What is surround sound and why do you want it

Whether you are an audio novice or an experienced technophile, this article is for you. Let’s take a few minutes to review the basics of surround sound, and the principles behind it. If you are new to surround sound, this will help you to understand the concept. It will also refresh the memory of those already in the know. These are the basics of sound. Monophonic sound is single channel and unidirectional. Basically, this means that your audio is all filtered down into a flat single channel. All elements of the recording are mixed down into one source, thereby seeming to originate from the same source no matter where you are standing in the room. This is old school, kids. Stereophonic sound is reproduced through two channels and is considered superior to monophonic sound. You can tell stereophonic sound, because different sounds originate from either speaker. This type of sound gives one the sense of being there during the recording. The best example of this is listening to a recording of the symphony, where different band members are located in different parts of the room. The strings are over here, and the horns are over there. Surround sound was first pioneered by Dolby in the early 1970’s, and first used in movies such as “Tommy” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. The Dolby process encapsulates four channels of audio; left, right, rear, and phantom center. The reason it is called phantom center is because it is essentially a mix of the left and right front channels. This gives the listener the impression of being surrounded by sound, hence the name surround sound. Dolby surround sound has evolved considerably in recent years. Dolby 5.1 is bar far the most common. Dolby 5.1 is similar to traditional surround sound, but it is further broken down and processed into more distinct channels. Dolby 5.1 increases the range of sound by adding stereo rear sound as well as a dedicated subwoofer channel. This results in a far superior surround sound experience. You not only hear surround sound, but you feel it, too! Technology is ever changing, and the marketplace offers many surround sound options. This article is not complete by any means, and only serves as a primer on the basics. Check out your local electronics superstore for the latest technology.

Home internet options the war between dsl and cable

If you are still using dial-up, you have probably gotten either the “You don’t use DSL yet?” or the “You don’t use cable yet?” expressions of credulity. So you’ve decided that it’s probably time to get off of dial-up – yet, the question remains: which is better, DSL or cable? There are advertisements arguing the perks of both, but which will really get you more bang for your buck? The three issues to take into account when comparing DSL and cable Internet connection are speed, customer satisfaction and security. Theoretically, cable modems run faster than DSL because they offer more bandwith. There is also a form of DSL called VDSL which can match the speed of a cable modem. However, the speed of cable is relative to the number of people in your area who are accessing the neighborhood at the same time. One popular commercial compares cable modems to drinking out of a straw – the straw is fine, if one person is drinking from it. But if the straw must be shared – well, obviously things slow down a little. Both DSL and cable also vary in speed by the minute depending on the congestion caused by multiple users. Customer service surveys conducted by J. D. Power and Associates in 2004 showed that DSL had an edge over cable in customer satisfaction ratings. This survey looked at billing, the provider’s business image, cost and tech support, and email services. Earthlink and Verizon, both DSL, were the top two service providers rated in the survey. Since cable modems necessitate the sharing of a cable line to provide service to the entire neighborhood, DSL is slightly more secure. However, cable modems are easier to install, and many sources believe that the difference in security is not significant enough to go through the trouble of installing DSL. Many cable customers avoid security problems by putting up firewalls in order to protect themselves, and their information.