just upgraded to an asrock fatality mobo. On the disc is software for thx tru studio, now to get thx on anything in the past meant what you where buying was top spec. Does this mean my computer is thx certified or is it a gimmick? The software on the disc is a basic version letting you upgrade to the full tru studio for a fee. It just looks like its a digital signal processing software tho and not true thx.
Yeah "in the past" THX that's what it meant, nowadays I'm not so sure. I bought a copy of "The Abyss" when it was the first ever THX certified anything! (Outside of cinema audio gear), and yes as an analogue picture laserdisc it was certainly the best there was at the time. A few years ago I picked up a set of Logitech THX speakers (listening to them now) and while they're good for what they are I wouldn't say they were absolutely "top spec". Both my speakers and your mobo are "THX Certified Multimedia Products" and "designed and engineered for PC gaming and multimedia on the desktop". So that means we've got reasonably good gear but in the four tiers of THX consumer certification we're at the bottom of the pile Source: http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-en...ter/thx-certification-performance-categories/
THX is not a sign of quality it's volume. From the THX site THX Certified Audio products are designed to let you experience movies the way they were meant to be heard. On every THX Certified AV Receiver the “0” on the volume dial represents THX Reference Level, a setting designed to mirror the exact volume level used by moviemakers and sound artists in the studio. When you are watching a movie with the playback volume set to “0” on a THX Certified Receiver, you experience every sound element exactly like it was produced by the filmmaker—with the same fidelity, detail and clarity.
i get the feeling its a con to take money off us. So if i purchase the software Will it represent the quality they're trying to offer through my HTPC?
Wasn't THX introduced with Star wars Episode 1, The studio went around certifying cinemas to make sure they reached a certain standard in sound so you'd experience the same quality, if you went to any THX certified Cinema. From an audio engineer's point of view, This would mean that every component in the audio chain, Amps, sound-chips, cables and speakers (Frequency/dynamic range, frequency response and even positioning) etc would have be of a certain quality to be THX certified so you could ensure that the signal reaches your ears in the way the film producers intended. From a consumer standpoint having a THX certified motherboard/sound-chip is only the starting point, if the cables aren't thick enough that they cause signal degradation before they get to the speakers for example, or the speakers don't have a full frequency range etc, there are so many factors that most people won't bother thinking about that it may seem not quite so relevant, esp considering improving the quality of most sound solutions nowadays What it does mean is that THX have tested it and it can produce a certain quality if the rest of the equipment and source file is up to scratch. EDIT: You don't necessarily have to get THX qualified products to have a great audio experience but if you aren't in the know or don't have enough time do research (Audio 'quality' is often a very personal thing), the THX engineers will have done the testing for you and if all your equip is certified, you will have a decent audio setup.
First up, this is one THX feature within an AV Receiver and therefore doesn't apply to other THX certified products. And you're missing the point if you think it's about volume and not quality. Being a THX certified receiver doesn't mean "It goes to X volume" it means "Sounds as it should do at X volume". There isn't any published spec to do with "THX Certified Multimedia Products" therefore it's probably a more arbitrary decision as to whether THX grant certification. This thread is already rated 4th in the world on google "THX Certified Multimedia Products"
THX is more about reaching a certain standard of sound quality equipment wise, Dolby is more about how the original sound source is encoded and decoded at the other end.
It's not all sound quality. I had a set of Z5500's that were THX but they just went loud but we unbalanced and sounded terrible compared to proper speakers.
