Planet Irata: Atari Jaguar64 Great Surround Sound Debate

Sign the Guestbook
View the Guestbook

The Great Surround Sound Debate

There has been quite a bit of heated debate in recent months regarding the supposed "surround sound" capabilities of the Atari Jaguar. Various forums and chat groups have been flooded with people swearing that it's either "impossible" or that it's very probable. This document will provide, I hope, definitive proof that surround sound on the Jaguar is POSSIBLE.

Let me begin by stating that I have never connected my Jaguar to a surround sound receiver. I will not attempt to say, one way or the other, whether the Jaguar will output in "surround sound." When I have an opportunity to connect my Jaguar to a surround sound receiver, with the appropriate game(s), I will report my findings. What I will do is define "surround sound" properly. Others have done the same, but not with any authority (at least that I've seen).

The following excerpts have been taken from the May, 1997 issue of Audio Video Shopper (Guide to Home Theater). There are NUMEROUS other similar articles available (Crutchfield, to name one). And now, on with the show...

Getting Surrounded - the logic behind the logos

Dolby Pro Logic Surround
...The Dolby processor decodes the soundtrack from a stereo (two channel) track. It splits the information and sends it to designated speakers. Music, dialogue, and effects are all fed to the two "main" speakers at the left and right of the screen. A center channel, placed above or below the screen, helps lock the voices to the image, even for listeners seated outside the "sweet spot" on the sofa. Another signal is sent to a pair of rear surround speakers located behind or to the sides of the seating positions. It's the surround speakers that envelop the audience in ambient sounds, allowing viewers to feel as if they're standing at the shore, confined in a small room, or any number of effects the director intends. It's important to understand that, although two or more speakers may be used for Dolby rear-channel reproduction, each of these speakers receives an identical, monaural input. Since center and rear-channel information is contained in the original two stereo tracks, the decoder synthesizes these signals through a "sum-and-difference" process, with left and right channels added together (the "sum") to generate the center, and right subtracted from left (the "difference") to obtain the rear.

In order to optimize surround sound performance, a Dolby Pro Logic decoder - essentially an application specific computer - employs "logic-steering" processors, whose complex algorithms remove signal redundancies and improve channel separation. At its best, logic steering creates the illusion of a three-dimensional, 360-degree soundfield that puts you smack in the center of the action. (Subwoofers are often added to surround systems to supplement the impact of sound effects and music but are not a requirement.)

Now, there are other technologies available, such as Lucasfilm THX and Dolby Digital, but I won't go into those here. Suffice it to say that THX incorporates Dolby Pro Logic, but adds a few tricks of its own such as a high-frequency equalizer, timbre-matching cicuit, and a crossover system. Dolby Digital is entirely new, and requires a 5.1 channel encoded signal from a Laser Disc player.

So, the bottom line is this...If a Jaguar game has a surround sound encoded soundtrack, and your Jaguar is connected to a surround sound receiver, then YOU WILL GET SURROUND SOUND.

Period. End of story.

Back to Jaguar64
Back to Video Game Systems