THX Surround EX Test Signal... (1 Viewer)

.. Am I the only one who didn't realize that there is a THX certified pink-noise signal test for Surround EX? I was using Optimode just for laughs at my 3 year old's reactions while watching Toy Story 2 last night and there they were. If this has been talked about, I apologize, but if it hasn't, I thought it would be worth mentioning to a great many of you with EX and ES systems.
Matt
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"And I say I'm dead, and I move"....

Matt- I haven't seen mention of it before.
I know that I personally picked up TS2 for the "dog growl" test that Wes spotted during the Monsters preview.
Now I'll have to check out the rest of the disc!
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Matt; I have the two disc Toy Story set, not the Ultimate Toy Box. Unless I am blind or "nutsky" there are only Optimode tests on Toy Story, but not Toy Story 2. There is surround white noise that will come out between the two rear surround speakers as well as the individual left and and right surround speakers.
Kevin; The "dog growl" on the MONSTERS preview on Toy Story 2 may or may not be EX encoded but it does come out dead center between the two rear surround speakers. Lately, I do not see WIDESCREEN REVIEW using their term, CENTER BACK IMAGING which is just what that dog growl is. One does not need a special center channel or decoder to hear that particular sound or for that matter any matrixed type EX or non-EX type sound if your surrounds are direct firing and placed in specific positions. I am not saying that decoders and extra speakers may add something special to this mode particulaly DTS descrete ES. This recording process EX or not for the center back imaging when used is one of the nicest freebies we have received from sound engineers at the studios who know how to do proper back surround placement. It has added a fabulous extra to the D.D. and DTS recordings that really were needed.

The T2 Special Edition also has a DD 5.1 EX test in
the THX Opti-Mode section

I think all EX encoded discs that have the THX optimode will have the EX channel also on the test signal. At least I have seen it on all mine so far.
Gary, you are right, but if you not dead nuts in the center then your imaging will be off where Ex will always have the correct imagine.
Wes

Wes; before etown.com went to "virtual heaven" I was able to get a response from Brent Butterworth of Dolby Labs. He verified that one could hear EX sound from just two surround speakers. In this case, mine are set-up similar to the Dolby website where they face each other. I am not a computer savvy person, but I did keep a print out of my communique and Brent't response. My brother is the computer expert so I will speak to him about scanning the letter and e-mailing it to you.

If only the test signals would last longer!!! They fly by faster then Buzz Lightyear! How is one supposed to calibrate that fast??? I have to play the darn thing 20 times to get close.... but I digress...
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-Mark
**** Digital Vortex ****
The Digital Electronic Site
www.digitalvortex.com

THX Optimode is catered to the mastering of a specific disc. AVIA/VE is a general calibration tool to set your system up to play any 5.1 media. Personally I do not take the time to set with Optimode for individual discs. Though AVIA/VE does not have a tone for the Surround EX channel and an Optimode disc with it is a useful tool for EX setups.
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Derek
Surround EX FAQ: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P...urroundex.html

Sean,
I initially calibrated with TS2 Optimode since I don't own Avia or VE. But later I borrowed a fellow HTF member's Avia and calibrated again. I found that Optimode on this disc is calibrated at Reference -20dB just like Avia. So if you calibrate at 85dB that's reference level. The front left, center and right tones and the subwoofer tone match Avia almost perfectly. But the surround right and left tones are about 2dB off. I think the tones were 2dB low, so you have to trim them +2dB to compensate. I have it written down at home if you're really interested. I didn't pay any attention to the surround center tone since I don't have a surround center speaker.
I've returned the Avia disc, so now I'll just use Optimode and adjust for the surround offset.

Seven:SE also has the ES/EX optimode test. Just noticed this two nights ago.
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While it is true that you can hear the EX-encoded channel without a decoder, it will NOT be properly placed. The surround channels are mixed to be heard alongside the listener (as in commercial movie theaters) in the rear third of the room, with the BACK-channel being heard along the back-wall (not between the surround channels).
Marty

With the THX Surround EX Demo Disc, the test signal will stay on the same speaker until you chapter skip forward (to the next speaker).
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http://darius.mobius-soft.com/~andrea/ht/

Andrea- Any info on how to get one of these?
THX Surround EX Demo Disc
Price? Online somewhere?
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I found mine on eBay a while back when I upgraded my system to 6.1 and paid $65 for the DVD. Goto Movies : Movies : DVD and search for "demo" in that section. There is one currently up for auction at $199. It is NOT worth that. In fact, I'm not too crazy about the $65 I paid. But at the time, I wanted everything EX or ES I could get my hands on. Keep checking eBay. They'll pop up every so often.
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http://darius.mobius-soft.com/~andrea/ht/

Cool, thanks!
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