Pioneer VSX-1015-K Operating Instructions Manual page 76

12 Additional information
THX Surround EX
THX Surround EX - Dolby Digital Surround EX is a joint
development of Dolby Laboratories and the THX Ltd. In a
movie theater, film soundtracks that have been encoded
with Dolby Digital Surround EX technology are able to
reproduce an extra channel which has been added
during the mixing of the program. This channel, called
Surround Back, places sounds behind the listener in
addition to the currently available front left, front center,
front right, surround right, surround left and subwoofer
channels. This additional channel provides the
opportunity for more detailed imaging behind the listener
and brings more depth, spacious ambience and sound
localization than ever before. Movies that were created
using the Dolby Digital Surround EX technology, when
released into the home consumer market may exhibit
wording to that effect on the packaging. A list of movies
created using this technology can be found on the Dolby
web site at www.dolby.com.
Only receiver and controller products bearing the THX
Surround EX logo, when in the THX Surround EX mode,
faithfully reproduce this new technology in the home.
This product may also engage the "THX Surround EX"
mode during the playback of 5.1 channel material that is
not Dolby Digital Surround EX encoded. In such case the
information delivered to the Surround Back channel will
be program dependent and may or may not be very
pleasing depending on the particular soundtrack and the
tastes of the individual listener.
Advanced Speaker Array (ASA)
ASA is a proprietary THX technology which processes the
sound fed to 2 side and 2 back surround speakers to provide
the optimal surround sound experience. When you set up
your home theater system using all eight speaker outputs
(Left, Center, Right, Surround Right, Surround Back Right,
Surround Back Left, Surround Left and Subwoofer) placing
the two Surround Back speakers close together facing the
front of the room as shown in the diagram will provide the
largest sweet spot. If for practical reasons you have to place
the Surround Back speakers apart, you will need to go THX
Audio Set-up screen and choose the setting that most
closely corresponds to the speaker spacing, which will re-
optimize the surround sound-field.
ASA is used in three new modes; THX Select2 Cinema, THX
MusicMode and THX Games Mode.
THX Select2 Cinema mode
THX Select2 Cinema mode plays 5.1 movies using all 8
speakers giving you the best possible movie watching
experience. In this mode, ASA processing blends the side
surround speakers and back surround speakers providing
the optimal mix of ambient and directional surround sounds.
DTS-ES (Matrix and 6.1 Discrete) and Dolby Digital Surround
EX encoded soundtracks will be automatically detected in
Select2 Cinema mode if the appropriate flag has been
encoded.
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Some Dolby Digital Surround EX soundtracks are missing
the digital flag that allows automatic switching. If you know
that the movie that you are watching is encoded in Surround
EX, you can manually select the THX Surround EX playback
mode, otherwise THX Select2 Cinema mode will apply ASA
processing to provide optimum replay.
THX MusicMode
For the replay of multi-channel music the THX MusicMode
should be selected. In this mode THX ASA processing is
applied to the surround channels of all 5.1 encoded music
sources such as DTS, Dolby Digital and DVD-Audio to
provide a wide stable rear soundstage.
THX Games Mode
For the replay of stereo and multi-channel game audio the
THX Games Mode should be selected. In this mode THX ASA
processing is applied to the surround channels of all 5.1 and
2.0 encoded game sources such as analog, PCM, DTS and
Dolby Digital. This accurately places all game audio
surround information, providing a full 360 degree playback
environment. THX Games Mode is unique as it gives you a
smooth transition of audio in all points of the surround field.
THX is a trademark or registered trademark of THX Ltd.
Surround EX is a jointly developed technology of THX and
Dolby Laboratories and is a trademark of Dolby
Laboratories. Used under authorization. All rights reserved.