Demo Disc Writeup

 

Welcome to the Xtremeplace!

A demo disc is a show case of the wow factor, and this awe inspiring bit is what makes our jaws drop or make us stop in our steps when we walk past a demo going on in the shops. This disc aims to compile the best scenes to showcase the best of various aspects of High Definition.

A note first:

This is NOT a financial venture, everyone does this for fun and this disc should NEVER be sold. I cannot emphasise this more.

Introduction:

The world of Home Theatre (HT) is an exciting and immersive world, which can draw you in, help you share the emotions, the action, the tension and the humor, and the picture as well as the sound helps to put you right in the middle of it.

So before you even begin to watch this, take some time to read ALL the stickies, and vital threads and information in our forums on:

-       speaker placement

-       bass management

-       subwoofer calibration

-       room treatment

-       room equalization

-       types of decoding

-       picture calibration

-       viewing distance

-       how to buy and demo threads

-       etc etc

it is possible to replicate or surpass what we get in the cinema, if you spend some money, and plenty of effort. As  Ikea tells us: “you don’t have to be rich to be smart”.

After you get that dream sound system, you need to spend time putting the pieces together. The use of those automated room equalization features, plus some elbow grease, and muscle work, a tape measure, an SPL meter and time spent reading the manual will help give you the perfect setup that can put the Rex theatre to shame.

The components of a good soundtrack:

BASS -

Cinema and HT is not just about a big bad subwoofer with a head splitting bass track. Too often when you step into a store, the salesman simply cranks up the subwoofer to a level that makes you want to walk out or you lose a bit of your hearing in the process.

So even though a good bass sequenced is vital, bass is actually a lot more than explosions and gunfire. Bass can be used to accentuate a thrilling or suspenseful scene. It is often used to good effect in ghost horror scenes or even in drama to inject tension.

SPEECH –

Bass aids but is only a part of the sonic picture. Good dialogue, which is clear and well located is also important. A poorly recorded voice makes it hard to discern what the actor is saying (unless its Marlon Brando, then you are stuffed!). excessively low levels of dialogue also force you to turn up the volume only to suffer the issue of bass and surround effects which are too loud.

SURROUND EFFECTS

To me, this trumps bass for the whole cinematic effect and is even more vital to complete the whole sonic landscape.

The effective use of the surrounds, be it 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 (note there is NO soundtrack encoded in 9.1 or 11.1, that’s all post-processing by a suitably equipped amp) will allow you to be truly immersed in the movie. Have you felt those bullets whizzing just past your ears?

How about the voice which buzzes all around you? That airplane that goes from the back to the front seamlessly? Or the sensation that you are actually in the same helmet as the actor?

Now that you have the basic components, then onto the Demo Disc!

I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about.