| Sound Off April 2001
Dolby Pro Logic II
The following question concerning Dolby Pro Logic II was
posed to the staff of Home Theater & Sound. It is an important subject to
ponder because it lends some insight into where the multichannel community wants the
industry to go. You’ll find some interesting answers below and some varying opinions.
Question: With the introduction of Dolby Pro Logic
II, Jim Fosgate is not only hoping to improve older Dolby Surround-encoded material, but
also seeking to enhance any two-channel source (including CD) for multichannel
systems. Do you think this is due to the home-theater community's insistence to
utilize their surround system for all formats? If so, will you use it?
John Potis:
"The fact is that there is too much pre-Dolby Digital
and DTS software out there to ignore, and if something can be done to enhance its
enjoyment, that's good news and I'm all for it. I absolutely think I will use it, and I
look forward to hearing Dolby Pro Logic II. After my experience with the Parasound
AVC-2500u, and Dolby Pro Logic done extraordinarily well, I think there is a lot of
potential for Dolby Pro Logic II. I have little use for overdone surround schemes, but
when done right, Dolby Pro Logic II can be as near to natural as any format that I've
heard. It’s a great option for those who don't have the room, the means, or the
inclination to stuff even more speakers into a room than the 5.1 format requires. For
those who want to enhance their movie enjoyment without surround speakers of any
kind, Dolby Pro Logic II is just the ticket. It leaves all the required information in the
front three channels, allowing the listener to enjoy the movie without missing out on
anything. My hope is that Dolby Pro Logic II has a much better bass-management
system. This is one area where Dolby Digital represented a real improvement over what
we had previously."
Jeff Van Dyne:
"I've never been big on music surround, but as a
former owner of a Fosgate preamp/processor, I have to say that there were a couple of
music modes that I did use. I haven't heard Dolby Pro Logic II yet, but if there's
anybody in this business who can do music surround off of two-channel discs right,
Jim Fosgate is probably the guy. I'd certainly be willing to give it a listen."
Doug Blackburn:
"I believe that Dolby Pro Logic II is partially a
response to patents that are running out, and Dolby Labs wants to maintain the revenue
stream from licensing Pro Logic, Digital 5.1, and EX Surround. To accomplish that, they
needed something demonstrably better than Pro Logic, and it wouldn't hurt if the
replacement had a wider application . . . say to two-channel sources.
Pro Logic II is all of those things -- a veritable technical home run. I would use it if I
had a preamp/processor with Pro Logic II that equaled or exceeded the quality of my
two-channel playback system. What we really need is surround sound like Pro Logic II to be
able to deliver the sound quality found in great high-end preamps."
Jeff Fritz:
"The consumer that spent hard-earned money on
multichannel electronics and 5.1 speaker arrays wants to be able to utilize their systems
with all types of software. The quality has to be there, though, because most enthusiasts
are listening to Dolby Digital and DTS now. Pro Logic II must be close to discrete
surround if it is to be widely used by the home-theater community.
I will use it for music, especially for live
recordings, if the processing enhances the experience. I would conjecture that its use
would be recording-specific for me. If Dolby Pro Logic II extracts ambiance information
while maintaining the fidelity of the front stereo pair, then it will be useful and
enjoyable because we will have a closer approximation of the recorded event. I’m all
for it!"
There you have it. While the jury is still out on Dolby Pro
Logic II, it does seem to be gaining some support from the hardware manufacturers. Rumor
has it that most of the upcoming processors will be fitted with Pro Logic II or will have
software that is upgradeable in the near future. We at Home Theater & Sound
would like to know what you think. Now it’s your turn to Sound Off! on Dolby Pro
Logic II!
More information on Dolby Pro Logic II can be found at
Dolby Lab’s Web site located at www.dolby.com.
If you have comments about this article, please e-mail the editor@hometheatersound.com. |
