Mr. Tomlinson Holman, THX interview and more!

[JBL 4645]

Hear is an interview with Mr. Tomlinson Holman the creator of the THX cinema sound system and professor of sound engineering. It’s very interesting stuff and insightful detailed as well I hope you enjoy it. The downloads will take a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the size of the data, please be patient!




How did THX come about?
Tom Holman video 1

THX baffle wall and mathematics?
Tom Holman video 2

The future of Digital cinema and surround music?
Tom Holman video 6

The future of multi-channel music?
Tom Holman video 4

Wave field and multi channel, 1933 stereo experiment?
Tom Holman video 5

5.1, and the future of more channels VS the frequency range and dynamic range?
Tom Holman video 3

[Bob Womack]

Fascinating stuff. The factoid that was most facinating to me from all the interviews was that the move that finally made surround viable in the market was creation of the satellite/single subwoofer concept. It makes all the sense in the world in two very practical ways:
1. It eliminates a full octave of bandwidth demand from the satellites, making them more efficient. This allows the amps to be smaller, thus allowing all the amps except the subwoofer's to be integreated into ONE chassis. THAT was a biggie.
2. It makes each of the satellites smaller, making it possible to hide them amongst the decor. I don't think it is possible to underestimate the impact of that one. How many people, especially wives, do you think are willing to live with big speakers all over the stinking room? We are truly exceptions in this regard, and most of the guys on the forum here are blessed with tolerant wives.

Fascinating.

Bob



I notice that in his predictions for the future, elimination of the lossy perceptual encoding scheme didn't figure in. As a recording engineer, that would be MY first request.

[clmrt]

I instantly liked him.

Thanks for the links.

[Titanium Dome]

I instantly liked him.

Thanks for the links.

He's personable and somewhat self-effacing without being unnaturally humble. His thoughts are quick and organized. He obviously knows his subject and loves math and science, yet he doesn't drill it into our brains.

I learned a lot.

One more PT800 and I can do 10.2 when it comes out

Thanks for the links!!

[clmrt]

Toss me your L series and I should be able to land 10.2 as well...using the L7's as the front height channels...yep.

[JBL 4645]

The part about the THX baffle wall made lot of sense and the first early stereo trials 1933! We have, come a long over the years. And now 10.1, I wonder how much this will cost and it needs to be affordable to reach a wide range of consumers, it shouldn’t be too costly where only the upper class can afford it, it should be enjoined by us all.

[Steve Schell]

JBL 4645, thanks very much for the interview links. Mr. Holman is as smart as they come, and he presents the information extremely well, especially for speaking off the cuff.

One tiny correction to Mr. Holman's comments: the Voice of the Theatre systems were developed in 1943 and 1944, not 1947. Prototypes of the large VOTT were built and installed in several theatres for evaluation by late 1944, and large scale production was under way by early 1945. The small VOTT model 800, predecessor of the A7, was introduced in 1947.

I have long been a fan of the groundbreaking work on loudspeakers that was done for the Bell Labs Experiments in Auditory Perspective of 1933. The two way horn loudspeakers that were created for the experiments embodied several amazing original concepts that are still in use today. The Bell Labs booklet that explains the experiments and technologies in detail has been placed on the web by the AES here:

http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/bell.l...tive%201933%22

The loudspeaker inventions are best described in detail in four U.S. Patents: #2,037,187 (compression driver); #1,992,268 (multicellular horn); #2,037,195 (bass compression driver) and #1,970,926 (bass horn). For students of loudspeaker technology these patents are insanely great and essential reading. Mr. Wente's compression driver was soon commercialized as the Western Electric 594A, and later adapted to permanent magnet as the JBL 375.

U.S. Patents can easily be downloaded and viewed as PDFs here:

http://www.pat2pdf.org/

[mike.e]

Is there anyway to DOWNLOAD and not stream these videos? (56k here)
The site is extremely restrictive.
It keeps asking for quicktime - which is 30mb on its own,I use an alternative.

[Ducatista47]

I have long been a fan of the groundbreaking work on loudspeakers that was done for the Bell Labs Experiments in Auditory Perspective of 1933. The two way horn loudspeakers that were created for the experiments embodied several amazing original concepts that are still in use today. The Bell Labs booklet that explains the experiments and technologies in detail has been placed on the web by the AES here:

http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/bell.l...tive%201933%22

Steve, after looking over this paper I can see how the new JBL Everest is not only a direct descendent of the 1933 Bell Labs system speaker. It could also be described as a clever elaboration of it. A refinement.

I had no idea until viewing the source paper how well this whole field was worked out in the first groundbreaking experiment! I had read here that realistic sound was produced, but good lord, there were men in those days! Even now, a two way system with a 300hz crossover that does 40-13000 well would satisfy if not please most of us.

I don't even want to get to thinking of how good the amplification must have been. I would have to say I consider the other great developments in sound reproduction to be Edison's observation of the (to be named later) Edison Effect, Fleming's Valve and last but most, Lee de Forest's Audion triode. Edison and Fleming made handling electricity in a useful, refined manner possible. De Forest developed the key to accurate amplification. In other words, amplification starts here. Triode amplifiers are to this day no slouch!

In so many fields I have studied, the first is at least in the same league as the best that follows, or is the best. Alfred Stieglitz in art photography comes to mind immediately.

On a personal note, I am saddened to the point of tears over the long, painful descent of Western Electric to Lucent to the mess that is now Avaya. How the mighty have fallen. Richard Nixon's worst idea might have been breaking up the telephone company! (If you want to comment on that, please start a thread in Off Topic. )

Clark in Peoria

[Hoerninger]

... #2,037,195 (bass compression driver) ...

Could you please check the number?
___________
Peter

[bone215]

Thank you for making the interviews available.
Isn't technology wonderful? It is truly the best of times.

[Ken Pachkowsky]

Thanks very much for posting this.

Ken

[glen]

One tiny correction to Mr. Holman's comments: the Voice of the Theatre systems were developed in 1943 and 1944, not 1947. Prototypes of the large VOTT were built and installed in several theatres for evaluation by late 1944, and large scale production was under way by early 1945. The small VOTT model 800, predecessor of the A7, was introduced in 1947.

Maybe he, like me and a lot of other folks, first got to know the "Voice of the Theater" in the seventies when they were being used for P.A. and disco speakers. I used to think that "Voice of the Theater" began and ended with the A7 system because that was the only example of it I ever saw until I discovered this enlightening website.

[lucfm]

Could you please check the number?
___________
Peter

By trying the adjacent numbers, supposing a typing mistake the correct number was found to be 2,037,185. Fascinating reading and another proof that we have not made very significant steps forwards since the work of the Bell team.

Luc

[Hoerninger]

Thanks.

... and another proof that we have not made very significant steps forwards since the work of the Bell team.

____________
Peter