However, by the late 1970s, the first digital audio sets made an appearance at the market. The film industry was pushing forward its positions, too. Dolby Laboratories started their work at a matrixing system «Dolby Stereo» where three front speakers and an array of rear speakers received information through four channels derived from two stereo channels that were printed optically onto film. Dolby professionals also made an introduction of a separate «boom» subwoofer channel, or so called the «LFE channel» (which stands for Low Frequency Effects). It effectively increased dynamic range (the difference between the softest sound and the loudest sound perceived) in cinematic installations.
By the mid – 1980s, the system 5.1 was supposed to be a standard for 70 mm cinematic releases. It was composed of three full-range front channels (left, center, right), two full-range rear channels, and a subwoofer. In the name «5.1» the». 1» stands for the LFE channel because it carries only approximately one – tenth of the frequency range of the other channels. Researchers considered this as being the minimum number of speakers needed to supply the listener with an enveloping, immersive sound perception, as well as providing a sufficient level of localization (the capability to receive a sound as coming from a definite point in space). The 5.1 is still the most common configuration used for surround sound today.
Essential glossary
• profit – прибыль, выгода
• advance – продвижение, достижение
• gimmick – приём, трюк, уловка
• viewer – зритель
• improvement – улучшение, усовершенствование
• achievement – достижение
• switchable – переключаемый
• dedicated channel – выделенный канал
• be all the rage – достигать крайней степени, предела
• monauralsound – монауральный, относящийся к одному уху, монофонический
• consumer – потребитель
• research – научное исследование
• vinyl medium – виниловый носитель
• crosstalk – перекрёстные помехи, диафония
• frequency response – частотная характеристика
• psychoacoustics – психоакустика
• range – диапазон
• installation – установка, инсталляция
• compose – составлять, компоновать
• approximately – примерно, приблизительно
• immersive – многонаправленный, с одновременным воздействием на человека посредством нескольких каналов восприятия (зрение, слух, осязание, обоняние); иммерсивный, создающий эффект присутствия