HDTV manufacturers are hopping on the SRS surround-sound bandwagon, as Sharp has announced a partnership with SRS to incorporate 5.1 surround-sound in its LCD HDTVs later this year.
Vizio made a similar announcement yesterday.
Sharp, one the top five manufacturers of LCD TVs in the world, has implemented SRS Labs’ TruSurround XT in the AQUOS line of LCD TVs designed for the Asian and European markets. Sharp did not announce plans to incorporate the technology in its North American sets, but an announcement is likely forthcoming.
Sharp’s licensing agreement with SRS calls for Sharp to use SRS TruSurround XT in more than 40 LCD models, ranging in sizes from 32-inch to 52-inch. The embedded technology will appear in 25 models for the Asian market and 16 models in Europe. Sharp has previously used SRS technologies, but this is the first time the company has incorporated SRS TruSurround XT.
The AQUOS brand — which DailyGame uses to review all PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii games — is known for its vivid picture quality and sleek frames. The addition of SRS TruSurround XT will process up to seven channels of audio for playback over two speakers.
When receiving multichannel content, TruSurround XT virtualizes the channels creating “phantom” speakers that appear to extend all around the listener, producing a surround-sound effect. When receiving a mono or stereo signal, TruSurroud XT delivers a three-dimensional sound field for improved surround-sound effect.
