Home Theater Musings.

Dolby home theater sound is clearly well established and reasonably successful, Dolby Digital especially so. DTS (Digital Theater Sound) is still the new kid on the block, but the arrival of DTS receivers from Sherwood and Yamaha suggest that DTS will share the home theater market. Owing to the availability of relatively inexpensive DTS decoding chips, DTS is now to be taken seriously by home theater advocates. The relatively inexpensive ($699) Millennium Technologies DTS decoder/preamp offers those with well established home theater setups to incorporate DTS into existing systems. DTS DVD software is promised and there is a growing range of DTS laserdiscs already joined with DTS CDs offering quite dazzling musical offerings.

Ultimately, the two competing systems will thrive or wither depending upon the care and intelligence with which the soundtracks and musical releases are recorded. Certainly, both processes offer some great software for home theater enjoyment. I wouldn't want to do without either Dolby Digital or DTS. Currently, I would favor Digital Dolby if restricted to a single choice because it provides the widest range of software. Indeed, given the current market with both laserdiscs and DVDs, Digital Dolby has the clear edge in software. Still, I hope that the splendors of DTS and the addition of digital musical offerings will thrive as well. Competition should provide us with economical and multiple choices in home theater software. The success of DTS in cinemas should provide a growing catalog of DTS software especially in DVD software.

The Millennium's decoder is currently providing me with DTS sound. I have been using it with a set of matching JBL speakers (right, left, center, and rear) coupled with an M&K powered subwoofer. The Millennium decoder can be used directly with an amplifier to decode and preamplify the DTS sound. Setup was simple and straightforward. I patched the channels in a Rotel RB-985 five-channel amplifier and patched the M&K subwoofer in directly to the decoder. Sound levels were set using a Radio Shack sound level meter. The volume was adjusted with the Millennium's volume control and the results were quite remarkable.

I consider the Millennium unit to be a $ensible choice for anyone who has a home theater set up that includes a solid Dolby Digital Decoder. The option to provide domestic Digital Theater Sound is irresistible to any home theater addict and when one can do this without investing in a new laserdisc player (most modern LD players include digital outputs that can be fed into the Millennium) and without scrapping one's existing system, the price for this trait is very modest indeed.

Purists may call me a philistine, but I yearn for a six-channel receiver that includes DTS decoder. The Rotel RB-985 adds substantially to my home theater stack and the addition of five additional speakers causes a modicum of muttering from my long-suffering spouse. It could also be argued that using two totally different systems for Dolby Digital and DTS complicates comparative reviews. However, the family dogs react to both systems with equal distress although DTS with its six totally independent channels makes them react more strongly to each sound source.

DTS provides a less compressed sound source and an even stronger separation than Digital Dolby. On the other hand, Digital Dolby can provide separation and subtle effects that can be equally disturbing to the canine contingent. My wife is strenuous in her defense of Dolby Digital but may be influenced by her preference for our supply of Dolby Digital software such as My Fair Lady, Patriot Games, and The Glimmer Man, among others. The dogs and I find The Right Stuff on DVD to be formidable with my reaction positive and their reaction hostile.

DVD seems to me to provide a whole new field for home theater options. Certainly, Blazing Saddles in French is irresistible even if it is no substitute for the original. I may be skeptical about just how genuinely Dolby Digital soundtracks of films released on laserdisc in Dolby Pro Logic may be (I don't think 5.1 sound was high on Mel Brooks's agenda when he made Blazing Saddles) but certainly, DVD so,.md is excellent. Moreover, DVD video is incredible. The improvements over early DVD discs are immediately obvious and the detail and delicacy of the current DVD picture is breathtaking. Indeed, it would seem to raise questions about the commercial viability of HDTV for the mass market.

I have been enjoying DVD using a Yamaha Natural Sound DVD 1000 player ($999), feeding the sound from this unit into a Yamaha RX-V992 receiver ($999) using both the optical and analog connections. I wrestled initially with the main menu and its myriad options. I still seem to start most movies with French subtitles and it took me three days to discover that one side of most DVDs offers the letterbox version. Part of this can be attributed to the fine print on the discs themselves and part to an aversion to reading the owner's manual until absolutely necessary.

The Yamaha Natural Sound DVD 1000 Player did justice to Delos's DVD Spectacular (DV7001), which offers a fine recording of the 1812 Overture in Dolby 5.1 together with Dolby trailers, bonus tracks, audio and video test signals and rolling credits with some fine piano on audio. This suggests that DVD audio can be on a par with DVD video and augers well for the future.

The RX-V992 is a most impressive home theater receiver (even if the promised new Yamaha receiver with Dolby Digital and DTS is promised for 1998). The long, peculiar-looking remote control turns out to be eminently ergonomic and quickly becomes second nature. Hiding the bulk of the option controls trader the cover helps keep one from being overwhelmed. Yamaha's digital sound processing can be heard to great effect and the additional option for enhance speakers does seem to add clarity and punch to movie soundtracks. Middle-aged folks can actually read the display from across the room and the illuminated buttons on the remote would be a boon if I could read them without taxing my aging orbs. I can read them, but having done so must remember that the remote is perforce then pointing at the ceiling.

The rear end of the RX-V992 is well organized, although it seems that no serious home theater receiver's rear end can be considered uncluttered. It offers a LD/DVD input, two VCR input/outputs, audio tape inputs and outputs, and other options. I am reasonably sure that the AM/FM tuners are up to snuff but have previously noted that the clarity and abundance of FM feeds in my area makes my evaluation by ear mute. It has more than enough power for any domestic setting unless one is hell-bent on ruining one's hearing with excessive decibels and the sound is punchy enough for movie soundtracks as well as musical enough for classical music recordings.

I recently found an RCA VR725HF VCR on closeout for just under $300. This provides me with an S-VHS VCR that has a very fine tuner and the advantages of S-VHS that I'd experienced with loaners but couldn't justify on my limited budget. Tributaries is now offering an interconnect that will convert standard video signals into S-VIDEO and this should provide all of us with the option of adding the finishing touch of S-VIDEO signals to our home theater systems. Certainly, this is an option to be seriously considered if one has S-VIDEO inputs.

The Toshiba SD-3107 ($799) is a second-generation DVD player that effectively demonstrates the range of features possible in the DVD. As such it makes first-generation machines, by and large, fade into insignificance. The picture and sound delivered by the SD-3107 is most impressive. Be warned, a machine with so many features and options requires that one read the owner's manual. I spent hours trying in vain to get sound until I read the manual and set the parameters to mesh with my test system. I had hoped to shift the viewing angle (an amusing option) but none of my DVDs were able to provide such data for the SD-3107 to recover.

Similarly, I was unable to see for myself the picture provided with an RGB monitor but found nothing lacking in standard or S-video hookups. The digital freeze frame was rock solid and clear of clutter. The most serious problem I had with the Toshiba SD-3107 was trying to figure out how to replace the batteries in the remote control. The batteries didn't actually need replacing but not seeing where to put them bugged me so much that I returned to the owner's manual. Well, of course, it was really quite simple once you knew where to look.

Everything about the SD-3107 gives one confidence in the DVD format. This machine didn't play my modest collection of CD-I digital video discs. This shouldn't pose a problem for those upgrading to DVD but anyone with a heavy investment in CD-Is may want a compatible machine. I went through my entire collection of DVDs oohing and ahhing at the significant improvement in the pictures and the lack of any hint of artifacts.

The sound produced through the SD-3107 was just as impressive whether from movie DVDs or standard CDs. I was able to listen to the Delos DVD music sampler and was quite excited although I was not able to get the full impact of Dolby Digital in my current setup. I can testify that the Dolby Pro Logic available from the Delos DVD sample was ravishing.

At the suggested list price this machine is tempting. At the street price, the SD-3107 is very attractive indeed. Prudence suggests that one check out a full range of second-generation machines before making a substantial investment. However, the Toshiba SD-3107 sets a standard for the others to match.

Home theater without an image is problematic. While wall size images without scan lines are a pleasant dream, the modest size of many of our homes precludes 60 or 80-inch screens. I appreciate large direct view screens but cannot see myself hauling these heavyweight behemoths in and out for brief review periods. Accordingly, I looked around for something that would provide maximum picture in a modest space. I was intrigued by the Samsung 28 + 1 Compact Home Theater Monitor ($999), which provides 11 square inches more picture than a conventional 27" model. Moreover, these 11 square inches can be used to view portions of the broadcast signal not available on conventional 27" models. The extra picture fits tidily into the shell of a 27" TV so that upgrading does not require major renovation or furniture moving. As befits a home theater monitor, this Samsung includes S-video connections and conventional video and audio inputs and outputs.

The extra 11 inches did not provide any truly radical images but were a noticeable improvement when watching NFL football games. It is possible to use the space for a slightly expanded conventional picture frame with a button on the slim but functional remote control. This remote also allows one to tweak the picture to one's preferences and offers two factory settings. The on-screen displays make tailoring the picture to one's taste easy and helps one avoid egregious deviations from standard.

The sound from the internal stereo speakers is much better than those of us who began our video experience in the '50s have come to expect. The speakers have fixed baffles that direct the sound out into the room for a surprisingly good stereo effect (given that the speakers are less than six feet apart). Still, logic suggests separate speakers for true home theater. A recessed front control panel offers an alternative to the remote control. A faux wood finish on this panel is a nice touch and betokens the care that Samsung has taken in the design of this model both in terms of cosmetics and electronics.

The picture doesn't match that of a $2,000 monitor but is certainly eminently watchable at less than half that price. On balance, I have no problem suggesting that this is a very Sensible unit at a modest price offering the whole range of features including a tunable picture-in-picture. The additional 11 inches, while not a startling revelation, are certainly an ingenious and welcome plus. -- DMD