Great. I've seen the recommended THX and DD setups for 7.1 and thought I knew what I was gonna do.
I was in a store this weekend where they were pushing one of the (6) recommended DTS setups. Holy sh!@# 2 centers, 4 fronts, center in ceiling. Any opinions on these???

Well, dunno if they are listed in any particular relevance, but the traditional 7.1 arrangement is at the top of the list on the DTS website.

I guess I don't know how those optional setups really work. My processor has DTS capability, but I see no settings to make speaker layouts/configurations other than the traditional 7.1 arrangement of FR, FL, C, SR, SL, BR, BL, and LFE.

While 10.2 is really nice if you can hear it with real material, there is almost no commercially available media, so anything over 6.1 doesn't matter. (Even 7.1 usually runs the two rear speakers in mono)

While 10.2 is really nice if you can hear it with real material, there is almost no commercially available media, so anything over 6.1 doesn't matter. (Even 7.1 usually runs the two rear speakers in mono)

If you apply PLIIx the rears are usually discrete not mono in a 7.1 setup

If you apply PLIIx the rears are usually discrete not mono in a 7.1 setup
Yes but PLIIx is a synthesis mode. It is a fake mode put in your receiver as a marketing gimmick so that you don't feel stupid for buying 2 more speakers when there is no material out there to actually run on them. If you wanted to hear material played back as it was actually recorded, you would not use that mode.

So stick with traditional 5.1 or 7.1 DD or THX?

It is a fake mode put in your receiver as a marketing gimmick so that you don't feel stupid for buying 2 more speakers when there is no material out there to actually run on them.7-channel pre-pros have been around for 20 years (Fosgate in 1986, Lexicon in 1988). That's a full 8 years before there was even any 5.1-channel material available to consumers. So 7.1 playback has never (ever) been based on any "material out there", contrary to what you may believe.

The concept of mapping each discrete channel to a single speaker is a recent phenomenon, pushed primarily by recent converts to surround sound. In movie theatres and mixing stages, each surround channel is always played back through multiple speakers.

Sanjay

Guys, not to be a dick, but this doesn't help me. I'm talking about the speaker placements they recommend:

Home theater systems are often set up with different speaker layouts, sometimes dictated by room dimensions or furniture placement. DTS-HD Audio includes a 7.1 Speaker Layout feature, which allows the user to select from multiple speaker layouts depending on listening preferences and speaker location. 7.1 Speaker Layout uses sophisticated algorithms to electronically "reposition" speakers and is designed to let you play back the audio as the artist originally intended. The DTS-HD 7.1 Speaker Layout feature works for 6.1 or 7.1 channel configurations.

http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/71-traditional.php
http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/71-full-rear-surround.php
http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/71-side-high.php
http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/71-front-wide.php
http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/71-front-high.php
http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/71-center-over-head.php
http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/71-center-high.php
http://www.dts.com/dts-hd/61-center-surround.php

They also do not specify if rears should be mono, bi or di? SHould I just stick with the traditional DD 7.1???

Does your processor have this "7.1 Speaker Layout feature"? If not, I believe you would need to use a traditional setup.

aah good point..i have plIIx and dts-ex, but i dont think i have the "dts-hd" feature. it's a yamaha rxv1600.

aah good point..i have plIIx and dts-ex, but i dont think i have the "dts-hd" feature. it's a yamaha rxv1600.

No receiver on the market has it yet. There's some new Denon models coming out that will have it.

Looks like a gimmick to me. I have yet to hear any setup in a typical size home theater room that is significantly better than plain old 5.1. The only time you need gigantic arrays of speakers all around the room is when your room is also gigantic.

i agree, i am very happy with the 5.1 i have now. but if i buy a new hd-dvd player and they move to this format, i wont be able to play movies encoded in this?

i agree, i am very happy with the 5.1 i have now. but if i buy a new hd-dvd player and they move to this format, i wont be able to play movies encoded in this?


Why not? It appears the traditional speaker layout is supported.

i agree, i am very happy with the 5.1 i have now. but if i buy a new hd-dvd player and they move to this format, i wont be able to play movies encoded in this?
Hopefully manufacturers continue to keep surround processors in the player. That way, those of us with receivers with discrete inputs won't have to upgrade just to take advantage of the new formats.