xccell said:
I just rewatched Pearl Harbor. You know it is Digitally Mastered in THREE formats, yes three! I didn't notice that untill I started digging through all my dvd's and came across it. The audio is: DD5.1, DTS5.1 and THX
I must say I couldn't believe my ears! Watching it in DTS was like watching a whole new movie!
DVD companies are actually now printing/advertising on the cases that THX is a recording technology format like SDDS, DD or DTS? WOW, unbelievable. Paying "extra or more" for a specially licenced THX A/V unit is overkill in 99% of home theaters. If you can find them at or near the same cost as a top quality non-certified unit; then that is great, but it's not a "must-have" feature you should seek out on its own; it doesn't really add much extra value making it worth paying a much higher price.
As you can see below from the factual info regarding THX, if you have a THX approved head unit, DVD and maybe THX approved speakers all around at every channel; you're still are not meeting the "requirements" to be hearing that THX approved sound. And remember
ONLY THX Ultra (and up) incorporates the original specifications. THX and THX Select do not. Hell, for a time (maybe still do) they even did THX licencing for VHS (WTF?) Trust me; my Yamaha RX-Z9 is THX certified, but I in no way bought this top rated award winner because of that; if THX wasn't on it, I still would have bought it and maybe saved a few hundered in the process. Another award winner that is a great example of non-THX is the Denon AVR-2807; a unit I would recommend to folks looking to stay under$1200.
For the HOME user THX seems to come off as more of a marketing tool/name as opposed to the real in-theater version it attempts to recreate. Bottom line; THX approved may be nice, and get it if it falls inside your budget, but just don't pay much more just to get that approved sticker for home use. Your wallet will thank you and you will not have weakened or compromised any sound quality at all. as long as you don't totally "cheap out". Spend the money you saved by not paying extra for a THX approved head unit, DVD player, cables, etc, and by better speakers, the area where most home theaters owners skimp on, that make the most difference.
From the info on THX:
The THX is not a recording technology, and it does not specify a sound recording format; all digital (Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS) and all analog sound formats (Dolby SR, Ultra-Stereo) can be "shown in THX." THX is mainly a quality assurance system.
If a producer has their film mixed in THX, it merely means that when the film is shown in theaters, the soundtrack will sound exactly as it did when it was mixed, provided that the theaters in question are THX-certified theaters. THX also provides certified theaters with special equipment (a special crossover) required for compliance with the standard. Theaters become certified by meeting certain acoustic and technical requirements.
Some of the room requirements include a floating floor, baffled and acoustically treated walls, no parallel walls (to reduce standing waves), a perforated screen, and NC30 rating for background noise.