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Surround Sound

Dolby Digital
A standard for high-quality digital audio that is used for the sound portion of video stored in digital format.  Dolby Digital delivers six channels in 5.1 configuration, front left, right and center channels, left and right rear channels, and a sub channel.  This is called surround sound.

Dolby Digital EX
Dolby Digital takes the 5.1 channel setup one step further with an additional center-surround channel (reproduced through one or two speakers) for extra dimensional detail and an enveloping surround sound effect. 

THX Surround EX
Originally developed by THX for movie theaters, this surround format enhanced the 5.1 channel surround sound by decoding two additional surround back channels. The benefit of this is immediately evident. Sound can now be positioned directly behind you, creating a more realistic 360º envelopment of sound. Fly-overs, drive-bys and other dramatic panning effects can now be experienced with more accuracy and much greater impact.

Dual Zone
By dedicating a pair of channels on receivers with this capability, you don’t need an external amplifier to enjoy an independent stereo audio source in a remote room. For example, on higher-end models this allows for a full 5.1 channel movie to be enjoyed in the home theater, while simultaneously sending a song from a CD (or other source) to speakers in another room.

Surround sound is the term commonly used to describe a system in which the sound output appears to surround the listener- that is, the technology gives the impression that sounds are coming from  all possible directions.  Surround sound is a way to provide a more realistic and engaging experience.

5.1 - 5.1 surround sound is a multichannel sound technology that produces five channels of sound in the left, right, center, left-surround and right-surround posititons.  The .1 in 5.1 represents the channel for LFE (low frequency effects), which is usually sent to a subwoofer. 

Advanced A/V Sync
Don’t be frustrated with sound that doesn’t match your video. With A/V Sync, Digital Signal Processing adjusts lip sync delay to match the refresh rates of today’s advanced flat panel televisions and micro displays.

XM Ready
XM has introduced the XM Mini-Tuner and Home Dock which replaces the Connect-and-Play antenna. The XM Mini-Tuner and Home Dock work with any XM-Ready product — plus the Mini-Tuner enables subscribers to easily move a single subscription from one product to another.

Component upscaling
Component upscaling is done by the reciever taking in an analog/digital signal and converting it into a 720p or 1080i via component cables.

HDMI upscaling
This is done similar to component upscaling, except that in HDMI upscaling the reciever takes in either an analog/digital signal or a 720p or 1080i HD signal and converts it up to 1080p via the HDMI cable.

7.1 - 7.1 surround sound uses everything from the 5.1 and 6.1 systems.  Unlike the 6.1 system, the 7.1 surround splits the rear center channel to two separate speakers whose sounds are blended together to get one perfect sound.

6.1 - 6.1 surround sound uses much of the same technology as the 5.1 system, the difference being the addition of a sixth speaker.  This sixth speaker is the rear center channel.  This gives a more 3-D audio effect.

Surround Sound