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Dolby Pro Logic II decoding should be used
for any analog recording labeled “Dolby Sur
-
round” or any Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.
Dolby Pro Logic II does a superb job deriving
surround sound from conventional 2-channel
stereo recordings, using phase relationships
to extract front, right, center, and surround
channels. A “music mode” makes Pro Logic
II an excellent choice for audio CDs.
Dolby Digital
In 1992, a digital recording system, called
Dolby Digital, was first used in the film indus
-
try. Dolby Digital is a recording/playback
system that uses compression techniques to
store large amounts of audio data efficiently,
much like the JPEG format stores large pho
-
tographs in small files on a computer. Be
-
cause it is capable of performance beyond
that of audio CDs and can tailor its output
for a wide ranges of system configurations,
Dolby Digital is the standard audio format for
DVDs and for digital television broadcasting
in the United States.
The Dolby Digital system can be used to re
-
cord up to six discrete audio channels, but
can also be used for fewer. For example, a
Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is a digital 2-
channel recording of a matrix encoded Dol
-
by Surround soundtrack.. To play a Dolby
Digital 2.0 recording, use Dolby Pro Logic II
decoding as previously described.
The most common use of Dolby Digital in
newer films, in both the film industry and in
home theater, is Dolby Digital 5.1. Instead
of encoding multiple surround channels on
a two-channel recording, Dolby Digital 5.1
records six discrete channels: front left, front
center, front right, surround left, surround right,
and a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel
containing ultra-low bass signals intended
for a subwoofer. A Dolby Digital decoder
extracts the channels from the digital bit
-
stream, converts them to analog signals and
routes them to the appropriate amplifiers and
speakers. All channels provide full frequency
response with total separation between all
channels and large dynamic range capabil
-
ity. A Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack can pro-
vide more impressive surround sound than
matrix Dolby Surround.
Decoding of Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks
is automatic. When the RSP-1069 detects a
Dolby 5.1 signal on one of its digital inputs,
it activates the proper processing. Keep in
mind that Dolby Digital is only available
from digital sources (a DVD, a LaserDisc, or
a Digital TV/Cable/SAT tuner). Also, you
must connect the source with a digital cable
(coax or optical) to an active digital input
on the RSP-1069.
NOTE: Many DVDs have a Dolby Digital 2.0
matrix soundtrack as the default, which should
be decoded with Pro Logic II. The Dolby Digital
5.1 soundtrack may have to be selected as an
option from the setup menus at the beginning
of the DVD. Look for a Dolby Digital 5.1 selec
-
tion under “Audio” or “Languages” or “Setup
Options” when you insert the disc.
DTS
5.1
DTS 96/24
DTS-ES 96/24
DTS
®
(Digital Theater Systems) is an alterna-
tive digital format competing with Dolby Digi
-
tal in both movie theaters and home theater
markets. The basic functions of the DTS sys-
tem are similar to those of Dolby Digital (for
example, 5.1 discrete channels), however
the technical details of the compression and
decoding processes differ somewhat and a
DTS decoder is required.
A recent extension of the DTS encoding sys-
tem is DTS 96/24 and the 6.1 channel ver
-
sion DTS-ES 96/24. These recordings provide
the performance of a 96kHz sampling rate
while still using actual 48kHz sampling rate
of standard DTS discs.
Like Dolby Digital, DTS can only be used on a
digital recording and, therefore, is only avail-
able for home use on LaserDiscs, DVDs, or
other digital formats. To use the RSP-1069’s
DTS decoder, you must connect your DVD
player to the RSP-1069’s digital inputs.
As with Dolby Digital 5.1, detection and proper
decoding of DTS 5.1 signals is automatic.
NOTE: DVDs with a DTS soundtrack almost al-
ways have it configured as an option to the
standard matrix Dolby Surround format. To use
DTS, you may have to go to the setup menus
at the beginning of the DVD and select “DTS
5.1” instead of “Dolby Surround” or “Dolby
Digital 5.1”. In addition, many DVD players
have the DTS digital bitstream turned off by
default and cannot output a DTS soundtrack
(even if selected on the disc’s menu) until you
activate the player’s DTS output. If you hear
no sound the first time you attempt to play a
DTS disc, go to the DVD player’s configura
-
tion menus and turn on the DTS bitstream.
This is a one-time setting and need only be
done once.
DTS Neo:6
The RSP-1069 features a second type of
DTS surround sound decoding: DTS Neo:6.
This decoding system is similar to Dolby Pro
Logic II and is designed for playback of any
2-channel stereo recording, either matrix-
encoded or not. The Neo:6 decoder can
be used with any conventional 2-channel
source such as a stereo TV or FM broadcast
or a CD. It can also be used as an alternative
method of decoding matrix-encoded Dolby
Surround recordings or TV broadcasts. Ac
-
tivate the DTS Neo:6 decoding with the DTS
Neo:6 button as detailed later in this section.
DTS Neo:6 is not used with DTS 5.1 digital
sources and the button need not be pressed
for those recordings.
Dolby Digital Surround EX
DTS-ES
6.1 and 7.1 Surround
In 1999, the first Dolby Digital soundtrack
was released to theaters with an additional
center back surround channel, intended to
increase the directional effects from behind
the audience. This additional surround chan
-
nel is encoded into the two existing surround
channels in Dolby Digital 5.1, using a matrix
encoding process similar to that used previ
-
ously in Dolby Surround. This new extended
surround capability is called Dolby Digital
Surround EX.