 2-channel sources in addition to the movie mode.

■DTS (Digital Theater Systems) Digital Surround

DTS digital surround was developed to replace the analog soundtracks of movies with a 6-channel digital sound track, and is now rapidly gaining popularity in movie theaters around the world. Digital Theater Systems Inc. has developed a home theater system so that you can enjoy the depth of sound and natural spatial representation of DTS digital surround in your home. This system produces practically distortion-free 6-channel sound (technically, a left, right and center channels, 2 rear channels, plus an LFE 0.1 channel as a subwoofer, for a total of 5.1 channels).

The unit incorporates DTS-ES compatible decoder that enables 6.1-channel reproduction by adding the rear center channel to existing 5.1-channel format. (The rear center channel is created from rear left and right channels.)

■LFE 0.1 channel

This channel is for the reproduction of low bass signals. The frequency range for this channel is 20 Hz to 120 Hz. This channel is counted as 0.1 because it only enforces a low frequency range compared to the full-range reproduced by the other 5 channels in a Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1 channel systems.

■ CINEMA DSP

D I G I T A L

Since the Dolby Surround and DTS systems were originally designed for use in movie theaters, their effect is best felt in a theater having many speakers and designed for acoustic effects. Since home conditions, such as room size, wall material, number of speakers, and so on, can differ so widely, it’s inevitable that there are differences in the sound heard as well. Based on a wealth of actually measured data, YAMAHA CINEMA DSP uses YAMAHA original sound field technology to combine Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital and DTS systems to provide the visual and audio experience of movie theater in the listening room of your own home.

■SILENT CINEMA

YAMAHA has developed a natural, realistic sound effect DSP algorithm for headphones.

Parameters for headphones have been set for each sound field so that accurate representations of all the sound field programs can be enjoyed using headphones.

64