25
English
all channels and large dynamic range capability. A Dolby Digital 5.1
soundtrack can provide more impressive surround sound than matrix
Dolby Surround.
Decoding of Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks is automatic. When the RSP-
1580 detects a Dolby 5.1 signal on one of its digital inputs, it activates
the proper processing. Keep in mind that Dolby Digital is only available
from digital sources (a DVD, a LaserDisc, or a Digital TV/Cable/SAT
tuner). Also, you must connect the source with a digital cable (coax or
optical) to an active digital input on the processor .
Note:
Many DVDs have a Dolby Digital 2.0 matrix soundtrack as the
default, which should be decoded with Pro Logic II. The Dolby Digital 5.1
soundtrack may have to be selected as an option from the setup menus at
the beginning of the DVD. Look for a Dolby Digital 5.1 selection under
“Audio” or “Languages” or “Setup Options” when you insert the disc.
DTS 5 .1 & DTS 96/24
DTS® (Digital Theater Systems) is an alternative digital format competing
with Dolby Digital in both movie theaters and home theater markets. The
basic functions of the DTS system are similar to those of Dolby Digital
(for example, 5.1 discrete channels), however the technical details of
the compression and decoding processes differ somewhat and a DTS
decoder is required.
A recent extension of the DTS encoding system is DTS 96/24 and the 6.1-
channel version DTS-ES 96/24. These recordings provide the performance
of a 96kHz sampling rate while still using the actual 48kHsampling rate
of standard DTS discs.
Like Dolby Digital, DTS can only be used on a digital recording and,
therefore, is only available for home use on LaserDiscs, DVDs, or other
digital formats. To use the RSP-1580’s DTS decoder, you must connect
your DVD player to the unit’s digital inputs. As with Dolby Digital 5.1,
detection and proper decoding of DTS 5.1 signals is automatic.
Note:
DVDs with a DTS soundtrack almost always have it configured
as an option to the standard matrix Dolby Surround format. To use DTS,
you may have to go to the setup menus at the beginning of the DVD and
select “DTS 5.1” instead of “Dolby Surround” or “Dolby Digital 5.1”. In
addition, many DVD players have the DTS digital bitstream turned off
by default and cannot output a DTS soundtrack (even if selected on the
disc’s menu) until you activate the player’s DTS output. If you hear no
sound the first time you attempt to play a DTS disc, go to the DVD player’s
configuration menus and turn on the DTS bitstream. This is a one-time
setting and need only be done once.
DTS Neo:6
This Rotel processor features a second type of DTS surround sound decoding:
DTS Neo:6. This decoding system is similar to Dolby Pro Logic II and is
designed for playback of any 2-channel stereo recording, either matrix-
encoded or not. The Neo:6 decoder can be used with any conventional
2-channel source such as a stereo TV or FM broadcast or a CD. It can
also be used as an alternative method of decoding matrix-encoded Dolby
Surround recordings or TV broadcasts. Activate the DTS Neo:6 decoding
with the DTS Neo:6 button as detailed later in this section. DTS Neo:6 is
not used with DTS 5.1 digital sources and the button need not be pressed
for those recordings.
Dolby Digital Surround EX
DTS-ES 6 .1 and 7 .1 Channel Surround
In 1999, the first Dolby Digital soundtrack was released to theaters with
an additional center back surround channel, intended to increase the
directional effects from behind the audience. This additional surround
channel is encoded into the two existing surround channels in Dolby Digital
5.1, using a matrix encoding process similar to that used previously in
Dolby Surround. This new extended surround capability is called Dolby
Digital Surround EX.
DTS has added a similar capability for recording this extended surround
information called DTS-ES® 6.1 Matrix. They have also taken it one step
further and developed the capability to record this extended surround
information as a discrete channel in a system called DTS-ES® 6.1
Discrete.
All of these systems are extensions of the existing Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS
5.1 digital surround sound formats. Users with one center back speaker (a
6.1 configuration) or two center back speakers (a 7.1 configuration) can
take advantage of this extended surround information. On traditional 5.1
channel systems, Dolby Digital Surround EX or DTS-ES 6.1 discs sound
exactly the same as 5.1 channel discs in each respective format.
If you have configured your system with one or two center back speakers,
decoding of DTS-ES discs is automatic, just as it is with standard DTS
soundtracks. Likewise, decoding of Dolby Digital Surround EX discs is
automatic with one exception. Some Surround EX titles do not have the
detection “flag” encoded on the disc. To activate the Dolby Digital Surround
EX features for these discs (or for standard 5.1 channel Dolby Digital
discs), you must manually activate Dolby Surround EX processing.
Dolby Pro Logic IIx 6 .1 and 7 .1 Channel Surround
This technology from Dolby uses advanced matrix decoding for the
surround channels in a 6.1 channel or 7.1 channel system. Working with
any 2.0 channel or 5.1 channel recording, Dolby Pro Logic IIx processing
distributes the surround channel information among three or four surround
channels, with a Music mode optimized for musical recordings and a
Cinema mode optimized for film soundtracks
Dolby Pro Logic IIz 7 .1 Height Surround
The latest technology from Dolby delivers enhanced effects through
the addition of front height speakers. These added channels create a
lifelike soundstage It identify and decode the spatial cues that occur
naturally in all content whether stereo, 5.1, music CD 5.1 and 7.1
channel sources then process ambient sound effects such as wind or
rain fall and direct them to the front height speakers.
Rotel XS 6 .1 and 7 .1 Channel Surround
This RSP-1580 also features Rotel XS (eXtended Surround) processing
provides extended surround performance on 6.1 and 7.1 channel systems.
The key benefit of Rotel XS is that it works at all times with all multichannel
digital signals, even those that might not otherwise activate Dolby Digital
EX or DTS-ES surround decoding for the center back channel(s). Always
available when center back speaker(s) are configured in the system setup,
Rotel XS decodes the surround channels and distributes the extended
surround channels to the center back speaker(s) in a way that tends to
create a diffuse surround effect. Rotel XS works with matrix-encoded
surround signals (such as non-flagged DTS-ES and Dolby Surround EX
discs) as well as digital source material that is not Dolby Surround EX
encoded (such as DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and even Dolby Pro Logic
II decoded Dolby Digital 2.0 recordings).
