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Since most expansive multi-room systems include at least one home theater, ADA has several
options available for including the home theater into the multi-room system. Furthermore,
since the Delta System and ADA's SSD-66 (THX) Surround Sound Controllers operate on the
ADA Bus™, a home theater's keypad or control can be set to provide operation of both the
room's source selection and control functions via the Delta-88 as well as the theater's acoustical
controls via the SSD-66. Depending on your system's layout, the way you include the video
sources into the system, and the location of the home theater equipment with respect to the
system mainframe, one of the following options should apply to your particular project.
Considerations
1
Location of the home theater - Because the surround sound decoder is controlled by a
room keypad and displays its status on that control, you can choose to locate the SSD-66 and
the associated home theater amplifier either in the home theater room or at the system
mainframe. While in some cases, these rooms are one and the same, the option does exist to
maintain the system's hardware in a location at any distance from the actual theater.
2
Because the SSD-66 has several addresses, any number of home theater systems can be
included in any one home. Each theater is independently controllable from its keypad.
3
The SSD-66 can be assigned to any one zone, however, IR remote control codes (used
during setup) are only available if the decoder's address is set up for rooms 1, 2, or 3. Therefore,
ADA suggests that home theaters be setup on the first zone. If additional home theaters are
in the same home, zones 2 and 3 should be used next. If a home incorporates more than three
home theaters, the SSD-66 can maintain its primary zone one address during setup and
calibration. After setup, the address can be changed for keypad control.
4
In the most basic home theater system, the video sources are local to only one room
while the central audio sources are common to the entire home. In such systems, the local video
sources would connect directly into the TV's external inputs. While an AV type of universal
remote control is used to turn on the TV, tune up/dn, access video sources, and control video
sources' transport functions, the home theater's volume and mode selection could be con-
trolled from the keypad or the SSD-66's hand held IR remote control.
5
Modulating the central video sources permits access of these sources by tuning in a TV
channel. Audio and video quality is compromised when modulating especially considering
that most TV tuners cannot provide the stereo separation essential for quality surround sound
decoding. Modulation is typically ideal for providing a central AV source to remote rooms
when those rooms are not doing any surround sound decoding. If modulation is the only
alternative in a home theater, use the MT-3000 with a video tuner as its TV tuner's audio
separation is superior to most any other TV tuner.
6
When running an independent composite video cable to TVs, the image quality is much
better than most modulated video signals. Most typically, you will also need to run right and
left audio to the TV along with the composite video signal. Since the TV's tuner is going to play
through the surround sound system and since most audio overrides are automatic (activated
by the TV turning on), the central video source's audio will also need to pass to the TV and then
the surround decoder. In this case the TV is also acting as the switcher between its built-in
tuner, the central video sources, and even a local video source (VCR).
7
Complete Keypad Control Operation - If video sources are part of the central system
and you are working with a projector or monitor that can turn on when it gets AC, ADA has
options which will automatically turn on the TV or projector when only a video source is
selected on the room's keypad
Home Theater Options