Klipsch horns in on DTV transition madness

by Steven Kim posted Feb 3rd 2009 at 8:13AM

In a bit of a creative leap, loudspeaker manufacturer Klipsch is launching a marketing campaign that ties in with the (probably soon-to-be delayed) DTV transition. We're on board with the catchphrase "A high-def picture demands high-def sound," but let's be clear -- the DTV transition isn't going to bring 24/7 high-def video to all your OTA channels, and it certainly isn't going to mean high-def sound will be filling the airwaves, either. Like we said, though, it's hard to deny the fact that most people aren't aware of how atrocious most TVs sound, or how spending a little money on some new speakers can really increase their enjoyment of their systems. Klipsch is hoping its HD Theater 300, 500 and 1000 systems are an ear- and wallet-opening experience for them. So, are you willing to forgive a bit of a marketing stretch for a good cause, or do you lump this right in with cable companies using the DTV transition to scare customers into digital tiers?

Filed under: Industry, Speakers, Others

Tags: analog cutoff, analog shutoff, AnalogCutoff, AnalogShutoff, digital switchover, DigitalSwitchover, dtv transition, DtvTransition, hd theater 1000, hd theater 300, hd theater 500, HdTheater1000, HdTheater300, HdTheater500, klipsch, loudspeakers, marketing, speakers

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squiggleslash @ Feb 3rd 2009 9:07AM

I think it's a good idea, and hopefully promoting decent sound will get the networks to work on that aspect of TV.

I was actually pretty surprised by how well done the audio for the Superbowl was this weekend. I don't normally watch sports, but the surround thing was very well done and it sounded extremely high quality for what was by and large crowd noises, shouting, and commentary.

The networks have 20Mbps to play with. AC-3 generally sounds poorer than DTS because the versions on most DVDs are bit-for-bit identical to the versions shipped with movies, which are generally encoded at a little over 300kbps. But the networks don't have that limitation, they can go right up to ATSC's 448kbps maximum, which is generally considered on a par with regular DTS. That means they can devote less than 2.5% of their available bandwidth to audio and still have excellent audio resolution.

It'd be nice to see people demanding decent audio from the networks now that the networks really can deliver decent audio.

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