Vince Maskeeper
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 1999
- Messages
- 6,500
This is an issue I have wanted to talk about around these parts for a while. My first reaction was that this type of talk was best suited for the hardware section, but the more I considered it- the more I realized that this concept is old hat for many of the kids who hang in hardware - while the typical software junkie might have no knowledge of the whole issue.
What's more, I didn't really know the best way to describe the situation and the potential problem as it exists currently, so I put off even discussing the issue. Today I happened across the DVDfile review of Blade 2 (located HERE.).
Dan Ramer did such a great job of explaining the concept and setting up the dilemma, that I felt it would be best to simply quote his excellent assessment:
Now this is something about which the average DVD junkie is largely unaware. I really think this issue is something that those of use who strive for the best possible presentation should be aware of- and make a priority...
There are three issues in this passage quoted above that I would like to take a moment to address:
1) Mr. Ramer states that there is one production house that removes the emphasis applied by the X-curve, Mi Casa (which is basically a project studio located in the home of Robert Margouleff). Now, while I'm certain Mr. Ramer didn't intend to do this, this might be read to mean that Mi Casa is the ONLY facility currently compensating for the X-curve on DVD mastering, and I'd don't believe this to be the case. In my own informal observation of DD soundtracks on DVD, I would say that a good percentage have been re-eq'd for DVD presentation (Maybe as high as 50/50).
2) The X-Curve (aka wide-range curve) is the 3 dB per octave roll off starting at 2k in the theatrical playback system. This means the upper freq of a movie theater (and the monitors the films are mixed upon) are specifically lacking in high end freq- and as a result movie soundtracks are then mixed "hot" in the high freq to compensate what the monitors produce. If these soundtracks, intended for playback on an X-curve system, are played back on "flat" system like a Home Theater- they will seem excessively bright. Mr. Ramer again did a decent job of explaining this- however I wanted it to be clear that the curve is applied to theatrical systems, and thus result in soundtracks being mixed with excessive high freq information.
3) This is the big issue for me: Mr. Ramer says that there is no practical way to currently determine if the material needs compensation or not, and alludes that the solution would be clearer information on the packaging. However what he doesn't seem to realize, and seemingly no one in the industry seems to utilize, is DD soundtracks have a specific flag in the header which explains the monitor type used in preperation of the soundtrack.
This flag would be an absolutely perfect tool for improving the playback of DD soundtracks, if anyone would bother setting it from the default position! Processors could be easily designed to read the flag in the header and activate/deactivate theater compensation mode based upon the monitor type listed in the header.
Much like the dreaded "dialog normalization" flag, which is quite possibly one of the best [but completely misunderstood] features of dolby digital encoding-- this monitor flag is going unused by the majority of people encoding soundtracks. This (like Dialog Norm) could be used to provide a better standard for DD playback, improving the image of DD as an encoding scheme and providing a better experience for all of us.
In most cases, just like Dialog normalization- the flag is left at the default position on the majority of DD soundtracks.
I think that it is important not only for DVD and HT enthusiasts to understand the role and concept of the X-curve, but to realize that the potential for enjoyment of DVD is often being sold short simply because the tools available are not being properly utilized.
-Vince
What's more, I didn't really know the best way to describe the situation and the potential problem as it exists currently, so I put off even discussing the issue. Today I happened across the DVDfile review of Blade 2 (located HERE.).
Dan Ramer did such a great job of explaining the concept and setting up the dilemma, that I felt it would be best to simply quote his excellent assessment:
Now this is something about which the average DVD junkie is largely unaware. I really think this issue is something that those of use who strive for the best possible presentation should be aware of- and make a priority...
There are three issues in this passage quoted above that I would like to take a moment to address:
1) Mr. Ramer states that there is one production house that removes the emphasis applied by the X-curve, Mi Casa (which is basically a project studio located in the home of Robert Margouleff). Now, while I'm certain Mr. Ramer didn't intend to do this, this might be read to mean that Mi Casa is the ONLY facility currently compensating for the X-curve on DVD mastering, and I'd don't believe this to be the case. In my own informal observation of DD soundtracks on DVD, I would say that a good percentage have been re-eq'd for DVD presentation (Maybe as high as 50/50).
2) The X-Curve (aka wide-range curve) is the 3 dB per octave roll off starting at 2k in the theatrical playback system. This means the upper freq of a movie theater (and the monitors the films are mixed upon) are specifically lacking in high end freq- and as a result movie soundtracks are then mixed "hot" in the high freq to compensate what the monitors produce. If these soundtracks, intended for playback on an X-curve system, are played back on "flat" system like a Home Theater- they will seem excessively bright. Mr. Ramer again did a decent job of explaining this- however I wanted it to be clear that the curve is applied to theatrical systems, and thus result in soundtracks being mixed with excessive high freq information.
3) This is the big issue for me: Mr. Ramer says that there is no practical way to currently determine if the material needs compensation or not, and alludes that the solution would be clearer information on the packaging. However what he doesn't seem to realize, and seemingly no one in the industry seems to utilize, is DD soundtracks have a specific flag in the header which explains the monitor type used in preperation of the soundtrack.
This flag would be an absolutely perfect tool for improving the playback of DD soundtracks, if anyone would bother setting it from the default position! Processors could be easily designed to read the flag in the header and activate/deactivate theater compensation mode based upon the monitor type listed in the header.
Much like the dreaded "dialog normalization" flag, which is quite possibly one of the best [but completely misunderstood] features of dolby digital encoding-- this monitor flag is going unused by the majority of people encoding soundtracks. This (like Dialog Norm) could be used to provide a better standard for DD playback, improving the image of DD as an encoding scheme and providing a better experience for all of us.
In most cases, just like Dialog normalization- the flag is left at the default position on the majority of DD soundtracks.
I think that it is important not only for DVD and HT enthusiasts to understand the role and concept of the X-curve, but to realize that the potential for enjoyment of DVD is often being sold short simply because the tools available are not being properly utilized.
-Vince