Souls Of Sound: July 2009

Products Of SDDS

Overview of Product Range

*DFP-3000 SDDS Cinema Processor System:
Cost effective all in one SDDS and analog system consisting of DFP-D3000 Decoder.

*DFP-2500 SDDS Sound System:
SDDS processor system that supports the full SDDS 8 format consisting of DFP-R3000 Reader and DFP-D2500 Decoder.

SDDS channel arrangement with 5 front channels, 2 surround channels and a subwoofer channel or "5/2.1".
Original format used: 8 micrometre square data bits. Final format used: 24 micrometre square data bits.

History Of SDDS

SDDS was developed for Sony under contract with Semetex Corp., located in Torrance, California. Although originally slated to premier with Hook, the SDDS project was delayed and instead premiered on June 17, 1993 with the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero. Since then, over 1,400 movies have been mixed in Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, and as of early 1999 over 6,750 movie theaters were equipped with SDDS.

SDDS stands for Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, which is a cinema sound system developed by Sony. Digital sound information is recorded on both outer edges of the 35 mm film release print. The system supports up to 8 independent channels of sound: 5 front channels, 2 surround channels and a sub-bass channel.

THX works with consumer electronics manufacturers to design and build the finest home audio and video products. Through proprietary performance requirements and advanced technologies, THX enables home entertainment products to deliver stunning sound and visual performances.

What better way to escape from reality than by going to the cinema? The more immersive the performance, the more you enjoy the feature presentation. This is where a cinema built to THX standards comes into play. Born from George Lucas’ vision to improve cinema performance, a THX Certified Cinema lets you sit back, relax and be whisked away into a truly captivating entertainment experience.

Technology advancement, in conjunction with establishing renowned certification programs, has always been a main focus for THX. With years of research and development, THX has created a number of proprietary technologies and programs to constantly improve and enhance your sound and visual entertainment experiences.

Norris Cinema Theatre, on the University of Southern California campus, where THX was first developed and installed.
The first theater THX was used in was at the University of Southern California's Eileen L. Norris Cinema Theatre as a part of USC's noted film school.

THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity sound reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems.

DTS Neural Surround is the bridge between stereo and 5.1 surround audio. Products with the DTS Neural Surround logo allow for seamless conversion between stereo and 5.1 audio through the capture, edit, management and broadcast process.

Converting PC Audio into DTS Format

With more personal computers being used as home media centers, DTS Connect is the perfect solution to enhance your entertainment experience using your home theater's Audio/Video Receiver. DTS Connect is comprised of two DTS technologies:

DTS is constantly seeking better solutions that improve the listening experience. With this in mind, DTS has created DTS Surround Sensation™, which delivers the most realistic, three-dimensional sensation of being completely surrounded by sound — when listening with just two speakers or stereo headphones. It is an elegant and simple alternative that can greatly improve the listening experience for any audience.

DTS Core + Extensions

DTS Digital Surround, also known as the "Core", is the high-quality standard for providing 5.1 channels of discrete digital audio in consumer products. With the ability to operate at 44.1 or 48kHz, and at a bit rate of upto 1.5Mbps, the DTS Digital Surround sets the bar for audio on DVDs.

DTS-ES (DTS Extended Surround) includes two variants, DTS-ES Matrix and DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, depending on how the sound was originally mastered and stored.DTS-ES Discrete provides 6.1 discrete channels, with a discretely recorded (non-matrixed) center-surround channel; in home theater systems with a 7.1 configuration, the two rear-center speakers play in mono.

DTS 70 mm
This is a process designed specifically for playback in motion picture theaters equipped with 70mm projection and 6-track stereophonic surround sound. 70mm DTS prints do not have 6-track magnetic striping, so there is no analog backup should the digital sound fail.

Both music and movie DVDs allow delivery of DTS audio tracks. But DTS was not part of the original DVD specification (1997), so early DVD players did not recognize DTS audio tracks at all. The DVD specification was revised to allow optional inclusion of DTS audio tracks.

DTS as a codec

On the consumer level, DTS is the oft-used shorthand for the DTS Coherent Acoustics codec, transportable through S/PDIF and used on DVDs, CDDAs, LDs and in wave files. This system is the consumer version of the DTS standard, using a similar codec without needing separate DTS CD-ROM media.
There are significant technical differences between commercial/theatrical and home variants: the former being a traditional ADPCM derived compression system called APTX-100, and the latter a sophisticated hybrid perceptual and signal-redundancy compressor.

History Of DTS

One of the company's initial investors was film director Steven Spielberg, who felt that theatrical sound formats up until the company's founding were no longer state of the art, and as a result were no longer optimal for use on projects where quality sound reproduction was of the utmost importance.

DTS (also known as Digital Theater System(s)), owned by DTS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DTSI), is a multi-channel digital surround sound format used for both commercial/theatrical and consumer grade applications. It is used for in-movie sound both on film and on DVD, on CD and during the last few years of the Laserdisc format's existence, several releases had DTS soundtracks.

Applications of Dolby Digital

Various audio track formats on 35 mm film. L to R: Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS, a competing system); Dolby Digital (between the sprocket holes); analog Optical; DTS time code. Look very closely and you will see the Dolby "Double-D" logo in the middle of the Dolby Digital code pattern.

Dolby Digital logo that is sometimes shown at the beginning of broadcasts, feature films, and games
Versions
Dolby Digital, or AC-3, is the common version containing up to six discrete channels of sound. The most elaborate mode in common usage involves five channels for normal-range speakers (20 Hz – 20,000 Hz) (right front, center, left front, right rear and left rear) and one channel (20 Hz – 120 Hz allotted audio) for the subwoofer driven low-frequency effects.

Other Realated things

Ambisonics

Ambisonics is a series of recording and replay techniques using multichannel mixing technology that can be used live or in the studio. Any number of speakers in any physical arrangement can be used to recreate a sound field. With 6 or more speakers arranged around a listener, a 3-dimensional ("periphonic", or full-sphere) sound field can be presented. Ambisonics was invented by Michael Gerzon and others.

Panor-Ambiophonic (PanAmbio) 4.0/4.1

PanAmbio combines a stereo dipole and crosstalk cancellation in front and a second set in back of the listener (total of four speakers) for 360° 2D surround reproduction. Four channel recordings, especially those containing binaural cues, create speaker-binaural surround sound. 5.1 channel recordings, including movie DVDs, are compatible by mixing C-channel content to the front speaker pair. 6.1 can be played by mixing SC to the back pair.

22.2 Channel Surround

22.2 is the surround sound component of Ultra High Definition Video (Super Hi-vision TV with 4320 scanning lines), and has been developed by NHK Science & Technical Research Laboratories. As its name suggests, it uses 24 speakers. These are arranged in three layers: A middle layer of ten speakers, an upper layer of nine speakers, and a lower layer of three speakers and two sub-woofers. The system was demonstrated at Expo 2005, Aichi, Japan, the NAB 2006 conference, Las Vegas, and at IBC 2006 and IBC 2008, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

10.2 Channel Surround

10.2 is the surround sound format developed by THX creator Tomlinson Holman of TMH Labs and University of Southern California (schools of Cinema/Television and Engineering). Developed along with Chris Kyriakakis of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, 10.2 refers to the format's promotional slogan: "Twice as good as 5.1". Advocates of 10.2 argue that it is the audio equivalent of IMAX.
10.2 augments the LS (left surround) and RS (right surround) channels by two point surround channels that can more finely manipulate sound—allowing the mixer to shift sounds in a distinct 360° circle around the movie watcher.
The 14 discrete channels are:

Five front speakers: Left Wide, Left, Center, Right and Right Wide
Five surround channels: Left Surround Diffuse, Left Surround Direct, Back Surround, Right Surround Diffuse and Right Surround Direct
Two LFE channels: LFE Left, LFE Right
Two Height channels: Left Height, Right Height
The .2 of the 10.2 refers to the addition of a second subwoofer. The system is bass managed such that all the speakers on the left side use the left sub and all the speakers on the right use the right sub. The Center and Back Surround speaker are split among the two subs. The two subs also serve as two discrete LFE (Low Frequency Effects) channels. Although low frequencies are not localizable, it was found that splitting the bass on either side of the audience increases the sense of envelopment.

7.1 Channel Surround (digital discrete: Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD)

See also: 8 channel audio
Delivers seven audio channels and one LFE channel from an 8 channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the sides—left surround (LS) and right surround (RS).[7]
Two channels for surround speakers at the rear—left back (LB) and right back (RB).
One low-frequency effects channel (LFE).
Describes the Dolby Digital Plus discrete Surround system. Source media, usually Blu-Ray and sometimes HD DVD is often branded with "Dolby Digital Plus" and/or "DTS-HD" logos.

Layout variation for 7.1 widescreen cinema format:
Four channels for speakers at the front—left (L), Center-left (CL), right (R) and Center-Right (CR).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the rear—surround left (LS) and surround right (RS).
One low-frequency effects channel (LFE).
8-channel SDDS uses this layout variation.
This variation is becoming increasingly popular in home entertainment systems, as well as for large cinema auditoria where the screen width is such that the additional channels are needed to cover all angles between the loudspeakers satisfactorily for all seats in the auditorium.
For music, speaker placement is unknown.
Placement: The front speakers should be placed at the edges of the screen, toed in to face the central listening location, and the tweeters should be ear height. The center speaker should be placed behind the screen (when using projection) or over or under a TV, and as close to ear height as possible. Side channel speakers should be placed on side walls, to the left and right of the listening position, equidistant from the front speakers and the rear speakers. Rear channel speakers should be placed on side walls, slightly behind the listening position, and should have a normal high-quality monopolar construction. Front speakers should be at ear height and surrounds should be above ear height.

6.1 Channel Surround (analog magnetic) Cinerama 7-Track

Delivers seven audio channels from a 7 channel source:
Four channels for speakers at the front-left (L), left-center (LC), right-center (RC), and right (R).
One channel for the center (C)
Two channel switchable surround that could feed one channel on the left and right walls and the other in the rear or could feed one channel on the left and one on the right.
Placement: The first five speakers should be placed across the wall on top of the screen or behind the screen. There should be three surround channels on the left, right, and rear walls. Switchable surround sound was done manually by a theater engineer based upon cue marks.

6.1 Channel Surround (digital discrete: DTS-ES)

Delivers six discrete audio channels and 1 LFE channel from a seven channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the sides—side left (LS) and side right (RS).
One channel for surround speakers at the rear—back surround channel (BS).
One low-frequency effects channel (LFE).
Describes the DTS ES discrete Surround system. Source media, usually DVD is often branded with "DTS ES" logo. In theatrical motion picture film, this format does not exist, and the name "DTS-ES" refers to the above hybrid format used for Dolby Digital EX.
Placement: The front speakers should be placed at the edges of the screen, toed in to face the central listening location. The center speaker should be placed behind the screen (when using projection) or over or under a TV. Side channel speakers should be placed to the left and right of the listening position, equidistant from the front speakers and the rear speakers. Rear channel speakers should be placed slightly behind the listening position, and should have a normal high-quality monopolar construction. Front speakers should be at ear height and surrounds should be above ear height.

6.1-7.1 Channel Surround (digital partially discrete: Dolby Digital EX)

Delivers five audio channels, one extracted audio channel and one LFE channel from a six channel source:
Two discrete channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One discrete channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the sides—left surround (LS) and right surround (RS). The discrete LS and RS channels are dematrixed into LS, RS, and back surround (BS).
One channel for surround speakers at the rear—back surround channel (BS). The back surround channel can be made into two channels by the receiver.
One low-frequency effects channel (LFE).
Describes the Dolby Digital EX discrete/matrixed hybrid Surround system. Source media, usually DVD is often branded with "Dolby Digital EX" logo. This format is used in some theatrical motion picture films.
Placement: The front speakers should be placed at the edges of the screen, toed in to face the central listening location. The center speaker should be placed behind the screen (when using projection) or over or under a TV. Side channel speakers should be placed to the left and right of the listening position, equidistant from the front speakers and the rear speakers. Rear channel speakers should be placed slightly behind the listening position, and should have a normal high-quality monopolar construction. Front speakers should be at ear height and surrounds should be above ear height.

6.1 Channel Surround (analog matrixed: Dolby Pro Logic IIx)

Extracts six audio channels and one low-frequency channel from either a specially encoded two-channel or stereo source. Expands a back surround channel from a 5.1 channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the sides—side left (LS) and side right (RS).
One channel for surround speakers at the rear—back surround channel (BS).
One low-frequency channel to drive a sub-woofer.
Describes the Dolby Pro Logic IIx matrixed surround system. Source media is the same as both Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Pro Logic II.
Placement: The front speakers should be placed at the edges of the screen, toed in to face the central listening location. The center speaker should be placed behind the screen (when using projection) or over or under a TV. Side channel speakers should be placed to the left and right of the listening position, equidistant from the front speakers and the rear speakers. Rear channel speakers should be placed slightly behind the listening position, and should have a normal high-quality monopolar construction. Front speakers should be at ear height and surrounds should be above.

5.1 Channel Surround (3-2 Stereo) (digital discrete: Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS, Penteo)

Delivers Five discrete audio channels and 1 LFE channel from a 6 channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the rear—surround left (LS) and surround right (RS).
One low-frequency effects channel (LFE).
Describes the Dolby Digital, Digital Theater System (DTS), and Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) systems. Source media, usually DVD and sometimes Laser Disc or satellite/digital cable is often branded with "Dolby Digital" and/or DTS logos.
Although DTS uses a higher data rate than Dolby Digital, this doesn't mean that the fidelity is higher.
5.1 surround sound may also be referred to as 3-2 stereo. This defines the configuration that has been standardised for numerous surround sound applications. The term 3-2 refers to 3 front speakers and 2 rear speakers.
Placement: 5.1 speaker layouts should conform to the ITU-R BS.775 standard, despite the myth that music and video content require different placements. The ITU standard states that the left and right speakers are located at ±30°, while the rear speakers should be positioned approximately ±110°. There is speculation that rear loudspeakers at ±150° provide "more exciting surround effects".

5.1 Channel Surround (70 mm 6-Track) (analog magnetic)

Delivers six audio channels from a 6 channel source:
Four channels for speakers at the front-left (L), left center (LC), right center (RC), and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center-center (C)
One channel for surround speaker at the rear-monaural surround (S)

5.1 Channel Surround (3-2 Stereo) (analog magnetic: Dolby Stereo "Baby Boom")
Delivers five audio channels and 1 LFE channel from a 6 channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the rear—surround left (LS) and surround right (RS).
One low-frequency effects channel (LFE).

4.0 Channel Surround (analog matrixed: Dolby Pro Logic)

Extracts four audio channels from a specially encoded two-channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
One channel for both surround speakers at the rear—mono surround channel (S).
Describes the Dolby Pro Logic matrixed surround system. Source media, usually VHS, Laser Disc, television broadcast or CableTV/Satellite is often branded with "Dolby Surround" logo. This is the encoding used on the analog optical track for theatrical motion picture films.
Placement: (Five speakers in total) The front speakers should be placed at the edges of the screen, toed in to face the central listening location, and the tweeters should be ear height. The center speaker should be placed behind the screen (when using projection) or over or under a TV, and as close to ear-high as possible. Surround channel speakers should be placed above ear height, slightly behind the listening position, and should be of bi-pole construction.

4.0 Channel Surround (analog matrixed/discrete: Quadraphonic)

Extracts four audio channels from either a specially encoded two-channel source or a four-channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
Two channels for surround speakers at the rear—surround left (LS) and surround right (RS). Some newer receivers support the LFE channel.
Describes the early matrixed systems and discrete Quadraphonic surround systems. Source media, usually LP record or tape, is often branded four channel stereo.
Placement: Quadraphonics is a system designed for music only. All speakers should be at an ±45°. All speakers should be above ear height.

5.1 Channel Surround (3-2 Stereo) (analog matrixed: Dolby Pro Logic II)

Extracts Five audio channels from either a specially encoded two-channel or a stereo source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for speaker at the center—center (C).
Two channels for surround speakers at the rear—surround left (LS) and surround right (RS).
One low-frequency effects channel (LFE).
Describes the Dolby Pro Logic II matrixed surround system. Source media is often gaming systems including Playstation 2, GameCube and Wii games branded with "Pro Logic II" logo.
5.1 surround sound may also be referred to as 3-2 stereo. This defines the configuration that has been standardised for numerous surround sound applications. The term 3-2 refers to 3 front speakers and 2 rear speakers.
Placement: 5.1 speaker layouts should conform to the ITU-R BS.775 standard, despite the myth that music and video content require different placements. The ITU standard states that the left and right speakers are located at ±30°, while the rear speakers should be positioned approximately ±110°. There is speculation that rear loudspeakers at ±150° provide "more exciting surround effects".

3.0 Channel Surround (analog matrixed: Dolby Surround)

Extracts 3 audio channels from a specially encoded two-channel source:
Two channels for speakers at the front—left (L) and right (R).
One channel for surround speaker or speakers at the rear—surround (S).
Describes the numerous matrixed (pre- Pro Logic) surround processors.
Placement: (three speakers in total) Three identical speakers placed equidistant around a central listening position. If two rear speakers are used they should also be placed above ear height, slightly behind the listening position, and should be of bi-polar construction.

Notation

This notation, e.g. "5.1", reflects the number of full range channels; including a ".1" to reflect the limited range of the LFE channel.
E.g. 2 basic stereo speakers with no LFE channel = 2.05 full-range channels + 1 LFE channel = 5.1
It can also be expressed as the number of full-range channels in front of the listener, separated by a slash from the number of full-range channels beside or behind the listener, separated by a decimal point from the number of limited-range LFE channels.
E.g. 3 front channels + 2 side channels + an LFE channel = 3/2.1
This notation can then be expanded to include the notation of Matrix Decoders. Dolby Digital EX, for example, has a sixth full-range channel incorporated into the two rear channels with a matrix. This would be expressed:
3 front channels + 2 rear channels + 3 channels reproduced in the rear in total + 1 LFE channel = 3/2:3.1
Note: The term stereo, although popularised in reference to two channel audio, can also be properly used to refer to surround sound, as it strictly means "solid" sound. However this is no longer a common usage and "stereo sound" is almost exclusively used to describe two channel left and right sound.

Surround sound specifications

This section contains too much jargon and may need simplification or further explanation. Please discuss this issue on the talk page, and/or remove or explain jargon terms used in the article. Editing help is available. (June 2009)

This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help clarify the article; suggestions may be found on the talk page. (June 2009)
The descriptions of surround sound specifications below distinguish between the number of discrete channels encoded in the original signal and the number of channels reproduced for playback. The number of channels reproduced for playback can be changed by using matrix decoding. A distinction is also made between the number of channels reproduced for playback and the number of speakers used to reproduce (each channel may refer to a group of speakers). The graphics to the right of each specification description represent the number of channels, not the number of speakers.

Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel

The Low Frequency Effects channel, or LFE, is a source of some confusion in surround sound. The LFE channel was originally developed to carry extremely low "sub-bass" cinematic sound effects (e.g., the loud rumble of thunder or explosions) on their own channel. When loud sub-bass effects are on a different channel, this allows theaters to control the volume of the sub-bass effects, so that it suits the size of their sound reproduction system and the acoustic environment of their cinema. Independent control of the sub-bass effects also reduced the problem of intermodulation distortion in analog movie sound reproduction.
In the original movie theater implementation, the LFE was a separate channel fed to one or more subwoofers. However, home replay systems may not have a separate subwoofer that is able to handle the sub-bass effects. As a result, modern home surround decoders and systems often include a bass management system that allows bass on any channel (main or LFE) to be fed only to the loudspeakers that can handle low-frequency signals. The salient point here is that the LFE channel is not the "subwoofer channel"; there may not even be a subwoofer and, if there is, it may be handling a good deal more than effects.
Some record labels such as Telarc and Chesky have argued that LFE channels are not needed in a modern digital multichannel entertainment system. They argue that all available channels have a full frequency range and, as such, there is no need for an LFE in surround music production, because all the frequencies are available in all the main channels. These labels sometimes use the LFE channel to carry a height channel, underlining its redundancy for its original purpose.
LFE is sometimes expanded as Low-frequency Enhancement.

Bass management

Surround replay systems may make use of bass management, the fundamental principle of which is that bass content in the incoming signal, irrespective of channel, should be directed only to loudspeakers capable of handling it, whether the latter are the main system loudspeakers or one or more special low-frequency speakers called subwoofers.
There is a notation difference before and after the bass management system. Before the bass management system there is a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel. After the bass management system there is a subwoofer signal. A common misunderstanding is the belief that the LFE channel is the "subwoofer channel". The bass management system may direct bass to one or more subwoofers (if present) from any channel, not just from the LFE channel. Also, if there is no subwoofer speaker present then the bass management system can direct the LFE channel to one or more of the main speakers.

Mapping channels to speakers

In most cases, surround sound systems rely on the mapping of each source channel to its own loudspeaker. Matrix systems recover the number and content of the source channels and apply them to their respective loudspeakers. With discrete surround sound, the transmission medium allows for (at least) the same number of channels of source and destination; however, one-to-one, channel-to-speaker, mapping is not the only way of transmitting surround sound signals.
The transmitted signal might encode the information (defining the original sound field) to a greater or lesser extent; the surround sound information is rendered for replay by a decoder generating the number and configuration of loudspeaker feeds for the number of speakers available for replay – one renders a sound field as produced by a set of speakers, analogously to rendering in computer graphics. This "replay device independent" encoding is analogous to encoding and decoding an Adobe PostScript file, where the file describes the page, and is rendered per the output device's resolution capacity. The Ambisonics and WFS systems use audio rendering; the Meridian Lossless Packing contains elements of this capability.

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