Superior Security and Sound

Home Theatre and Whole House Audio FAQs	BACK to FAQs main page

: What is the difference between Home Theatre and Whole House Audio? : What Is 'Surrond Sound'? : How many speakers are needed to create a Home Theatre System? : What other equipment is needed for Home Theatre? : Why do some of our Home Theatre Packages only come with four speakers? : What additional equipment is required for Whole House Audio? : Can the Home Theatre A/V Receiver also be used to provide music to the Whole House Audio speakers? : How critical is Home Theatre speaker location? : Can a pair of Whole House Audio speakers be "split" in two different rooms? : What does the Volume Control do?

What is the difference between Home Theatre and Whole House Audio?

Home Theatre is a combination of speakers and equipment that used greatly enhances the audio (sound) portion of watching a movie. All speakers and equipment are placed strategically near or around the television.

Whole House Audio is a combination of speakers and equipment that allows the homeowner to listen to music (radio or CD's) in different rooms throughout the home.

What Is 'Surround Sound'?

Dolby Digital™
Dolby Digital (also known as Dolby AC-3) is the de facto surround sound standard for DVD. Dolby Digital is a type of audio encoding built into the DVD disc. By using data-compression, the DVD can store all the audio information for a movie soundtrack with true CD-quality sound on one disc. Since the soundtrack is "encoded" into the disc, a decoder must be used to make it all come alive. Today, most home theater receivers will have the necessary decoder for Dolby Digital (they'll have the Dolby Digital logo right on the front of the receiver). When a DVD is produced, the mixing studio can choose a number of Dolby Digital formats to work with, based on the number of channels of sound.

Dolby Digital™ 5.1
This is the most common. Front left, Center, Right, and surround Left and Right, plus a subwoofer. (The .1 is the subwoofer. It's only considered a fraction of a channel since it only plays the low bass portion of the audio signal.) Most new blockbuster-type movies will be encoded with Dolby Digital 5.1. Every month older movies are being re-released with remixed 5.1 soundtracks.

Dolby Digital™ 2.0
This is a fancy way of saying "Stereo". Some older soundtracks have not been remixed into 5.1 surround sound, so they are encoded in just a two channel stereo format. In this mode, try using Dolby Pro Logic II for a great surround sound effect.

Dolby Digital™ 1.0
You guessed it, "mono". On some very old movies, from the 30's and 40's, you'll see this designation on the DVD box. It's nothing fancy. Mono means just one channel. Some surround sound receivers have a surround sound mode for mono formats so check your receiver for that.

Dolby Digital-EX™
An up and coming format. Same configuration as Dolby Digital 5.1 but a Back Surround channel is added. This back channel adds more room-ambience and envelopment, makes "fly-overs" more realistic. (If you don't have a Dolby Digital-EX decoder built in to your receiver, don't worry. All Dolby Digital-EX discs can also output the basic Dolby Digital 5.1.)

Dolby Pro Logic II™
Pro Logic II is an improved, updated version of Dolby Pro Logic. Pro Logic II enhances the sound with full-range output to all channels. There are two types of Dolby Pro Logic II: Pro Logic II Movies, and Pro Logic II Music. Most receivers will have both if they show the Dolby Pro Logic II logo. The music mode extracts a surround left and right from the stereo mix. The movie mode does that but also extracts center channel information (mostly dialogue). Dolby Pro Logic II can create multi-channel surround sound from any stereo source including CDs, tapes, videocassettes, and TV broadcasts.

DTS™
DTS is another type of surround sound. DTS offers higher data rates (less compression) than Dolby Digital. Most experts say that DTS offers better sound quality, rendering the soundtrack uncompressedÉ"as the director intended". In order to decode the DTS encoded soundtrack, a DTS decoder is needed. Most receivers these days (but not all) will have a DTS decoder built in.

DTS-ES™
This is the DTS version of 6.1 channel surround sound. There are two types of DTS-ES: DTS-ES and DTS-ES Discrete 6.1. The Discrete 6.1 is a true 6.1 channel encoded soundtrack with all 6 channels being fully discrete. DTS-ES is a matrix-encoded process, sort of like Dolby Pro Logic, but much better. Within the DTS soundtrack a back surround channel is matrix-encoded into the surround left and right channels, creating DTS-ES. Look for these logos on DVD's and home theater receivers. (If you don't have a DTS-ES decoder built in to your receiver, don't worry. All DTS-ES discs can also output the basic DTS.)

THX Surround EX™
Just like Dolby Digital-EX, but it must be mixed by a THX-certified studio, meeting the stringent THX requirements.

SACD
Sony and Philips have pioneered a new technology called SACD, which stands for Super Audio CD. Higher Sampling rates and discrete surround sound come together to outperform the now paltry CD. SACD is very similar to DVD-A. In fact they are in a battle for the top spot of Multi-Channel Audio. But unfortunately they are completely different technologies and completely incompatible with each other.

DVD Audio
DVD audio incorporates a new type of audio processing whereby a higher-than-CD-quality audio is attained, and offered in multi-channel formats. So we're talking better than CD? Yes. The higher sampling rates (up to 192kHz/24-bit for 2 channel audio, and 96kHz/24-bit for 5 channel audio, to be exact) blow away CD quality sound (48kHz, 16bit). Add to that the capability of discrete 5 channel output, and you've got amazing surround sound with amazing sound quality. DVD-A discs look just like DVD discs (they are DVD discs in fact). And most current DVD players out there today will play them.

How many speakers are needed to create a Home Theatre System?

For true Home Theatre six speakers are needed. They are:

Left Front
Center
Right Front
Left Rear (surround)
Right Rear (surround)
Subwoofer

What other equipment is needed for Home Theatre?

In addition to a television the customer will need and A/V (Audio/Video) Receiver. The most current A/V technology utilizes Dolby Digital signal processing. The six speakers connect to A/V receiver. They also will need a HI-FI VCR and/or a DVD player to "play" the movie. It works like this: The actual movie content (both sound and video) is on the tape or the DVD. As the movie is played the VCR or DVD player sends the video (picture) to the TV and simultaneously sends the audio (sound) to the A/V receiver. The A/V receiver takes the sound portion from the VCR or DVD player and splits it up and sends it to the six speakers. This "splitting up" is what creates the theatre effects. When a car speeds across the screen from left to right you first hear the car in the left front channel then on to the center channel and finally the right front channel as the taillights disappear on the right side of the television screen. When a gunshot is fired you would hear the gun "bang" from the right front speaker, you would hear and "feel" the bass tones come from the subwoofer, and then milliseconds later you would hear the bullet ricochet over your left shoulder from the left rear speaker.

Why do some of our Home Theatre Packages only come with four speakers?

Most of our packages do not include the center channel speaker or the subwoofer. It is important the center channel be placed very near the television. The center channel is where the voice primarily comes from. Most homeowners are unsure exactly where the television will be placed and often will be purchasing a new piece of furniture to house the television. A small center channel speaker that sits directly on the TV is relatively inexpensive ($50.00 to $200.00). It plugs easily into the A/V receiver. As the TV gets moved the speaker can be moved with it. It makes more sense for the customer to have this flexibility. The other speaker not included is the Subwoofer. The subwoofer is in a wooden cabinet that typically measures 1' x 1' x 1'. It must be plugged into an electrical outlet and usually sets on either side of the TV. It too plugs easily into the A/V receiver. Because it is not built into the wall it would be difficult for Superior Security and Sound to include it into any packages. Inventory control and theft could also be potential problem. Also, many homeowners prefer to have a home theatre system without any subwoofer. It depends on their "taste for bass".

What additional equipment is required for Whole House Audio?

The customer will need a stereo tuner/amplifier. This will connect neatly to the speakers using traditional speaker cable. The tuner/amplifier will have a built in AM/FM radio that will allow radio stations to be heard throughout the home. The tuner/amplifier will also accept inputs from a variety of other audio sources most typically a CD player and a tape player.

Can the Home Theatre A/V Receiver also be used to provide music to the Whole House Audio speakers?

It can be done but is not recommended. You would not be able to watch a movie in the Theatre area and listen to music in another area of the home. Extreme care needs to be taken when purchasing the receiver. You have to make certain it is powerful enough and it has an extra set of speaker out-put terminals. Most homeowners use an old stereo receiver for the whole house audio and purchase a new up-to-date Dolby Digital Receiver for Home Theatre. Having two receivers makes operation far simpler.

How critical is Home Theatre speaker location?

Speaker location is important but it is OK to make compromises. It is unlikely the homeowner will only use this room to watch movies. The room might also be a conversation area, computer area, and many times a dining area. The room's layout may not (most often will not) accommodate a "typical" theatre set up. Fireplaces, doorways windows, etc. may mandate that speakers be placed in less then ideal locations. The overall effect will still be very good.

Can a pair of Whole House Audio speakers be "split" in two different rooms?

No. Each speaker is playing a separate channel of music. Both speakers must remain in the same area to get a stereo effect.

What does the Volume Control do?

The control allows you to adjust the volume level of a pair of speakers in the room in which they are located without affecting the volume in other rooms. You also can turn the speaker volume all the way down (off). If you used the volume control knob on the receiver then speaker volume in every room would be adjusted at the same time. This would be impractical. Volume controls are an essential component for professional whole house audio.

Should you have any further questions after reviewing these FAQs, please use our contact information to communicate with a Superior Security and Sound representative.