Neural-THX® Surround DownMix™
Enabling Surround Sound Radio Broadcasts
With Neural Surround DownMix™, any radio broadcaster currently broadcasting stereo can also broadcast 5.1 surround sound. Neural's DownMix hardware ''watermarks'' any 5.1 surround sound source into a stereo signal for storage and broadcast. This watermarked signal can be monitored and treated as any other stereo signal; however, when it is monitored through a Neural UpMix decoder, the original 5.1 surround sound will be recovered. Neural UpMix decoders are now available in over 70% of home AV receivers worldwide.
Please visit our consumer section for more information on which manufacturers currently incorporate Neural technology.
Neural® Surround DownMix™ - Down-Mixing 5.1 Surround Sound to Stereo
The Neural Surround DownMix reduces 5.1 surround sound to a stereo mix that accurately represents the 5.1 original. Unlike standard summing methods, the Neural Surround DownMix creates stereo that contains the "watermarked" surround steering information. This stereo audio can be stored, mixed, transported and monitored just like any other (LtRt) stereo mix. However, when it's played through a Neural Surround UpMix, the stereo signal is restored to its original 5.1 surround channel configuration. The watermarked signal is also backward compatible with Dolby® ProLogic II and other matrix decoders.
Neural Surround DownMix uses an analysis and correction process before the six individual surround channels are combined. By analyzing intensity, time, coherence, polarity and phase characteristics, the signals are transformed into pure intensity and coherence before they are encoded into the stereo mix. This process eliminates problems that traditionally occur in matrix surround encoded systems, such as comb filtering, spatial distortion and signal loss. The Neural Surround DownMix creates a natural sounding stereo mix that is spatially true to the original 5.1 mix.
Key Benefits of the Neural Surround DownMix
The key features of the Neural Surround DownMix include:
- Perfect mapping of 5.1 surround elements into the stereo field
- Active correction to fix issues such as comb filtering, spatial location and distortion
- The convenience of a matrix surround encode/decode system with the performance of modern day perceptual audio codecs
- Backward compatibility with matrix decoders (Dolby® ProLogic II, SRS Circle Surround, etc)
Commonly used in: Production studios, Live Broadcasts.