THX is the trade name that is given for the high-fidelity sound reproduction standard. This technology is widely being used in screening rooms, movie theatres, computer speakers, home theatres, and even car audio systems. Moreover, we can see the THX standard being presented with some of the latest gaming consoles that are offered to the market.
What exactly is THX?
The name THX stands for Tomlinson Holman’s Experiment. It was Tomlinson Holman who went ahead and developed this technology. He was working at George Lucas’s Company named Lucasfilm while developing this technology. He was able to create this technology back in the year 1982. THX technology came out to play along with the Star Wars movie, named Return of the Jedi. This is one of the best movies produced up to now as well.
It is important to keep in mind that THX is not just another name given to recording technology. That’s because it is not specifying a sound recording format. When you take a look at the sound recording formats available, you will be able to divide them into two main categories. They are digital sound format and analog sound format. The digital sound formats include SDDS and Dolby Digital. Then we can find analog sound formats, which include Ultra-Stereo and Dolby SR. However, THX is not belonging to any of these categories. That’s because THX is pretty much similar to a quality assurance system.
There are THX-certified theatres out there. These theatres are responsible for the production of predictable and high-quality content. This will help the movie soundtracks to be mixed in THX, which will deliver a perfect result at the end of the day. It is also important to keep in mind that THX is providing all the certified theatres that exist out there along with a specialized crossover circuit. This would contribute a lot towards the standard.
The certification that you can see in the auditorium would entail a specific acoustic along with the other existing technical requirements as well as the architectural requirements. For example, there should not be any parallel walls in the theatre, which will give life to standing waves. On the other hand, it is important to have a floating floor and acoustically treated and baffled walls. There should also be a perforated screen, which will ensure the delivery of center channel continuity. On top of everything, there should be an NC30 rating, which will ensure to reduce the background noise that would take place.
What are the applications of THX?
THX is based upon a proven technology. Due to the same reason, we will be able to see numerous applications of it. THX is setting strict standards for the delivery of the best quality images and sounds.
As per the inventor of THX, the name THX was given because of two reasons. The first reason was its relevance to the name of the inventor. On the other hand, the inventory has related this to the early movie of Lucas, named THX 1138. However, THX is not the original name of this technology as well. It was Tom Holman’s Crossover. Crossover became Xover, which eventually transferred to become Experiment.
The company of THX
THX Ltd. Is a company that is responsible for licensing THX. It is currently based in California. However, you will be able to see the offices of THX located out there in Hollywood and Burbank as well.
Back in the day, THX went ahead and developed a comprehensive certification program for HD video productions. The main objective of this certification was to ensure that the LCDs, HD projectors, and DVRs are adhering according to the highest quality standards. We can now see how the technologies are being used to contribute a lot towards ensuring the overall quality of video productions. For example, we can see how a large number of certified HD products are being released to the market along with the THX certification.
When you take a look at most Lincoln Automobiles, you will be able to see how the THX II Certified Car Audio Systems are present. You will be able to see how they have been introduced from the year 2003. They were recently modified to deliver better audio output for the people who were working on them.
In the year 2005, THX Ltd could go ahead and develop a licensing program, which was focusing on home screening rooms. This standardization was based upon a similar concept. However, it was not having much detail. Instead, it was a cinema certification program. We could see how there were home theatres were constructed according to the THX standard. However, this did not take place on a mass scale. Only a smaller number of home theatres were constructed according to the standards. Out of them, the most prominent one was the home theatre system of Eddie Murphy.
THX Cinemas around the world
As of now, THX is a world-recognized technology. Due to the same reason, you can see THX cinemas located in different parts out there of the world as well. The biggest THX cinema that you can find out there in the world is in Oslo, Norway. The distinctive crescendo was able to use that in the THX trailers. This could receive a lot of attention as Deep Note.
The very first cinema that used THX standard was located at the University of Southern California. However, it is currently being used as a part of the acclaimed film school of USC. On the other hand, the THX System that is located in the Norris Theatre is the second-best THX system that is located within California as of now. It is connected along with the Graupman’s Chinese Theatre. We can see how THX technology is evolving along with time, which will contribute to even better video production standards in the future.