VideoLogic DigiTheatre Review - By Mark "Frugal" Bush Page 2 of 2
Then I did a very stupid thing, learn from my mistake and avoid this error. I decided to play Alien Vs Predator 2 at 3am in complete darkness with this sound system. The first level of AvP2 has very little sound, just an ambient hum and the occasional creaks coming from around the room. There are a few problems with this. The first is that with a good surround sound system this is very atmospheric and serves to scare the crap out of you. Another problem is that these low pitched hums and subtle sounds don't give you an accurate indication of how high your master volume is set. The third problem is that it is quite a while until you meet your first Alien and you start to relax. So when an Alien came crashing through an air vent behind me and to my right my first reaction was to squeal and throw my mouse in the air, I nearly had a damn heart attack. My next response was to dive for the volume control before getting the obligatory banging on the ceiling from the wife. Fortunately the subwoofer is right next to my chair and the volume knob is easy to locate in the dark. Unfortunately by this time my character was alien food and I needed a change of underwear. Talk about atmosphere overload :)
The next test of this setup was my mp3 collection. Music through this system sounds excellent. The SonicFury is very configurable with a graphic equaliser and presets for different kinds of music. I was surprised to discover that even though the speakers are quite small the music sounded better than my Hi Fi. This is pretty cool as I’ve been able to relocate my Hi Fi to my bedroom and now use the PC to play CD’s and mp3’s when I want music in my living room. The volume and sound quality is more than adequate for the job. Despite the speakers being relatively small I have not been able to turn this up to full volume for fear of incurring the wrath of my neighbours, this really does have an impressive output.
For the final test I watched some DvD’s, this is where the system really comes into its own. I have a hardware dvd decoder with TV out so I was able to watch DVD’s on my widescreen TV with the sound coming via the DigiTheatre PC. If you have never watched a DvD with a Home Theatre System then you really have not experienced the medium as it was intended. I watched U-571 a few days before the DigiTheatre arrived and it was good. Watching it with the sound coming through this system it was a whole different ball game. I was on the edge of my seat for much of the film. It is not something you can really convey in a review, it is something you really need to hear. As the dull muffled thuds of the depth charges go off all around the room, then the huge bang as one hits followed by clanking sounds going across the back of the room, amazing. The opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan are amazing with bullets flying all round the room and the sound of the sea behind you. Absolutely awesome!!!!
The next flavour of DigiTheatre turns the LC into a stand alone Home Theatre System and further enhances the DigiTheatre PC
DigiTheatre Decoder
The DigiTheatre Decoder is both a fully featured Dolby Digital Decoder and a control box for the speakers and has the following specs
Input connectors:
Coaxial S/PDIF (RCA) for digital input.
Optical S/PDIF (Toslink) for digital input.
Stereo phono RCA for analog line input.
Output connectors:
6-channel output for connection to multi-channel amplifier (cable supplied).
Separate 3.5mm jacks for analog audio out.
LCD display for status information.
Full-function remote control
The DigiTheatre decoder uses a Zoran DSP that many much more expensive decoders use, it supports full Dolby Digital (ac3), Dolby Pro Logic and PCM Stereo. It is possible to have a device connected to one of the digital inputs (either optical or co-axial) while another device is connected to the analogue input. You can then switch between them using the remote control. I currently have my video recorder connected to the analogue inputs giving me Dolby Pro Logic sound when I watch TV. I also have my PC connected to the digital input allowing me to run my PC through the system without having to switch cables. Because my PC has a hardware DVD decoder with TV out I can also watch DVD’s on my TV via my DVD rom with full Dolby Digital (ac3) output. I do have to make a swift switch of cables for this as the hardware DVD card has its own digital out but this only takes a few seconds. I can also play my music CD’s through my CDROM gaining the benefit of the speaker system. The DigiTheatre really has transformed my PC into a complete home entertainment system.
As well as allowing you to switch between inputs the remote control gives you complete control of the speakers including volume, balance, several speaker modes, and even speaker delay. The speaker delay allows you to control the time it takes the sound from a particular speaker to reach you. This is invaluable if you have an unusual shaped room. The excellent manual gives a lot of help in this area with a whole section on optimum speaker placement.
Conclusion
The DigiTheatre LC comes in at around £120, around £190 for the DigiTheatre PC and £250 for the DigiTheatre (decoder and speakers). The setup that I am running consists of the full set, speakers, decoder and SonicFury and comes in a little over £300. This is extremely cost effective considering it includes a top of the range sound card and costs considerably less than most Home Theatre Systems. It also allowed me to buy a cheap Wide Screen TV without surround sound. I get better surround sound than even very expensive TV’s can give and yet my widescreen TV + DigiTheatre + Decoder + Soundcard still works out over £100 cheaper than the cheapest surround sound TV that I could find. Worth thinking about if you are considering buying a new TV.
Whilst better Home Theatre Systems exist you are unlikely to find another system that comes close in this price range. The DigiTheatre represents exceptional value for money and is an essential purchase for anyone serious about home entertainment. I cannot praise the DigiTheatre highly enough, I mean that too, the written word can't do it justice, you need to hear it to
really appreciate how good it is. I can honestly say that no other upgrade has had as much use or given me as much overall benefit as the DigiTheatre has, this is also the only upgrade that my wife appreciates too :)
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