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Dolby Atmos Beyond 7.1.4 – Part 6: Reconfiguring Everything (Again)

Josh Zyber — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 17:00:17 +0000

My seemingly never-ending project to incorporate an absurd number of speakers into my home theater has undergone another major overhaul since I last provided an update. While, no, I haven’t squeezed any more speakers into the room, I have rewired and re-assigned several of them – hopefully for the better. Most home theaters are content...

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IMAX Enhanced Audio Examined, Part 4

Josh Zyber — Thu, 23 May 2019 12:00:20 +0000

Earlier this year, the IMAX Corporation and DTS introduced the new IMAX Enhanced variant of the DTS:X sound format, and I wrote a few articles trying to get to the bottom of what it really is or does. Just as I thought I understood it, a recent firmware update changed some ways the format works....

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Dolby Atmos Beyond 7.1.4 – Part 5: The Front Wide Experiment

Josh Zyber — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 18:00:22 +0000

It’s been a while since I last provided an update on my ongoing attempt to expand my home theater beyond the conventional channel limits allowed by Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. Never satisfied, I’ve now crammed 17 speakers into my room. If you can believe it, in some ways this has actually simplified matters since my...

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IMAX Enhanced Audio Examined, Part 3

Josh Zyber — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 17:00:21 +0000

As I’m still trying to figure out the new IMAX Enhanced audio format, I’ve done some additional playing around and discovered a strange use that was likely not intended by the designers. If you really wanted to, you can activate the mode on DTS-encoded DVDs. You probably shouldn’t, though. Yes, I said DVD, not Blu-ray....

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IMAX Enhanced Audio Examined, Part 2

Josh Zyber — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 17:00:18 +0000

Last week I shared my first impressions of the new IMAX Enhanced audio format, available on select A/V receivers and two movie discs to date. Additional testing has answered some of the questions I had, but I’m not sure I like those answers. Both IMAX and DTS have been stingy with details about exactly what...

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Yet Another New Audio Format: IMAX Enhanced Makes Its Debut

Josh Zyber — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:00:24 +0000

As if home theater audio weren’t already confusing enough with the plethora of sound formats available on Blu-ray and Ultra HD, the IMAX Corporation has now introduced another proprietary format, called IMAX Enhanced. What’s unique or special about this one, and should you upgrade your A/V receiver to get it? I’m trying to figure that...

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Upmixer Face-off: DSU vs. Neural:X vs. Auro-3D

Josh Zyber — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:00:27 +0000

As part of my testing of the flagship Denon AVR-X8500H A/V receiver, I finally have access to all three of the competing immersive sound upmixer formats and was able to run a comparison to see exactly how they each work on a normal movie soundtrack. My prior A/V receiver, the 2014 Denon AVR-X5200W, was a...

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Denon AVR-X8500H Unboxing

Josh Zyber — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 15:00:33 +0000

Our friends at Denon sent me a very nice new toy to test for review: the flagship AVR-X8500H A/V receiver. Setting this thing up and putting it through its paces is going to take me a while. In the meantime, here are some photos to tantalize you. With a hefty MSRP of $3,999.00, the AVR-X8500H...

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No Such Thing As Too Many Speakers – Customizing a Dolby Atmos System

Josh Zyber — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 19:00:03 +0000

Aside from some obscenely expensive high-end boutique gear, the current generation of Dolby Atmos A/V receivers (as well as the coming wave of DTS:X capable models) top out at a maximum limit of 7.1.4 channels of surround sound audio. While that should be plenty enough for the majority of home theater users, some may find...

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Blu-ray Highlights: Week of July 12th, 2015 – Rogue Agent

Josh Zyber — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 12:00:56 +0000

Whoa, nellie! A whole lotta new Blu-rays hit store shelves his week. Unlike the last several weeks, quite a few of them actually look interesting. This could be a wallet-buster. New Releases ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past – The Rogue Cut‘ – I debated whether to call this a new release or a catalog title....

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Poll: Is Now Too Soon to Upgrade to Dolby Atmos?

Josh Zyber — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 13:00:43 +0000

I, for one, am very excited about the recent introduction of Dolby Atmos surround sound on Blu-ray. I’ve been making plans to upgrade my A/V receiver to an Atmos model, and have taken some preliminary steps to prepare my home theater room. However, rumblings that new competing sound formats may be available next year make...

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My Week of Audio: Part 3 – DTS Tour

Josh Zyber — Wed, 23 May 2012 15:00:37 +0000

After spending two days in San Francisco witnessing the latest products that Dolby Labs wanted to showcase, I next jetted off to the Los Angeles area to visit Dolby’s biggest competitor: DTS, Inc. I’ll be honest that I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the company’s headquarters in Calabasas. My arrival...

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