surround sound ?

[Sir Bronking]

with my dvd home theatre system can i set my thompson sky digibox up so i can listen to the "normal tele" in surround sound

 

[Lancelot]

If it aint transmitted that way then the info isn't there to resolve really.
However, my old Yammy DSP amp has a fair go in the correct mode.


L.

 

[Sir Bronking]

your knowlege never ceases to amaze

 

[PaulR]

Most programmes nowadays have surround sound encoded into the nornal stereo signal which can be decoded by Dolby equipment into surround sound (3 speakers) or even Prologic (5 speakers plus optional subwoofer).

This is not the same as Dolby digital and is available through normal Digiboxes as well as Freeview and even Nicam stereo on good old analogue terrestrial.

So, if your DVD systen can extract the information from an external sound source you should be OK.

 

[mhku]

You need to tell us what your home cinema system is. If it is a £100 piece of sh*t - then no.

If you have a decent 6.1 or 7.1 amp (ok, or even a 5.1) with lots of connections and some good speakers then yes (Dolby EX, Neo 6 Cinema etc).

I can watch my TV through the aerial and listen in Neo 6- sounds crap mind... through the DB sounds better

And what do you mean by "surround sound"?

 

[Sir Bronking]

i think my dvd home theatre system is cr*p

so i've got another idea
on the back of my computer i have the ability to connect speakers etc for surround sound,
problem: speakers downstairs, computor upstairs (no i cannot move comp downstairs, or speakers up stairs),
so:
can i create an extension setup ( i was thinking of running cable from computor-bedroom upstairs-outside-downwall-inside-living room-speakers)

 

[spiney]

Dolby 5.1 isn't used on Freeview, due to strict bandwidth limitations. However, where a surround sound source exists - usually on analogue Dolby soundtrack films - then this is encoded into the L/R two stereo channels, as phase information. Some decoders can "extract" this, and re-matrix it for a 5.1 speaker setup. If yours can't, a possible alternative is "the poor man's surround sound", connect a smaller pair of rear speakers across the existing front 2, but in antiphase (connections reversed). Creates a reasonable "soundfield", depending on exactly where you're sitting.

Note, this entirely at your own risk! Most consumer products use integrated IC (single chip) audio outputs, containing current limiting, so you can't overload and destroy the amplifiers. But, this might not be present on some very expensive "audiophile" hi fi amplifiers!

 

[jimbo]

Although my TV can process dolby digital, I was never happy with the speakers, especially the wireless rear ones which seemed to fluctuate with any movement in the room. So I purchased a system which has a main unit of a combined sub-woofer and processor built in and run wired speakers from that. This connects to my TV via coax digital and to the DVD and Sly box via optical digital.

 

[spiney]

Well, I've tried the "poor man" version, seems reasonably good, but never invested in a "proper" surround system (even though they're now very cheap!).

Stereo is a funny thing, it's only "ideal" in one particular place, and there's all sorts of "acoustical funnies", speaker quirks, room reflections, etc. Sometimes I plug in my amazing LS3/5s, for occasional tv stereo, and the "stereo image" is superb, no matter where you are. That "shouldn't" be possible, and I've no idea why it works. Was this brilliantly good design, or just a "happy accident"?

Dolby in cinemas depends very much on the Haas effect, which requires specially lining up up the equipment per auditorium, etc. How well this works in living rooms, I've no idea. But, I'd have thought, in a smaller space, phase information should also work quite well, and that's what the "cheap and cheerful" version does. After all, it's in widespread use, those tiny one-box speaker systems which give "very wide" stereo work in exactly the same way, by feeding an anti-phase signal to the opposite side.