THX Expands Media Director Ecosystem. Star Wars Blu-Rays First Enabled Discs

[hodg100]

THX has today announced that Analog Devices, Sigma Designs, Silicon Image and Quantum Data, are providing industry-leading silicon solutions and HDMI protocol testing platform support that now make it easier for CE manufacturers to implement THX Media Director into Blu-ray players, AV receivers, TVs and projectors. THX’s technology transforms movies, music and other digital media into metadata or “smart content” that enables A/V components to auto-select the most appropriate audio and video playback settings, preserving the content creator’s artistic intent.

CE manufacturers can now rapidly introduce THX Media Director enabled products to consumers, with the new chip and testing platform partner support of this technology.

THX Media Director enabled devices should give installers flexibility in configuring systems, with higher assurance that playback settings will remain correct as viewers switch between content.

“With support from worldwide leading chipmakers Analog Devices, Sigma Designs and Silicon Image, THX is further extending the foundation of its THX Media Director platform,” said Rick Dean, senior vice president, THX Ltd. “CE manufacturers will now be able to source these chips for THX Media Director enabled devices, such as Blu-ray players, AV receivers, TVs and projectors.”

Analog Devices, Sigma Designs and Silicon Image have contributed significantly to the initial implementations of THX Media Director and have enhanced their products that support industry standards (CEA-861 and HDMI) and features (multiple Vendor Specific InfoFrame (VSI) processing).

In addition, Quantum Data, a worldwide provider of video test equipment, has joined THX Media Director’s growing list of partners to provide an additional layer of support for any chip maker or CE manufacturer looking to implement THX Media Director technology. Working with THX to develop and implement Media Director compatible tests, Quantum Data can verify, test, simulate and validate that manufacturers’ products are in full compliance with THX’s technology.

There's no escaping Star Wars at the moment and The Complete Saga on Blu-ray will be the first Blu-ray disc with THX Media Director enabled content on discs 1-6, available across several territories so fans can sit back and experience Star Wars as it was intended. THX will introduce additional THX Media Director enabled titles, for the highest-quality 2D and 3D home entertainment experience possible, in Q4’11 and into 2012.

Interesting stuff and we await some THX Media Director kit, to test, with eager anticipation!

 

[Smurfin]

Sounds like alot of....nothing...

 

[larkone]

Not nothing - it means that now that you have spent loads of money upgrading your AVR to HD sound formats you now have to throw it away and upgrade again

 

[Smurfin]

Sounds like it just makes sure HD sound is output when playing a BluRay or stereo when playing music. Funnily enough my AVR does that anyway Honestly, what will they come up with next...

 

[Trollslayer]

Sorry Mark but that is a fluff piece.
I notice that the names listed are niche players when it comes to playback silicon, certainly the big names aren't there.

 

[Smurfin]

Trollslayer, nothing wrong with Mark reporting it though surely, as it is news?

 

[Phil Hinton]

Sorry Mark but that is a fluff piece.
I notice that the names listed are niche players when it comes to playback silicon, certainly the big names aren't there.

Hardly, this tech has been in development for some years now and the players involved are extremely big names. But hey, let's not let facts get in the way of you throwing some negatives
If you actually know what the tech is and have valuable insights into why you think it is a fluff piece then at least try and be constructive and tell us why you think this.
JVC, Onkyo, Epson, Panasonic and others are behind this technology.
To start your research you could search the videos on this very site with interviews with Rick Dean and Andrew Poulain explaining exactly what the tech does.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzhqE5-PAqU&"]CEDIA Expo 2010 - THX Media Director - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAtZ1Tq8r6w&"]THX Media Director gets closer to Launch - CES 2011 - YouTube[/ame]

It is not designed for the likely members of these forums who will know, or think they know, how to set up their systems. It is designed for the mass market so they get the best out of their TVs and software without needing to know what overscan is, what side by side 3D is compared to sequential, what colour space they should be in and what DTS-MA is. It makes it simple for Joe Public to get the best out of their TV. It might even do away with problems like the 16:9 aspect ratio selection on TVs that means that around 90% of the public are not watching their HD content in the best quality, but scaled (they have no idea it should be in pixel by pixel mode). How many times have you been around shows, or in peoples houses and things are in the wrong aspect ratio, or the wrong picture settings? This tech is also able to be used with broadcast TV in the future, so again will help to make it simple.
I am not however saying this technology is fool proof or the best thing since sliced bread as we have yet to see any products in the UK to test, but any tech that tries to help the normal end user get the best possible quality, without people needing to have much tech knowledge, is a great idea in my opinion.

 

[Trollslayer]

Fair comment Phil.
Basically it could have been said in one fifth of the space plus the really big semiconductor manufacturers aren't mentioned which is very unusal since has just IFA started and companies start with their announcements to the press usually at the beginning. I have been seeing the usual marketing emails arrive in my inbox (yes, I work at one of the very big names).
Sigma, if I remember correctly, had a turnover of about $60 million a couple of years ago which was about 3% of our division which deals in this type of device at the time.