5.1 Channel Surround System

5.1 Channel Surround (3-2 Stereo)

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".

5.1 Channel Surround (70 mm 6-Track)

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)

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).

5.1 Channel Surround (3-2 Stereo)

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".

::Informatiom by Wikipedia.org

X-Fi Technology

Live

The design of Live! was a new architecture from the previous AWE line of processors, and was state of the art in 1998. The concept was an architecture that allowed for the first time, Effects processing in real-time with interactive audio to produce 3D audio and Environmental Effects. It was a traditional pipeline design that allowed multi-channel digital audio to flow in and out of the sound engine, interactive effects processing, and multi-channel audio inputs and outputs.

Audigy

The design of Audigy was a major improvement over the Live! with a 2x increase in the dedicated effects processing unit, major optimization of the overall effects processing architecture and added 24-bit ADVANCED HD™ capabilities. The 2x increase in the dedicated effects and tank processing unit and the major optimization in the architecture yielded a 4x improvement in overall effects processing capabilities without a huge increase in required MIPs processing. These changes provided the ability to run 4 simultaneous effects (3 high quality reverbs and 1 other high quality effect) that delivered the EAX ADVANCED HD 4.0 standard versus just 1 effect on the Live! (1 high quality reverb) that delivered the EAX 2.0 standard. The other addition of the 24-bit ADVANCED HD engine allowed 24-bit playback and recording versus 16-bit with the Live!.

The changes for Audigy from Live! are noted in bold in the diagram below.

X-Fi

The X-Fi is designed with a completely new architecture, unlike any other audio processor that has ever been conceived. This new architecture follows the concept of a software design rather than a traditional pipeline design in audio or graphics architectures. The design follows the ring architecture as shown below. This architecture is very flexible in signal routing, with 4096 audio ring channels that route audio to any of the processing elements. The Tank, SRC, Mixer, and DSP processing elements on this ring are far superior and more complex in technology as compared to the entire Audigy audio processor.

::Information by soundblaster.com

Wireless Speakers Systems

Wireless speakers systems

offer greater flexibility and convenience to home theater owners. But there is more than just doing away with some speaker wire when installing a wireless home theater solutio!

Discover all you need to know in this guide to wireless home theater systems.

Wireless Home Theater

Still, this in itself can turn out to be a great advantage. Home theater systems are synonymous with a huge mass of home theater cables that are not only unsightly, but also difficult to troubleshoot should problems arise.

Concealing this mass of cables is surely not a straightforward job. This being especially so if you do not have pre-wired walls and ceilings for an in-wall home entertainment wiring solution.

Professionals can do the job for you but it will surely turn out to be expensive to retrofit a house, or in that case even a single room with an in-wall wiring solution for your audio and video systems. And this apart from that fact that such projects are often difficult to mange.

Unfortunately, eliminating the mass of cables and interconnects between system components is still not a completely viable option, but... reducing the clutter,yes...especially when it comes to home audio and surround sound.

In particular, today's wireless home theater systems focus mainly around the use of wireless speakers systems to eliminate trailing speaker wires around the room perimeter when installing rear speakers in a surround sound setup.

Sending audio across rooms in the home through a wireless link is also starting to emerge as a do-able inexpensive and straightforward option for most consumers.

but this is as far as today's mass-market wireless solutions go.

Mind you, the technology is there and relatively inexpensive off-the-shelf solutions are readily available to help you expand say your wireless networking from a simple home office to a fully integrated home entertainment system.

Yet, even though there are already several products on the market with wireless support - including set-top boxes, wireless speakers systems, media players, and the like - a full wireless home entertainment solution is still not a true mass-market proposition. In particular, replacing HDMI cables so common with today's AV systems, with a wireless alternative to carry your HD video is still relatively expensive with respect to a wired option.

Admittedly, things are changing fast, and what was unattainable and unaffordable up to the recent past, is becoming attainable, affordable and better than ever.

Of particular interest in wireless home entertainment is the effort by a few manufacturers like Linksys, D-Link, Creative Labs, etc., with their Wireless Digital Media Players.

Wireless digital media players represent a great solution in home entertainment. For less than $300, it is possible to get access to video, photo and music files from anywhere within the home network, whether it being your home PC, internet, etc. Just set up a wireless digital media player and you will be able to use your existing TV or home entertainment system to play digital audio and video files. Media players come with a remote control and an intuitive on-screen menu for easy access of digital content through your TV screen.

But even if you have a computer with Windows XP Media Center, Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate edition, you can use your Xbox 360 or a Media Center Extender to stream TV, digital audio and video, photos, and more.

while it is true that wireless media players provide ease of integration of audio and video data accessible via your home network, there is still no complete wireless home theater solution many dream of where all audio and video systems are interlinked through a wireless setup.

Under this section, we take a closer look at wireless speakers systems, the technology in use behind these systems, and available solutions from major manufacturers. We also present a few audio installation tips to help you better integrate your new wireless speaker system with the rest of your audio gear.

Wireless Speakers Systems

To understand the technology behind wireless speakers systems, first one must realize there is truly no complete wireless speaker system. These systems still require at least some connectivity to a power source. Wireless speakers systems require amplification either through an integrated amplifier or through an external unit; and there is no way you will amplify an audio signal without power!

It is true that there exists various battery-powered wireless speakers systems. However, these would normally be more suitable for multiroom audio or for external use rather than for home theater. Battery power simply cannot provide sufficient audio power for home theater use in a viable manner.

Therefore, the key factor with any wireless speaker setup is not a total wireless solution. Rather, it is the added flexibility and convenience of not having to wire the speakers all the way across the room or home. This applies irrespective of whether it is a rear surround speaker setup, or some remote speaker system in a multiroom audio environment.

When it comes to home theater wireless speakers systems, you have two main options: Add-on Units and Integrated Wireless Systems.

Normally, these make use of RF wireless transmission over the 900Mhz or 2.4GHz bands to transmit audio signals using digital technology to the remote speakers.

There are also a few units operating in the 5.8GHz band. These units are less likely to suffer interference from mobile phones, microwave ovens, and other household appliances operating in the 900Mhz or 2.4Ghz bands. In addition, most WLANs operate in the 2.4GHz range, which means that wireless speaker systems operating in the 5.8GHz band are not prone to interference from yours or neighboring wireless networks. At the same time, one cannot ignore the fact that 5.8GHz systems often support shorted distances.

A few other systems use infra-red instead of RF, but there again these are limited to short distances within the same room since infra-red based wireless speakers systems require line of site between the transmitter and the receiver.

Add-on Wireless Speakers Systems

Add-on units consist of a small sender unit that connects either to the rear-channel speaker out on the A/V receiver, or to the line-level out on your source. These units use wireless digital technology to transmit the audio signal to a powered audio receiver unit at the back of the room.

The remote rear unit includes built-in power amplifiers to drive the rear speakers. Ideally, these should be the same rear surround speakers that came with your home theater system, though any appropriate set of matched rear speakers will do.

Connection between the rear receiver unit and the surround speakers is achieved through normal speaker wire. All that remains to have a functional wireless speaker system setup is to plug the wireless sender and receiver units into convenient mains power outlets.

These add-on units represent the ideal solution if you already own a home theater receiver complete with all the necessary speakers, and all you are looking for is a way to remove those unsightly rear speaker wires crossing the room.

Add-on units with integrated power amplifiers in a wireless speakers system setup designed for home theater surround would typically deliver anything between 25W and 50W RMS per channel. This renders these systems compatible with entry to mid-level home theater systems. In fact, a 25W per channel wireless rear speaker system can easily match a surround audio setup with typical 60W to 80W per channel on the main front speakers.

If you want more power for your rear wireless speakers, you can always hook up your add-on wireless speakers systems into a suitable external stereo amplifier placed at the far end, to driver the surround speakers.

But the role of add-on wireless speaker systems is not limited only to their use as a rear wireless speaker solution in the home theater. These units may very well serve as a convenient - possibly cheaper alternative to in-wall wiring - in a multiroom audio installation.

Integrated Home Theater Wireless Speakers Solutions

If you are in the process of purchasing a new home-theater-in-a-box solution, a fully integrated home theater system with wireless rear-speakers would often represents a cheaper and more convenient alternative.

These integrated solutions include an audio wireless set-up for the rear channel speakers. Integrated wireless home-theater-in-a-box solutions would normally support some interesting control features for the rear channel - in particular with respect to the delay settings, that are well integrated within the overall system menu.

Do not expect to find a large selection of wireless home theater systems. Your choice is still somehow limited - in particular if what you are after is an affordable solution that provides good performance for an HTIB system.

However, you can still find a few interesting products from major players such as Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony that are worth considering if a wireless rear speakers option is essential for your needs.

::Information by www.Practical-Home-Theater-Guide.com

Blu-ray Disc™ technology

An unparalleled viewing experience. Blu-ray Disc™ technology represents the sharpest, most realistic video format to date. For those who crave a true cinema experience in their own living room, Blu-ray delivers breathtaking audio and video.

Benefis of Blu-ray Disc. Discover what makes Blu-ray Disc technology superior to your tried-and-true DVDs. watch video

Unsurpassed capacity.

Blu-ray has 5x more storage capacity than DVD. This provides more space for content and higher quality video and audio.

Pristine picture and sound.

Offering up to 6x picture resolution of DVDs and 7.1 channels of lossless high-definition audio, Blu-ray is the ultimate for your eyes and ears.

Next generation interactivity.

Enhance your movies with BD-Live™ technology and an internet connection. Access interactive bonus features on BD Live enabled Blu-ray Disc movies such as shorts, trailers, movie-based games and more.

It plays your DVDs.

Breathe new life into your DVD collection. With DVD upscaling you can view your existing DVDs in near-HD quality via an HDMI™ connection.

:: information by sonystyle.com