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MONO

Before there was digital anything, there was MONO. This is sound channeled to a single speaker. It would be as though you would have only one ear to listen with. Great for AM radio broadcasts, kind of boring for Home Theatre.

STEREO

Stereo is sound divided between 2 channels - Left and Right - which is more in line to how your ears detect sound. You can add another Speaker, called a Sub-Woofer, to give the overall sound more low end effects for explosions. It gets it's signal by feeding from one of the Front Speakers. You can also have Quadrophonic Stereo, a Stereo signal using 4 Speakers, to fill a room with more sound. This is okay for listening to movies, but it's still only 2 channels of sound no matter how many Speakers you add. Something is still missing...

DOLBY PRO-LOGIC

Dolby Pro-Logic introduces 4 seperate channels to the sound experience.

1, 2 : Left and Right in the Front (for music and sound effects),

3 : A Centre Channel (for vocals - people speaking or singing)

4 : Rear Channels behind you (for additional music and sound effects).

The sound from the Rear Speakers uses a Mono sound signal. Yes, there are 2 Speakers but the sound from them is simultaneous, that is, both with the same sound at the same time. This signal is usually about 15 watts and creates a neat effect.

Sounds now track the action on the screen more accurately. Plus the added effect of things coming from behind you, moving to the front.

Like the Stereo set-up, you can add a Sub-Woofer to give you better low end for explosions and earthquake like rumble to the sound. It, too, operates off a signal from the front speakers and not independantly. What this means to you is a more atmospheric listening experience. Adding the Sub just seems to fill in that "missing something" perfectly.

With the new Digital 5.1 and DTS sound formats that are available, there are still many people who love their sound system in Pro-Logic and feel it is unecessary to upgrade to something else. You can get a Pro-Logic Receiver for $300 and less, which is great, if thats the way you wish to go. You can play a Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD on a Pro-Logic system. It will sound like a really fantastic Pro-Logic signal. DTS, however, is strictly for Receivers with DTS built in.

DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1

Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital 5.1 and AC-3 are all the same thing, just different names (I won't bore you with why). This method utilizes 5 channels of sound, plus one.

1, 2 : Left and Right in Front (for music and sound effects)

3 : A Centre channel (for vocals-people speaking or singing)

4, 5 : Rear channels behind you for additional music and sound effects.

Unlike the Pro-Logic set up, this time the Rear Speakers offer the sound in Stereo, that is, equal in power to the Front Speakers each having their own seperate channel (Pro-Logic's Rear Speakers offer a single, or mono channel, from two Speakers, around 15 watts).

And, finally, the "point one" in 5.1. A seperate signal dedicated only for low frequency effects, which goes to your Sub-Woofer, giving fantastic punch to explosions and earthquake like rumble.

The sound now tracks the action on the screen in a HIGHLY atmospheric fashion. With the now independantly working rear speakers, the sound can actually circle the room instead of just move from back to front. Plus, the seperate signal for the sub creates an even deeper low-end signal which offers explosions that can almost be felt more than heard.

DTS

DTS offers the same independant channels for each of the 6 speakers as Digital 5.1 but the sound clarity is slightly better. This is achieved by storing more soundtrack information onto the DVD disc. The more space that is used to store information, the better the quality. Unfortunately, this takes up a lot of the disc's storage space and DTS DVD discs have little or no extra features. Many argue the difference in sound quality between 5.1 and DTS is minimal and stay with 5.1. They believe the extra features are a better offer than the marginal difference in sound quality. Others say there is an amazing difference and is worth sacrificing the extras. Only your ears, and wallet, will decide.

THX

You've seen it at the beginning of many a movie, the ominous THX opening logo. This is not a sound format, but a standard developed to measure sound equipment that was established by George Lucas (yes, the Star Wars guy).

Now, we all have our own standards, that is, what each of us thinks is great. When it comes to sound quality, THX is George's standard. So, really, just because the THX label is on the outside of an Amp or Reciever this does not necessarily mean the unit is of exceptional quality. It just means that George's team of THX folks went, "Yup, we agree that this unit sounds real good."

It should also been noted that Mr. Lucas has the manufacturers pay royalties to THX in order to get that label of approval. So some "THX approved" units have an opportunity here to bypass the approval process all together. They pay their money, they get the THX sticker for their unit.

The sound quality that THX rates sounds more, well, "movie-like". Some units have their own built in process for this, not just a label. For example, Onkyo Receivers have "Cinema Re-EQ" but, unlike THX, this is an actual re-equalization device which you can activate or deactivate at the touch of a button.

MONO Before there was digital anything, there was MONO. This is sound channeled to a single speaker. It would be as though you would have only one ear to listen with. Great for AM radio broadcasts, kind of boring for Home Theatre.
STEREO Stereo is sound divided between 2 channels - Left and Right - which is more in line to how your ears detect sound. You can add another Speaker, called a Sub-Woofer, to give the overall sound more low end effects for explosions. It gets it's signal by feeding from one of the Front Speakers. You can also have Quadrophonic Stereo, a Stereo signal using 4 Speakers, to fill a room with more sound. This is okay for listening to movies, but it's still only 2 channels of sound no matter how many Speakers you add. Something is still missing...
DOLBY PRO-LOGIC Dolby Pro-Logic introduces 4 seperate channels to the sound experience. 1, 2 : Left and Right in the Front (for music and sound effects), 3 : A Centre Channel (for vocals - people speaking or singing) 4 : Rear Channels behind you (for additional music and sound effects). The sound from the Rear Speakers uses a Mono sound signal. Yes, there are 2 Speakers but the sound from them is simultaneous, that is, both with the same sound at the same time. This signal is usually about 15 watts and creates a neat effect. Sounds now track the action on the screen more accurately. Plus the added effect of things coming from behind you, moving to the front. Like the Stereo set-up, you can add a Sub-Woofer to give you better low end for explosions and earthquake like rumble to the sound. It, too, operates off a signal from the front speakers and not independantly. What this means to you is a more atmospheric listening experience. Adding the Sub just seems to fill in that "missing something" perfectly. With the new Digital 5.1 and DTS sound formats that are available, there are still many people who love their sound system in Pro-Logic and feel it is unecessary to upgrade to something else. You can get a Pro-Logic Receiver for $300 and less, which is great, if thats the way you wish to go. You can play a Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD on a Pro-Logic system. It will sound like a really fantastic Pro-Logic signal. DTS, however, is strictly for Receivers with DTS built in.
DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital 5.1 and AC-3 are all the same thing, just different names (I won't bore you with why). This method utilizes 5 channels of sound, plus one. 1, 2 : Left and Right in Front (for music and sound effects) 3 : A Centre channel (for vocals-people speaking or singing) 4, 5 : Rear channels behind you for additional music and sound effects. Unlike the Pro-Logic set up, this time the Rear Speakers offer the sound in Stereo, that is, equal in power to the Front Speakers each having their own seperate channel (Pro-Logic's Rear Speakers offer a single, or mono channel, from two Speakers, around 15 watts). And, finally, the "point one" in 5.1. A seperate signal dedicated only for low frequency effects, which goes to your Sub-Woofer, giving fantastic punch to explosions and earthquake like rumble. The sound now tracks the action on the screen in a HIGHLY atmospheric fashion. With the now independantly working rear speakers, the sound can actually circle the room instead of just move from back to front. Plus, the seperate signal for the sub creates an even deeper low-end signal which offers explosions that can almost be felt more than heard.
DTS DTS offers the same independant channels for each of the 6 speakers as Digital 5.1 but the sound clarity is slightly better. This is achieved by storing more soundtrack information onto the DVD disc. The more space that is used to store information, the better the quality. Unfortunately, this takes up a lot of the disc's storage space and DTS DVD discs have little or no extra features. Many argue the difference in sound quality between 5.1 and DTS is minimal and stay with 5.1. They believe the extra features are a better offer than the marginal difference in sound quality. Others say there is an amazing difference and is worth sacrificing the extras. Only your ears, and wallet, will decide.
THX You've seen it at the beginning of many a movie, the ominous THX opening logo. This is not a sound format, but a standard developed to measure sound equipment that was established by George Lucas (yes, the Star Wars guy). Now, we all have our own standards, that is, what each of us thinks is great. When it comes to sound quality, THX is George's standard. So, really, just because the THX label is on the outside of an Amp or Reciever this does not necessarily mean the unit is of exceptional quality. It just means that George's team of THX folks went, "Yup, we agree that this unit sounds real good." It should also been noted that Mr. Lucas has the manufacturers pay royalties to THX in order to get that label of approval. So some "THX approved" units have an opportunity here to bypass the approval process all together. They pay their money, they get the THX sticker for their unit. The sound quality that THX rates sounds more, well, "movie-like". Some units have their own built in process for this, not just a label. For example, Onkyo Receivers have "Cinema Re-EQ" but, unlike THX, this is an actual re-equalization device which you can activate or deactivate at the touch of a button.