Audio and Video Basics

This chapter provides an overview of the components that make up an audio-video system. It explains how they work together to create sound and moving images. Moving images can be boring without sound. Surround sound is one of the key ingredients to a cinema-like experience at home. The basic system allows readers to view high-quality digital video on the video display and to listen to multichannel digital surround sound from the loudspeakers. The low-frequency effects (LFE) channel is mainly used by filmmakers for explosions and other low rumbling sounds. The base management system can combine the low-frequency sound from some main channels and add it to the LFE channel. The combined result is sent to the subwoofer output, and the main channels no longer contain any low-frequency sound. Phantom images are used to create a soundstage that extends from left to right between the two loudspeakers.