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THX Ultra2 Cinema
THX Ultra2 Cinema mode plays 5.1 movies using all 8 speakers (7 speakers plus a subwoofer)
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 Ultra2 Cinema mode if the appropriate flag has been encoded.
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 Ultra2 Cinema mode will
apply ASA processing to provide optimum replay.
THX Music
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
For the replay of 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 channel encoded game
sources such as analog, PCM, DTS and Dolby Digital. This accurately places all game audio sur-
round 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.
Boundary Gain Compensation
If your listening room layout (for practical or aesthetic reasons) results in most listeners seated
close to the rear wall, the resulting bass level can be sufficiently reinforced by the boundary
that the overall sound quality becomes “boomy.” THX Ultra2 surround controllers contain the
Boundary Gain Compensation feature improve bass balance. Boundary Gain Compensation is
active when you select “THX Ultra2 Subwoofer-Yes” in the “Boundary Gain Compensation” sec-
tion of the THX Audio setup menu page.
Dialogue Normalization
Dialogue Normalization (Dial Norm) is a feature of Dolby Digital, which is used to keep the pro-
grams at the same average listening level so the user does not have to change the volume con-
trol between Dolby Digital programs.
When playing back software which has been encoded in Dolby Digital, sometimes you may see
a brief message in the front panel display which will read “Dial Norm X dB” (X being a numeric
value). The display is showing how the program level relates with THX calibration level. If you
want to play the program at calibrated theatrical levels, you may wish to adjust the volume. For
example, if you see the following message: “Dial Norm + 4 dB” in the front panel display, to
keep the overall output level at THX calibrated loudness, just turn down the volume control by 4
dB. However, unlike a movie theater where the playback loudness is preset, you can choose your
preferred volume setting for best enjoyment.
Online Sources for Further Information:
www.parasound.com, www.dolby.com, www.dtsonline.com, www.thx.com.
