Are you one of the many AV integrators who are guilty of this major design error?
Before streaming became the most common form of TV viewing, larger set-top-boxes and higher-end Blu Ray players supported simultaneous surround sound and 2 channel analog audio outputs. Now that streaming players are the norm, audio downmixing is extremely important. As we all know, Apple TV, Roku, and smaller cable/satellite boxes don’t have separate audio outputs, so HDMI audio extraction is needed when distributing the audio.
The HDMI EDID will downgrade the audio signal from the source to 2-channel if you don’t have a signal path to support 5.1 or 7.1 audio. You cannot simply use regular HDMI audio extractors on devices like Apple TV’s, Rokus, and set-top-boxes. That only works if all of the zones on the system are stereo zones. To distribute the audio properly, you must do one of three things; use specialized 7.1ch>2ch (or 5.1ch>2ch) audio downmixing extractors, use a downmixing video matrix, or use downmixing AV over IP encoders/decoders.
If you have been using the "Dolby Surround" mode (formerly Dolby Pro Logic II) surround mode on a regular basis, then your customers have never actually had real surround sound. I come across this so often, and from jobs that have been installed by some of the biggest integrators in Greater Phoenix.
Do it right! Do good work!! Distribute AV properly!!!
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Important correction to something mentioned in the video: "Dolby Pro Logic II" is now part of "Dolby Surround." "Dolby Surround" is the codec that includes Pro Logic, but also allows for audio to be sent to Atmos (height) speakers. Check out this info from Marantz:
https://lnkd.in/gywBB-kK
It's been so many years since I've paid attention to that surround mode method because I never need to use it. Always set the Decoder type in the AVR to "Auto." With some AVRs you can select a "Program" separately from the decoder, which will tune the speakers differently, but still leverage the channel information of the selected decoder.
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#downmixing hashtag
#videodistribution hashtag
#customAV hashtag
#hometheater
My fellow AV integrators, for many of you, it's time to repent of your ignorance. Here's what I mean. You're doing this wrong, you guys, a lot of you, and I know this because I come across these jobs where the customer never has actually had true surround sound. In their 5.1 or 7.1 or greater systems. So if they have if the customer has a surround sound room which. You know, custom home, most of the living space is the great room, etc are going to have a version of surround sound and and it's tied into the video matrix. If you don't have audio down mixing then you're essentially dumbing this room down to two channel. So if you're using a non down mixing matrix such as this, a CMX 44 HDBT. Very good matrix by the way, very good product. But. Not intended to be used when you're mixing in surround sound with two channel. Then you're gonna have problems, and I see so many of you do this, and I know what you do to get away with it. You are using Dolby Pro logic two and I I know this because. I. I fixed these jobs and I see what you have the AVR set to and this. You're taking 2 channel audio and you're faking out the surround channels with it. You're not actually getting the correct audio that's designed to go to that particular surround channel or front channel in three-dimensional space. You're just taking a left and a right, and certain frequencies are being extrapolated to the surround channels in a foe surround setup. Now. The correct way to do this would be to use a down mixing video matrix such as the Axiom series from AV Pro Edge. We love it. We have it in our showroom. And that's basically going to pass a 7.1 audio onto your AVR. Um, and. Also down makes that sound one to two channel. Properly and you can then send that to your audio distribution system. Nice thing also about the AV Pro X products, not only the Axiom line, but everything else is that for a small TV like or an older TV that might not have 4K, a lot of times we'll do really tiny TV's in in like a kitchen. And we need that downscaling from 4K to 1080 and that's something that's built into the to the AV Pro Edge products. Now another way to do the audio down mixing besides using the Axiom series and they have a version in their MX Net line of products. And they also have these. 7.1 audio down mixers. So essentially it's it's like a it's like a one by two distribution amplifier where you can have 7.1 audio going out over one of the Hmis and two channels going out over the other. You also have analog outputs and digital outputs, so it makes it. Easy to break out the audio that way. Now they are pricey. Compared to another version of a down mixer from other brands. But it's the only way that I currently know of on the market right now to do 7.1 audio down mixing. There used to be another product by Zecter. I had deployed that a couple of times and it worked well, but it's been discontinued. I don't know why. And I think you know Zecher. Was acquired or something, I don't know. So this is a common scenario for us. Sometimes we'll we'll when we need an 8 by 8, it's more cost effective to go with another brand that's still, you know, a good reputable brand like this savant SLN serious product. And then we might only need a few of the sources to be down mixed and kind of dedicate those or train the customer to use only those sources in their surround some zones. And so this would be a way that we could accomplish that. And then the other way you could accomplish it, although only for 5.1 applications, would be something like this ethereal version of Audio Down Mixer. So. And this version, it's not acting like an HDMI DA, it's only got the one HDMI output, but it has analog 2 channel output that you can then send to your audio distribution system and. Get, you know, Dolby 5.1 audio properly to your surround sound. And. If you're not doing audio downmixing. In real reality, you're doing a huge disservice to your customer, even if they even if they're super happy with how it sounds. You're just opening. You're opening the door to look bad. I know I do lots of work for neighbors and friends of certain customers. Like many of you, most of my work comes from referrals. So. If I do a job and then I do that person's brother's house and then I do their neighbors house, etcetera, eventually it's going to get back to all my customers when I screw up. And that's what's gonna happen to you guys when you do this wrong. And then someone like me comes in, points out to them, hey, look, you've never actually had surround sound. Let me fix that for you. Let me put this in correctly. And it's it's gonna just be this cascade effect of lost customers. And then if you know, I know we don't always get the time of day on the front end from the customer to kind of explain it's not apples to apples between two different bids and it competitive scenario. But if they give us the time of day. We're going to destroy your bid, not not with price. Obviously you're doing this to to be cheaper than us. We're going to destroy your bid because we're going to show the customer that you guys are either incompetent or willfully. Not designing the system properly. So please, you know I don't want to be the ******* that says that to the customer. I'd rather have more colleagues. That design the stuff right? And I'd rather. I'd honestly rather. Just see good work out there, you know? I'd rather, I'd rather have. More great custom home projects and more high in higher expectations. From custom home builders. In high end homeowners of their AV companies who are striving for excellence. So please do better. Please do excuse me. Please do video distribution correctly. Thank you.
