Dolby DD+, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS HD Master are three new formats that are supported by the new HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) standards. Audioholics takes a look at one of them - TrueHD - and gives it the once-over.

What is TrueHD? Like DTS HD Master, it is a lossless, bit-for-bit duplicate of the studio master soundtrack. Listening to a TrueHD soundtrack, you will not be hearing anything different than what the movie’s sound engineers heard. That is, of course, assuming that your home theater’s audio equipment and room are up to the task.

TrueHD supports up to 8 full-range channels of sound. In practise, though, one would be used for the bass, just like the “.1″ in “5.1″ surround sound. TrueHD stores the original studio soundtrack, without losing a single bit of it. However, it does pack the data closer together using a lossless compression scheme. This does not affect the sound quality in any way. TrueHD also uses a bit rate of up to 18Mbps. Though in practise, that sounds like a bit much.

HDMI 1.1 can transport up to 8 channels of digital 24bit / 96kHz audio, which is how some BD and HD DVD players today output the TrueHD or DTS HD Master soundtracks. Or they put them out on the analog outputs after converting to analog. Which is why the inclusion of 5.1 analog outputs is strange - shouldn’t it be 7.1? As well, another option that the Toshiba players use is to convert the soundtrack to normal lossy compressed DTS 5.1, in case your receiver can’t handle any of the other formats. If your receiver or pre/processor supports HDMI 1.3 though, you’re in luck. HDMI 1.3 can transport the whole TrueHD (and DTS HD Master) soundtracks digitally. However, I don’t know of a single receiver or pre/pro today that has HDMI 1.3 support.

Dolby TrueHD Overview

Oliver Pankiewicz from Home Theater Network graciously contacted me and said that I could post this up here. Enjoy, and thanks Oliver!

Your First Home Theater Network

Only a few years ago, home theaters consisted of large tube-based TVs, VCRs, and stereos with two speakers. Today, home theaters consist of flat-panel HDTVs, receivers, surround sound speakers, DVD players, and more. So what components will make up the home theater of tomorrow? Audio, video, and data distribution will be key to the future home theater, which will soon morph into a home theater network.

Today’s home theater is limited to a single room. For example, a show recorded on a DVR can only be viewed on the TV to which the DVR is connected; music heard from the speakers of a home theater can only be heard in the room in which the speakers are placed. However, by establishing a home theater network, owners expand the capabilities of their home theater by creating a system capable of sending a recorded TV show to any bedroom, or playing music on speakers throughout the property.

The equipment needed to change a home theater into a home theater network includes a router, receiver, and a home theater PC (HTPC). The router distributes data and allows Ethernet-capable devices in a home theater to connect to the Internet and a home network. The receiver distributes audio and video from a home theater to multiple rooms. Note, the simple 5.1 surround sound receivers of today are not capable of this function. Newer receivers with multiple-zone outputs will be necessary for a home theater network. Finally, the HTPC functions as a source for audio, video, and data. For example, the HTPC can be used as a central server where an owner can save all of his music, video, pictures, and data. An HTPC also has the ability to serve as a DVR, and record TV shows. Since the HTPC is a computer, its capabilities are essentially endless.

As prices drop, more people are trading in their large, tube-based TVs and stereos for thin, high definition TVs and multi-zone output receivers. Also, more people are building home networks with their laptops and multiple computers. The merging of the home theater and home network into a home theater network will arrive in the not–too-distant future. Your first home theater network lies just around the corner.

Oliver Pankiewicz

Finally! It looks like HDMI Video cards supporting HDCP are coming from MSI. They have two cards, one based on the nVidia 7600 and one based on the 7900. This should help push along development of CableCard compatibility for HTPCs as well as Blu ray and HD DVD output. Pretty soon you will be able to have an HTPC that can play all optical discs, HDTV via cable, HDTV satellite (well, DirecTV anyway), OTA HDTV, all digital media file formats, and streaming internet radio/TV. Less boxes + less cables = home theater bliss!

MSI HDCP/HDMI page

When I first got my Pioneer 24tx a long time ago I used a digital SPL meter from Radio Shack to dial in all of the speakers. I also ran around the room with a measuring tape getting just the right distance down.

Fast forward a few years and now with my Pioneer 45tx I just plug in the microphone, choose automatic surround setup, and walk away for about 10 minutes.

So why am I boring you with all of this? If you have a receiver that must be manually calibrated our buddies at Engadget wrote a good little how to on dialing in your surround sound.

Do take note though, if your receiver does allow for automatic setup, use it. They are much more accurate than anything you can do with a meter because many of these newer surround setup programs like MCAAC will check the sound level for different frequencies on each speaker. This would be difficult to impossible for someone to do with just a meter.

For example, I believe that MCAAC on my pioneer looks at 5 different frequency ranges for each speaker. For a 7 speaker system (not including the sub) that would 35 different tests. I don’t know about you, but I would have one whopper of a headache listening to all that pink noise.

By the way I do still modify some of my settings each time I run MCAAC. The program likes to make my front speakers large and I like to turn up the center channel just a +.5db to catch every conversation.

Now if someone could come up with a system to first check my hearing, then tune the surround sound around me. That would be nifty!

How-To: Dial in your surround sound

TWICE has a great article summarizing what’s up with audio on the next generation of optical disc formats. Here’s a summary of what is mandatory and optional on each of the formats.

BD Mandatory

• Dolby Digital 5.1
• DTS 5.1
• 5.1-channel PCM (up to 5.1 channels, up to 192kHz sampling rate and 24-bit resolution)

BD Optional

• Dolby Digital Plus
• DTS HD
• 7.1-channel PCM (up to 7.1 channels, up to 96kHz, 24-bit)
• Dolby True HD (2- to 7.1-channel up to 96kHz, 24-bit)
• DTS HD Master (up to 5.1 channels, up to 192kHz/ 24-bit)

HD DVD Mandatory

• Dolby Digital Plus
• DTS HD (core 1.5Mbps component compatible with current DTS 5.1 decoders)
• Dolby True HD (2- to 7.1-channel up to 96kHz, 24-bit) (two channel)

HD DVD Optional

• DTS HD (5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 channels to 3Mbps)
• Dolby True HD (2- to 7.1-channel up to 96kHz, 24-bit) (5.1- 7.1 channels)
• DTS HD Master (up to 5.1 channels, up to 192kHz/ 24-bit)

TWICE also discusses what happens with each soundtrack when it comes to putting it out of the player and interfacing it to the receiver or pre/pro in your system. It looks like HD DVD players will be more flexible when it comes to handling optional formats than Sony’s BD player. Toshiba’s HD DVD players handle all optional and mandatory formats while Sony’s BD player will only handle the mandatory formats. Which is terrible, really. Sony’s first BD player doesn’t even play CD’s, now this!

[via HD Beat]

1st HD DVD Players To Decode All Mandatory, Optional Audio Codecs

This posting from Multi Room Point got me thinking:

The Component Video/Digital Audio Balun allows one component video (YPbPr or RGB) signal and one digital audio signal to be transmitted via cost-effective unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable in a point-to-point configuration. Used in pairs, the Component Video, Digital Audio Balun supports 480i/p, 720p and 1080i/p resolution for hi-definition (HDTV) video applications.

I’ve long known about baluns, but up to now they’ve been too expensive for me to use. Now that I looked at the prices for Intelix baluns, it might just be time to get some.

Balun Defined

What’s a balun? Balun is short for “balanced unbalanced”. A balun takes an unbalanced signal (like from the RCA jacks from your CD player, DVD player, or whatever) and converts it into a balanced signal. Actually, two signals. One signal is the exact inverse of the other. You send these balanced signals over a long distance, and at the other end another balun makes the balanced signals back into an unbalanced signal. Because one of the signals was the inverse of the other, the balun can easily see what signal degradation took place as the signal was transported, and remove the degradation from the signal. So you get a nice clean signal at the other end.

Balun in Use

I have a television upstairs, but my PVR is downstairs. I’d like to be able to watch my PVR from upstairs, however, so a pair of baluns might be the way to go for me. I have tried to send audio and video using Cat5 and RG6 respectively (no baluns, though) and though the video came through okay, the run was just too long for the audio to make it.

So now I think I’ll look into an Intelix balun. I’ll probably get one with stereo audio and S-Video connection. Then I’ll need to figure out a way to get my IR signals from upstairs to downstairs too!

Any ideas?

Multi Room Point - Intelix Balun

Don Lindich over at Scripps Howard News Service responded to a question about some common things to keep in mind when setting up a home theater. Mr. Lindich covers off four topics that are often missed by people when bringing home their first home theater system.

1. Speaker Placement
2. Speaker Loudness/Delay Setup
3. TV Calibration
4. Properly Arranged Lighting

Good advice. Changing your speaker placement has a large effect on what you hear. And of course, you need to make sure each speaker has the same loudness to your ear as the other speakers, when being driven with the same signal. Keeping these things in mind will really improve the sound quality of your HT. You might also want to watch that subwoofer placement. You’ll want to minimize boominess, and maximize even-ness. This can often be done by getting two subwoofers and placing each in the middle of two adjacent walls. If you don’t have that luxury, you might try placing your subwoofer on your seat, then crawling around on hands and knees while playing a bass sweep. Try to find the spot in your room where the bass sounds the most even. Then place the subwoofer there.

Getting yourself a test DVD and calibrating your TV is vitally important too. Sometimes some THX DVD’s even have the required test patterns for you to set up your TV properly. However, I’ve found the explanations for setting up brightness and contrast to be rather problematic sometimes. After calibration the other day at my friend’s house, for example, the brightness was obviously set way too high. And I mean obvious. So don’t be afraid to twiddle the settings a bit after calibration. You might also want to consider getting the colour temperature of your set professionally ISF calibrated, for more accurate colours than just fiddling with the user controls can give you. Just do a search on the internet for ISF.

And arranging lighting is also obviously important. I think you’d notice right away if a bright lamp is shining right on your screen, or causing you problems. So I’ll forgo an explanation of this one!

Scripps Howard - Four tips for setting up a home theater

What do these terms mean? People new to home theater and home audio are often stumped by the many terms used in the industry, and “receiver”, “amplifier”, “pre-amplifier”, “tuner”, “integrated amp”, and “preamp/processor” are some related terms that need to be understood.

Tuner

First, what is a tuner? A tuner is something that tunes in radio stations. It grabs radio signals from the air and puts them out for use by a different audio component. Normally, you hook up an antenna to a tuner to improve its reception. Typically a tuner is part of another piece of hardware and is not sold separately, but that is not always the case. Sometimes a standalone tuner is required.

Amplifier

An amplifier takes a line-level signal (like the one coming out of your CD player or tuner) and amplifies it. Hence the name. It amplifies the signal for use by speakers. Conceivably, you could hook up your CD player’s outputs directly to an amplifier, then hook up your speakers to the amplifier, and you’d hear your music. The problem is that you would have no way of controlling the bass, treble, volume, or anything else. The Linn 5125 is an amplifier.

Preamplifier

A preamplifier (or preamp for short) goes in front of the amplifier in the signal chain, hence the name. It goes between your CD player and the amplifier. The preamp has a volume control, bass and treble controls, and allows you to switch between different components like your CD player, tuner, tapedeck, or whatever. A preamp is typically an audio-only affair, though it doesn’t have to be.

Preamp/Processor

A pre/pro is basically a preamp, but because preamps today typically do a lot of signal processing for surround formats like Dolby Digital and DTS, the name preamp/processor has come into vogue. Pre/pros often do video signal processing and switching as well. The Anthem D2 is a good example of a preamp/processor.

Integrated Amplifier

An integrated amplifier is just a preamp and and amp stuck together into the same piece of equipment. Most integrated amps are rather simple, allowing you to switch between several audio components, change the volume, bass, and treble, and does little else. I have one with my computer setup, so that I can listen to music or my computer easily. I don’t listen to the radio at home, so the lack of a tuner isn’t missed. Conceivably, I could buy a tuner and hook it up to my integrated amp, should I want to listen to the radio.

Receiver

A receiver is just a tuner, a pre/pro, and an amplifier all stuck together into the same piece of equipment. Basically, it’s the alternative to buying a separate integrated amp and tuner. Typically, receivers these days include many preprocessor functions like decoding home theater surround formats like DTS and DD (Dolby Digital). The Denon 4806 is a good example of a receiver.

So that’s it! If you have any other home theater or home audio terms you’d like clarified, please contact me. See also Steve’s comments on Henning’s HT Story for more about pre/pros and amplifiers.