Podcast #797: DTS Virtual:X

DTS Virtual:X bridges the gap between the DTS:X codec and the reality of so many consumer's homes, allowing everyone to enjoy multi-dimensional sound regardless of room size, layout, or speaker configuration.

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News:

• Broadband Coalition Proposes New Fixed Wireless Service
• FCC Approves OneWeb Satellite Broadband U.S. Access
• Netflix Domestic Subscriber Count Tops Cable TV
• Comcast Sees Surge in Out-of-Home TV Viewing

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• Sony Unveils 77″ 4K HDR XBR-77A1E OLED Pricing & Availability

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DTS Virtual:X

The Best Shark Movies Of All Time

Summer vacations and beach season is upon us. What better way to usher in beach season than a great shark movie on your huge home theater screen?

Mirror TV and 6 Other Tricks to Hide Your TV

Some of these are pretty cool. And the Barn Door idea is right up Ara's alley. First question: why as a society are we so interested in hiding our TVs? What is it about the TV that makes it such an eyesore?  Second question: why aren't TV manufacturers tapping into this and building TVs that people don't want to hide?

First DTS Virtual:X Product Launching In July (press release)

DTS Virtual:X Technology to Deliver Immersive Surround Sound Without the Need for Height and/or Rear Surround Speakers; First Sound Bar Available in July, Followed by A/V Receiver and Television Integration.

"Our mission at DTS is to make the world sound better and deliver premium audio solutions to our partners and consumers," said Joanna Skrdlant, general manager, home audio at Xperi (parent company of DTS). "With the introduction of DTS Virtual:X technology, listeners can enjoy height and surround sound with simply a sound bar, making it more accessible and affordable than ever to experience the benefits of immersive audio at home."

DTS Virtual:X technology supports any input source from stereo to a 7.1.4 layout (11.1 channels), and is optimized to work with all DTS codecs, including the flagship DTS:X. For legacy content, an efficient upmixer is included to provide a natural, immersive experience. The flexibility of its architecture enables product manufacturers to utilize one or more features concurrently, including Virtual Height, Virtual Surround, Bass Enhancement and Multiband Hard Limiter. 

Yamaha will be the first brand to deliver a DTS Virtual:X-ready product with the release of the YAS-207 sound bar, available for purchase in July with the DTS Virtual:X firmware update in August. Additional OEMs integrating DTS Virtual:X technology in sound bars, as well as A/V receivers and televisions, will be announced in the coming months.

DTS Virtual:X in Sound Bars

Sound bars are the fastest growing home audio category as consumers continue to adopt them for improved audio for their TVs or in lieu of a full home theater system. Leveraging DTS' extensive research and development in virtual surround sound, DTS Virtual:X technology delivers the perception of up to 7.1.4 content through traditional speakers in the horizontal plane, such as a sound bar, creating the immersive sound experience that consumers have come to expect from today's content.

DTS Virtual:X in A/V Receivers

DTS' research shows that fewer than 30 percent of consumers that purchase multichannel A/V receivers actually connect the height speakers and fewer than 48 percent of consumers connect the rear surround speakers, for a variety of reasons. DTS Virtual:X technology in an A/V receiver will provide an immersive sound experience without the need for rear surround and height speakers while still allowing consumers to upgrade for an even better immersive sound experience when they're able to add additional speakers to their system.

A/V receivers featuring DTS Virtual:X technology will be available this fall from a number of brands.

DTS Virtual:X in Televisions

As televisions have become lighter and thinner, the demand for larger screen sizes has increased.  In the US market alone, 86 percent of US consumers now own a TV greater than 40 inches, and 18 percent now own a TV of over 60 inches, according to the Consumer Technology Association's 19th Annual Consumer Technology Ownership and Market Potential Study, published April 2017. While larger screen sizes provide a more immersive viewing experience, the audio experience from a TV alone is compromised due to the market's desire for a thin form factor, which limits speaker driver size and placement. DTS Virtual:X technology provides an immersive sound experience without the need for larger drivers or additional speakers added to the television.

Televisions with DTS Virtual:X technology are forecast to be available in early 2018.

Download Episode #797

Comments

[Robert Gil]

Just listened to your podcast regarding 77" OLED Sony. You may want to note on your next show that this OLED is based on LG's OLED 77" panel. 77-inch LG OLED TVs have been available since January 2016. The third iternation of their 77" panel released this month under the model #OLED77G7P. It is available on the LG.COM website for $14,999, significantly less than the Sony 77' OLED, but with the same panel. I thought you might want to share this tidbit of information with your listeners who may not be familiar with Son'y's used of LG panels or the fact that it is $5,000 cheaper!