| Editorial March 2003
The Future of Surround Sound
The DVD format was launched in 1997, causing a flurry of
excitement about improved video performance and multichannel surround sound. Commonly
referred to as AC-3 at the time, the Dolby Digital 5.1 specification adopted for DVD
quickly took off and became the format of choice for movie sound. Competing with Dolby
Labs was Digital Theater Systems (DTS) with their 5.1 system. DTS soon gained widespread
acceptance and took its place alongside Dolby Digital, both on the DVD format and in
home-theater-processing engines.
The consumer-electronics industry can’t stand still
for long, though, and so began the race to maintain surround-sound enthusiasm and improve
performance to drive sales into the 21st century. A back surround channel soon joined the
5.1 format -- left and right mains, a center-channel, two surrounds, and a subwoofer
channel -- creating a new format, which the industry deemed 6.1. (6.1 isn’t
really the correct terminology for the Dolby specification for Surround EX, though it is
correct for the DTS-ES Discrete format. You can find a complete explanation of this
subject in Roger Kanno’s January "Cinema Cynergy" column, "Extended
Surround: Confusing the Consumer.") Of course, if 6.1 is good, 7.1 is better.
Thus, the need for two back surround speakers was born to recreate the intended effect
properly. (Dolby hosts a current list of Dolby Digital
Surround EX movies on its website.)
In June of 2001 I wrote
about why I didn’t support a further expansion into 10.2 surround. I still maintain
that position, but I’m now almost two years removed from that writing, and I
understand better why I held that opinion. Watching the market carefully over the last
couple of years, it’s become clear that the public is demanding a smarter
industry with better solutions. Forget the hey-it’s-got-more-speakers-so-it's-better
mentality, because that’s not working -- and the progressive side of the home-theater
industry knows it.
Talking with hardware manufacturers and corresponding with Home
Theater & Sound readers has driven home some basic points to consider. First,
although many enthusiasts do have dedicated theaters in their homes that can be configured
in almost any way they choose, the majority of DVD enthusiasts watch movies and listen in
surround sound in a family room or living room. In fact, since the beginning, one of the
selling points for home theater has been that it can be enjoyed by the whole family, so it
makes sense that it be in an area of the home that is lived in, not locked away.
Second point: Because home-theater systems inhabit real
homes, there is a growing demand for components that blend into the decor. I can tell you
that makers of home-theater speakers know this and are producing in-wall, on-wall, and
in-ceiling speakers by the boatload. Some manufacturers have even found a way to reduce
the number of speakers needed for a true surround-sound experience: Look at Niro’s TWO6.1 home-theater
system, which incorporates only two small satellites and a subwoofer, yet provides
much-better-than-TV sound.
Is this the way towards ultimate performance? Probably not,
but we don’t all drive racecars to work everyday, either. There’s a balance to
be had among the daily commute to work, picking up groceries and the kids from school, and
having enough power to make a spirited launch from the traffic light; balance all three
perfectly, and make it easy to operate no matter who’s driving, and you have a winner
with the consumer.
The quest for ultimate performance will continue, and while
this doesn’t mean just adding more speakers as some would have you believe, it does
mean convenience and cost will be sacrificed. But this is a limited proposition, and just
not relevant for the vast majority of buyers out there. There’s unquestionably a
growing contingent of manufacturers intent on making the 5.1 experience easier to
integrate, better performing, and more accessible to regular folks. That’s what
excites me -- an expanding market. And it’s what will keep our industry strong in the
long run.
...Jeff Fritz
editor@hometheatersound.com |
