This week in Washington D.C., Lincoln is unveiling its 2011 Lincoln MKX crossover SUV, featuring the THX II Certified Audio system. This latest THX system puts competitors to shame with exclusive technology, pristine THX sound quality and incredible value for car buyers—only $995, a fraction of the price of other automakers.

What’s under the hood? 600 watts and 14 speakers, including an 8-inch subwoofer system and 12-channel DSP controlled amplifier. THX also developed an ingenious way to distribute sound around the vehicle cabin. Since most car speakers are inserted in doors near your feet, a THX Slot Speaker on the MKX dashboard helps raise the soundstage to ear level, and creates the ambience of a home theater.

But, what about surround sound? Can’t you only get true 5.1 from a few hard-to-find DVD-Audio titles? Not anymore. Through a partnership with DTS, the THX II Certified Audio system in the 2011 Lincoln MKX lets audiophiles rock-out with 5.1 surround sound from hundreds of radio stations, including many HD Radio™ broadcasts.

The THX system in the Lincoln MKX also features more ways to get your favorite music in the car. HD Radio delivers more than 1,000 subscription-free stations, Sirius gives you 130 digital channels, CDs deliver uncompressed music that mirrors the recording studio, USB-connectivity and Bluetooth brings your MP3 player’s digital music library to life. All of these music sources can be accessible using the new MyLincoln Touch™ interface.

And, only Lincoln features a “THX Demo Button,” giving driver and passengers the legendary THX Deep Note™ “OoommMMM” cinematic sound—anytime, anywhere. We’re not kidding. We actually put a THX Deep Note button in the Lincoln. Hit play. We dare you.

Click here to learn more about the THX II Certified Audio system features in the 2011 Lincoln MKX.

Your subwoofer is a critical element in your home theater system. The low frequency from the subwoofer is what puts the boom in an explosion, the rumble in a spaceship and the thud in a gunshot. However, even the biggest and baddest subs may not meet your expectations if they aren’t placed and set up properly.

“It’s a classic story amongst Home Theater Professionals – the client spends all this money getting a giant subwoofer to complement the rest of their system. But, when they sit down to watch a movie, the person next to them complains about too much bass, while others feel the bass is too weak.

– John Dahl, Director of Education at THX Ltd.

It could simply be a difference in personal preference, but more than likely it’s the room itself that is the root of the problem.

Room Modes

In layman’s terms, a Room Mode is how a room’s dimensions change the bass coming from a subwoofer. The frequency at which a room resonates directly correlates to its dimensions, acting much like a giant pipe organ. The result can be a change in both bass volume and tone as you shift your listening position from seat to seat.

How do you Test for Room Modes?

To identify Room Modes, begin by placing the subwoofer in the corner of the room and play either music or a movie with lot of bass. As you move from seat to seat, listen for volume and tone changes. A rectangular room made of heavy rigid construction like concrete or cinder block materials will exhibit fairly obvious effects – you may even see a pattern, where the volume dips and peaks throughout the room. If lighter weight, more flexible construction materials such as dry wall are used, or the room is large and open, the effects will be less obvious.

If you’re looking to identify and correct bass mode problems, THX recommends you consult a THX Certified Professional.

Recommendations for Reducing Room Modes

• Set up your home theater system in a more bass friendly room or build a better room. (Don’t panic, any room can be made to sound good)
• Place the subwoofer(s) at a spot in the room where they reduce the amount of peaks and dips in bass response (Good subwoofer placement can be very complex)
• Move the seats so they are not in a peak or dip (often a foot or so will do the job)
• If your budget/space allows, use more than one subwoofer to balance the bass from seat to seat
• Use acoustic treatments specially designed to control bass (These are highly specialized items which may require research)
• Equalize by pulling down the bass mode peaks only

Note that equalization is the last item on the list. Equalization works best if all the other solutions are applied first.

“No one ever complains about buying a TV that’s too big.”
- John Dahl, THX Jedi Training Master

According to THX Certified Professionals, most consumers regret going too small with their TV purchase. Think about it. Are you happy with the TV size you picked out? Do you dream at night about that 50-inch THX Certified, Panasonic Plasma-beauty that you left behind at Best Buy?

Choosing the appropriate size TV size for your home comes down to seating distance—how far you sit from the screen. If you buy a massive TV and sit three feet away, you’re going to be staring at pixels and lines. If you buy one that’s too small, you won’t get an immersive visual experience in your living room.

Click to view larger image

To determine the best seat-to-screen distance in your room, THX recommends dividing the diagonal screen by .84. For example, a plasma or LCD TV with a 65-inch screen divided by .84 equals a 77-inch viewing distance (6.5 feet). This should create a 40-degree viewing angle from your main seating position – filling your line of sight with the best visuals possible.

If your TV is going in a living room with limited space, THX recommends the following guide:

• 32 inch class TV = 3.5-5 feet away
• 42 inch class TV = 4-6 feet away
• 50 inch class TV = 5-7.5 feet away
• 60 inch class TV = 6-9 feet away

Ambleside Advanced Screening Room showcasing THX Certified Acoustic Materials

THX Test Bench sits down with Andrew Poulain, THX Director of Cinema Programs, to discuss the importance of proper room isolation and THX Certified Acoustic Material.

Why did THX certify Acoustic Materials?

Andrew Poulain, THX Ltd. - “Whether you’re designing a commercial cinema or home theater, having the right sound and video equipment is just one half of a great movie experience. The other half is how those components are placed and calibrated, and whether or not the design of the room can accurately translate video and sound using that equipment. Because room acoustics and sound isolation play such a key role in the overall home theater experience, we felt that Certifying acoustic materials was a natural extension of our program.”

What challenges does a room typically present when building a home theater?

Andrew Poulain, THX Ltd. - “One of the main challenges for any designer or home owner is always going to be sound isolation. Because most home theaters are often surrounded by bedrooms, windows, doors and even noisy appliances, it is very difficult to keep unwanted noise from traveling in and out of the room. To eliminate these potential distractions, a high level of isolation has to be achieved with very limited physical space for the dense materials it usually takes to do the job.”

How do the THX Certified Serious Materials products help to address this challenge?

Andrew Poulain, THX Ltd. - “When certifying a professional cinema or studio, THX works with industry leading Acoustical and Structural Engineers to ensure that the auditoriums are specifically built to address isolation issues. In the home, the average consumer does not have access to this type of budget or resources. Serious Materials QuietRock 545THX Dry wall and QuietHome Door offers them an acoustic material solution that not only meets THX standards of quality, but is practical when working with a limited budget and space. The QuietRock 545THX Dry wall and QuietHome Door succeed in keeping the movie soundtrack in the room, while keeping distracting sounds from adjacent rooms out.”

Ambleside THX Certified Advanced Screening Room

Are there any noteworthy venues that use Serious Materials QuietRock?

Andrew Poulain, THX Ltd. - “Besides using it in our own THX Home Demo Room, we worked with Sony Computer Entertainment to design and certify 22 of their mixing facilities in Foster City and San Diego, as well as other video games studios. The reason I mention companies rather than homes, is because of the unique set of challenges they faced in constructing their rooms. In these cases, the clients wanted to achieve a high level of sound isolation between adjacent studios, but were limited in the amount of space they could use. Serious Materials QuietRock 545THX and the QuietHome Door offered a great solution.

Another noteworthy project we worked on was the Ambleside THX Advanced Screening Room (pictured above). This is a room that was built for an AV installer who wanted to show his clients the quality that could be achieved in a home theater setting. Again, space was limited, so the owner opted to use our Certified Serious Materials products to achieve optimal sound control.”

For more information on THX Certified Acoustic Materials, check out the Serious Materials Partner Profile.

THX Certified Onkyo HT-S9300THX Home Theater System

Onkyo is introducing the HT-S9300THX, the company’s latest THX® I/S Plus™ Certified and 3D-Ready packaged home theater system. With seven speakers, a 12-inch subwoofer and AV receiver, the Onkyo 9300THX delivers a sonic punch that puts most HTiBs to shame. In fact, don’t even call it an HTiB.

Geared to budget-conscious gamers and budding audiophiles, the Onkyo THX I/S Plus system (the “I/S” stands for “Integrated System”) is ideal for small home theaters where the screen-to-seat viewing distance is approximately eight feet. All components within the system—the receiver, speakers, and amplifier—are designed and tested (more than 2,000 THX tests) to make sure they work harmoniously together.

In addition to THX certification, the front loudspeakers use a THX-developed dual-woofer array that optimizes the sound field for a sonic presentation that is remarkably close to that found in the best THX cinemas. The system includes THX Surround EX™; THX listening modes for Music, Movies and Games; and THX Loudness Plus™, a sophisticated volume-control technology which maintains surround impact at low listening levels.

Onkyo is even claiming that the system is 3D-ready. But, what does that actually mean? It means Onkyo has designed the 9300THX to be fully compatible with the mandatory 3D broadcast formats, and will pass a clean 3D signal to your TV via HDMI 1.4a.

The HT-S9300THX will be available at the end of July with a suggested retail price of $1,099.

It seems like every time you turn on a cable channel, some design expert wearing leather pants and purple rimmed glasses is hanging a beautiful new flat panel TV high on a wall above a fireplace. While this might be aesthetically pleasing to an interior designer, it is not always the best advice for maximizing your viewing experience.

When mounting your new TV at home, think about the appropriate viewing angle. If you mount the TV too high on a wall, you will be constantly looking up to watch the programming, just like sitting in the front row of a movie theater. If it’s too low, you will be constantly looking down at the screen.

The experts at THX believe that you should have a clean line of sight to the display, without looking up more than 15 degrees or down more than 7 degrees. In a dedicated home theater, a good rule of thumb is to mount your TV in a direct line of sight from the primary seating positions. It should be high enough so those sitting behind you can see over or between those sitting in the front row.

Do it right, and TV mounting won’t be a pain in your neck.

Refer to the THX HDTV Set Up Guide or consult your THX Certified Professional for more details.

THX Certified Yeti Microphone can turn your Apple iPad into a recording device

THX Test Bench recently sat down with Brian Biggot, CTO and Ken Niles, Creative Czar at Blue Microphones to get the real scoop behind the company, its creative culture and new line of THX Certified Microphones.

1. What’s the story behind Blue Microphones?

Brian Biggot, CTO at Blue Microphones: One of our founders, Skipper Wise, was an accomplished jazz musician and producer with over 100 albums to his credit. He had been searching far and wide for a microphone that would give him “the sound.” A solution was born when he met Martins Saulespurens, a thirty year veteran of the recording industry and Chief Sound and Technical Engineer at the Music Academy in Riga, Latvia. Blue Microphones was founded in 1995 by Skipper and Martins from a desire to create quality, hand-built, innovative microphones for fellow musicians.

2. What sets you apart from other competitors?

Brian Biggot, CTO at Blue Microphones: In an age of indistinguishable, cookie-cutter mics, Blue’s designs are as unique as the artists who use them. Blue is 100% committed to getting the very best microphones in the world into the hands of those who have a passion for high-quality audio. Understanding that great sound enhances every environment, Blue has leveraged its pro-audio DNA to launch microphones catering to life outside of the studio. These include high-quality USB products for both Mac and PC, iPhone/iPod accessories, and now the world’s first THX-certified microphone.

From Blue’s flagship recording tool, the Bottle, to the first THX-certified, USB mic, Yeti, Blue has just the tool to capture your creativity.

3. Why did you decide to seek THX certification for a USB mic?

Brian Biggot, CTO at Blue Microphones: Blue Microphones saw THX Certification as a great opportunity to share with our customers the story of how our USB microphones are designed, built, and used at a professional standard. Just like our professional studio microphones, our USB microphones are custom-developed from scratch, incorporating our own circuit designs and using high quality electrical and mechanical components that are combined to create a great recording tool for the user. As a result, we believe our products are capable of delivering raw performance and a user experience that exceeds other products on the market. We were excited to pursue the THX Certification as a testament to consumers that our USB microphones would provide the quality of audio experience expected from THX.

4. What did you learn from THX?

Brian Biggot, CTO at Blue Microphones: The THX Certification process was a valuable addition to the Yeti microphone’s development cycle. THX’s holistic approach to performance evaluation, as well as their array of sophisticated testing equipment and processes, allowed us to fine tune the microphone’s performance and user experience, enabling further refinement of the microphone’s polar pattern consistency, off-axis frequency response, and tuning of capsule sensitivity across the capsule array. The sum of all this work is a product that provides the user with truly high quality recording capabilities in a convenient USB solution.

5. Yeti, Snowball, where do the names come from?

Ken Niles, Creative Czar at Blue Microphones: One of Blue’s core beliefs is that we cater to essentially a creative audience, and our products should be as distinctive and individual as our users. Thus, unlike other microphone companies, Blue has always refused to follow accepted convention by naming its products after a series of seemingly random letters and numbers. Instead of the C110-EX, we have the Cactus. We eschewed the DT5000 Series in favor of the Dragonfly, the Mouse and the Kiwi. We named a universal shockmount (a device that suspends the mic and dampens surrounding vibrations) with the sublime moniker of “Ralph the Wonder Mount.” And so on.

The Yeti is the latest in a series of names that derive from cold climate conditions, beginning with our USB Snowball and Snowflake mics and again with our Icicle XLR-to-USB adapter. Naming sessions involve a select group of Blue creative-types who sit in a small room and throw out literally every name they can think of. Sometimes this involves beer. I don’t actually recall who mentioned the name “Yeti,” but it was written down and only later, after review, did it strike people as uniquely fitting the shape of the mic. It also fit nicely into the “cool” theme of names, although we did not set out to specifically to name this product in that same vein. But in retrospect, seeing as how global warming is slowly shaping our lives, I think it’s fitting that Yeti joins the ranks of nouns that are legendary, if not someday extinct.

6. What do consumers think of the Yeti mic?

Ken Niles, Creative Czar at Blue Microphones: The Yeti is a big hit with consumers! But don’t take our word for it, check out some of the reviews:

“The Yeti sounds good, packs plenty of gain, and offers a lot of value and versatility in a $150 USB mic.”

–Macworld

“Compared with similar microphones, such as Samson G-Track or even Blue’s own $99 Snowball, the Yeti’s sound quality offers noticeably better depth and detail…the Yeti is redefining my expectations for a $150 microphone.”

–CNET

“But unlike its Himalayan counterpart, Blue Microphones newest USB podcasting mike is most definitely real. Better yet, it also soaks up fantastic, professional-quality vocal recordings, and its flexible settings make it a viable tool for a smattering of audio apps like recording music…In fact, the Yeti makes other lesser USB mikes look downright abominable.”

–Wired.com

“The first of its kind to achieve THX certification, this USB mic will make your YouTube rants about 2012 sound even more clearly insane, thanks to a triple array of premium condenser capsules. Its classic styling is great for pretending you’re a talk show host.”

–Maxim

“If the art of recording sits just outside your range of concern or abilities (but doesn’t weaken your desire for good quality), the Yeti could be your new best friend.”

–XLR8R

“I can’t believe the Yeti offers this much versatility in recording patterns and such high quality recording capabilities for only $150.”

–Ben: consumer, podcaster, musician

Click here to learn more about THX Certified Microphones

THX Certified Pioneer SC 27 AVR

THX and Pioneer have spent more than a decade bringing breakthrough THX Certified products to market. Pioneer was first with a THX Ultra2 Plus Certified AV receiver, first with a THX Select2 AV receiver and first with a THX Certified Blu-ray Disc player. And Pioneer is the first and only AV receiver manufacturer to achieve THX certification with a Class D amplifier.

Maintaining partnerships with world-renowned sound and video experts such as THX and the legendary Air Studios in London has been a critical component of Pioneer’s design and manufacturing strategy. Pioneer shares THX’s belief that the key to developing products that truly capture and deliver the intent of the filmmaker or musician is through a deep understanding of how movies and music is mixed in the studio. Spending time with THX engineers helps Pioneer bridge the gap between the creative process and product design.

“Through the past ten years, THX and Air Studios have become an increasingly integral part of our product development process and bringing new technologies to the market. Their logos on our products signal to dealers, retailers and customers that Pioneer is committed to earning its title of the A/V specialist,” said Russ Johnston, executive vice president of home entertainment and business solutions group at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

THX specifications are considered the industry benchmark for delivering cinema performance. Achieving THX certification for a home entertainment product is no simple task; an amplifier must pass more than 2,000 tests covering 14,000 data points, including noise, distortion, current, voltage output and many others. This certification ensures the home audience is experiencing the exact Reference Level sound quality used by filmmakers to mix the movie, with the same fidelity found in the studio.

THX Certified Pioneer BDP-09FD Blu-ray Player

In addition, the THX® Ultra2™ Plus and THX® Select2™ Plus certification categories are based on room size to help consumers select the appropriate A/V receivers for their specific listening environment.

Pioneer’s ongoing work with THX has fostered more than 100 THX Certified A/V receivers to date. This year’s line of Pioneer products will not disappoint. The 2010 Elite A/V receivers, Blu-ray Disc players and speaker offerings continue to provide the quality and performance worthy of the THX name. To learn more about the THX and Pioneer relationship, click here.

We’ve all experienced watching movies in the wrong aspect ratio. This often occurs because the movie is in standard definition, but the image is stretched by your TV to fit the screen, making the characters look like the “before image” in a bad Jenny Craig commercial. Or worse, a full screen HD version of the movie or TV program is formatted by the broadcaster or streaming service to play in widescreen—making it impossible for you to adjust.

Why does the picture look weird?

Why are there so many different aspect ratios? Today’s primetime television shows are shot to fill the screen of a typical 16×9 (1.77) widescreen HDTV. But, many older TV programs are shot in a 4×3 (1.33) because that was the typical picture size of that old CRT TV in your basement. By contrast, Hollywood typically produces films in either 1.85 (Widescreen/Flat) or 2.39 (Scope) to fit the most common movie theater screens (IMAX is a whole different story). When played back correctly in the home, most movies have letterboxed black bars on the top and bottom, letting you see the entire frame the way the director intended.

Can be corrected if TV stretches image. If Broadcaster stretches image, correction is uncertain.

With many broadcasters and new streaming movie services distributing content in a variety of picture shapes and sizes, the burden is put on you to figure out how to manually adjust the aspect ratio settings on your TV. In some cases, you won’t be able to correct the picture at all because the broadcast or content source has already stretched a full screen image to fit your widescreen.

A Blogger with a mission

Help may be on the way thanks to a new blog site founded by Tony Hurd, a former FX professional from Industrial Light & Magic and The Orphanage. The Aspect Ratio Police blog is designed to educate consumers, broadcasters and other content distributors about the correct use of aspect ratios. In fact, Hurd plans to use his new blog to cite broadcasters and other public venues for flagrant aspect ratio abuses. And we encourage all THX Test Bench readers to send him tips to track down abusers.

And don’t forget, THX Media Director was created to address this very problem that frustrates so many of us.

Click here to learn how THX Media Director could simplify your entertainment experience by enabling broadcast and streaming content to communicate aspect ratio and other settings directly to your TV—automatically configuring it for the best experience.

The new 3DTVs from Panasonic, LG and others are designed to let you experience depth in the picture when wearing their specially-made 3D glasses. The goal of the technology, no pun intended, is to immerse you in the action onscreen. However, instead of having footballs and yellow flags flying off the screen towards you, broadcasters hope to present an experience that provides you a window into the game, making you feel like you are on the field.

“For years, TV makers have talked about the realism in their pictures. The addition of 3D takes them one step closer to putting you on the pitch,” said Rick Dean, Sr. vice president at THX and Chairman of the 3D@Home Consortium. “This 2010 World Cup represents one of the milestone events that will define how 3D will be broadcast in years to come, and the early adopters of 3D-ready TVs will be the first to experience the World Cup like never before.”

What Do You Need to Experience 3D?

In order to view any of the World Cup games in 3D you will need to have the following:

• 3D-ready TV
• Either “passive” or “active shutter” glasses specific to your TV – often bundled with the TV itself
• Subscription to one of the satellite or cable services carrying the games, such as Time-Warner Cable, Comcast, DirectTV and AT&T U-verse
• An HD Set-top Box or HD DVR compatible with your cable/satellite provider
• Correct Set-up— make sure your cables are hooked up correctly and the 3D-ready TV is in the appropriate 3D playback mode

In the U.S., ESPN 3D will be the exclusive cable broadcaster with some games being broadcast on ABC. Channel numbers will vary depending on your cable/satellite provider and some may charge an additional service fee for 3D.

The FIFA World Cup in South Africa runs June 11-July 11. The first 3D game will feature Mexico vs. South Africa on Friday, June 11 at 10am (EDT).

Here is a complete list of games scheduled to be broadcast in 3D. Click here for more details.

World Cup Matches in 3D

• June 11, 2010 – Opening Game & Ceremony: South Africa vs. Mexico
• June 12, 2010 – Argentina vs. Nigeria
• June 13, 2010 – Germany vs. Australia
• June 14, 2010 – Netherlands vs. Denmark
• June 15, 2010 – Brazil vs. North Korea
• June 16, 2010 – Spain vs. Switzerland
• June 17, 2010 – Argentina vs. South Korea
• June 18, 2010 – Slovenia vs. United States
• June 19, 2010 – Netherlands vs. Japan
• June 20, 2010 – Brazil vs. Ivory Coast
• June 21, 2010 – Spain vs. Honduras
• June 22, 2010 – Nigeria vs. South Korea
• June 23, 2010 – Ghana vs. Germany
• June 24, 2010 – Slovakia vs. Italy
• June 25, 2010 – Portugal vs. Brazil
• June 27, 2010 – Round of 16 match
• June 28, 2010 – Round of 16 match
• July 2, 2010 – Quarterfinals
• July 3, 2010 – Quarterfinals
• July 3, 2010 – Quarterfinals
• July 7, 2010 – Semifinals
• July 7, 2010 – Semifinals
• July 10, 2010 – 3rd place match
• July 11, 2010 – World Cup 2010 Final
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