DD THX EX and DTS ES decoders screw up standard DVDs?
09-21-00, 02:00 PM
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In a recent article in one of the home theater magazines, the writer talked about EX and ES decoding on standard 5.1 DVDs. I can't remember which magazine (Stereophile, Home Theater, S&V, etc.), I get them all.
He talked about the randomness of the back surround channel when playing standard 5.1 discs, and how sometimes it gets it all screwed up. One example sited was "Saving Private Ryan" which had some ambient explosion sounds in the beach scene. On a regular 5.1 decoder, you hear that sound all around you. On a 6.1 decoder, it becomes an annoying back surround sound only.
I don't have a 6.1 receiver to test his findings, but I'm asking if anyone here who does can confirm this. Also, the writer wasn't very clear on what equipment he was using. Was it a THX certified EX receiver like the Denons? Or was it a non-THX 6.1 receiver like the Yamahas and Outlaws? Was his back surround one or two speakers? Were they direct/bipole/dipole?
Anyone?
He talked about the randomness of the back surround channel when playing standard 5.1 discs, and how sometimes it gets it all screwed up. One example sited was "Saving Private Ryan" which had some ambient explosion sounds in the beach scene. On a regular 5.1 decoder, you hear that sound all around you. On a 6.1 decoder, it becomes an annoying back surround sound only.
I don't have a 6.1 receiver to test his findings, but I'm asking if anyone here who does can confirm this. Also, the writer wasn't very clear on what equipment he was using. Was it a THX certified EX receiver like the Denons? Or was it a non-THX 6.1 receiver like the Yamahas and Outlaws? Was his back surround one or two speakers? Were they direct/bipole/dipole?
Anyone?
09-21-00, 04:29 PM
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Hi El Pollo,
The article was in Sound and Vision and the reviewer (David Ranada) was not using "6.1" equipment. He was using a 5.1 Dolby Digital decoder for the front channels and then using a separate Dolby Pro Logic decoder in "Dolby 3 Stereo" mode for the back channels. The 3 back channels in THX Surround EX are similar to Dolby 3 Stereo in that the center channel is matrixed and extracted on playback from the left and right signals.
Ranada took 5.1 discs (discs that AREN'T encoded with a matrixed back channel) to see what 5.1 discs would sound like with this pseudo-THX EX setup. The results turned out bad for 2 reasons. First, he trying to extract a back center channel for a 5.1 disc and not from a disc specifically encoded with a back center channel, and secondly, he wasn't using THX-EX equipment...he was only trying to simulate it with the Dolby 3 Stereo working on the back channels. His article was an experiment to see what 5.1 discs would sound like if trying to play them in a pseudo THX-EX setup.
If you take a look at reviews for discs encoded in "6.1" and played on THX Surround EX equipment, you will find that the results are very good, unlike Ranada's tests.
The article was in Sound and Vision and the reviewer (David Ranada) was not using "6.1" equipment. He was using a 5.1 Dolby Digital decoder for the front channels and then using a separate Dolby Pro Logic decoder in "Dolby 3 Stereo" mode for the back channels. The 3 back channels in THX Surround EX are similar to Dolby 3 Stereo in that the center channel is matrixed and extracted on playback from the left and right signals.
Ranada took 5.1 discs (discs that AREN'T encoded with a matrixed back channel) to see what 5.1 discs would sound like with this pseudo-THX EX setup. The results turned out bad for 2 reasons. First, he trying to extract a back center channel for a 5.1 disc and not from a disc specifically encoded with a back center channel, and secondly, he wasn't using THX-EX equipment...he was only trying to simulate it with the Dolby 3 Stereo working on the back channels. His article was an experiment to see what 5.1 discs would sound like if trying to play them in a pseudo THX-EX setup.
If you take a look at reviews for discs encoded in "6.1" and played on THX Surround EX equipment, you will find that the results are very good, unlike Ranada's tests.
