News

THX Select2 Certification for Home Entertainment Products Debuts (2/2/2005)

Updated Specification Provides THX Listening Modes and Reference Levels for Translating Movie, Music and Games Audio in the Home

THX Ltd., the leading provider of technologies, certification programs and quality assurance standards for the entertainment industry, today introduced THX(TM) Select2(TM), an upgrade to the company's THX Select(TM) specification for home entertainment products. The new THX Select2 Certification will provide additional THX listening modes for enhancing playback of a variety of entertainment content, including movies and video games.

Like its predecessor, THX Select2 will help consumer electronics manufacturers improve the design and performance of next-generation audio- video receivers, amplifiers and loudspeakers. It will also enable manufacturers to feature popular THX listening modes, including THX Cinema, THX Music and THX Games modes, in top-selling THX Select2 Certified products. Each listening mode will incorporate the company's proprietary Adaptive Speaker Array (ASA) technology for optimizing playback of multi-channel movies, music and video games in the home.

"The THX Select2 and THX Ultra2 specifications are constantly evolving as our engineering teams develop new standards and technologies for enhancing the home entertainment experience," said Laurie Fincham, vice president of engineering and certification of THX Ltd. "Year after year, the THX standards and technologies help create products that are in the top of their class for performance and consumer satisfaction. This newest upgrade to our home theater certification program continues our commitment to excellence."

THX Select2 addresses the needs of the newest generation of home entertainment enthusiasts, those who crave immersive DVD, music and video games experiences, but don't always require the full benefits of a large, dedicated home theater environment. THX Select2 will be used in THX Certified products that are designed for small to medium-sized residential rooms. By contrast, THX Ultra2 is designed for the acoustics of larger, dedicated home theater environments. Both certification programs require manufacturers to build products that meet or exceed the THX standards for presentation excellence, and include such THX features as Timbre Matching(TM), Bass Management(TM), Adaptive Decorrelation(TM) and Re-Equalization (Re-EQ(TM)).

www.thx.com