Dolby Podcast Episode 23, September 13, 2007
Craig and Jack talk about Abbey Road Studios and answer listener questions about 900 MHz wireless speakers for home theaters, how to best get surround sound from stereo broadcast TV, coaxial versus optical connections and more.
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Mentioned in this Episode
[intro music]
Craig Eggers: And welcome to Dolbycast. My name is Craig Eggers. And this is an unusual Dolbycast for us, because Jack Buser is not accompanying me here in the studio. And if you're listening to that background music, you're probably listening to Sir Edward Elgar, a renowned composer. And there is significance to that. Ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Abbey Road Studios in London, England, Mr. Jack Buser. Hi, Jack.
Jack Buser: [cheers] What's going on, Craig? The crowds are overwhelming. In a moment, I'll be right with you.
Craig: What was that hiss I heard, Jack?
Jack: That was the roar of the crowd behind me here.
Craig: Oh, OK.
Jack: Cheering on Sir Edward Elgar here, performing live with me, in Studio 1 of Abbey Road, The Land of Hope and Glory.
Craig: Should we start it on Abbey Road, and why you're there and why I'm here?
Jack: Well, absolutely. I mean, [laughs] Dolbycast live from Abbey Road . Who would have ever thunk, huh?
Craig: Yeah. Who would have ever thunk?
Jack: That's very cool. That's very cool.
Craig: I'm sitting here, and you're in Abbey Road Studios.
Jack: Yes. And we are tied together through the magic of the Internet.
Craig: The magic.
Jack: Talking live, across how many thousands of miles, I dare not even wager a guess.
Craig: At least 8,000, I think. A couple of time zones.
Jack: [laughs] Well, it's actually very cool, the miracle of technology. If you could see the room I am sitting in, it's absolutely amazing. I'm sitting in Studio 1 of Abbey Road. They have got a full 8.1-channel B&W system here that I am just literally salivating over. And they claim that they've only run the puppy in 5.1 yet; but I think, after this, I might see if I can get them to do a nice 7.1 lossless mix, if not 8.1. Just play around with the thing. [laughs]
Craig: There you go.
Jack: So yeah, Abbey Road . This is really amazing. For those of you out there that don't know Abbey Road, which, if you don't know Abbey Road, you're probably not a listener of Dolbycast in the first place. Of course, Abbey Road - Craig, why don't you tell them?
Craig: Abbey Road ? Well, Abbey Road, for me, is The Beatles.
Jack: That's right. That's right.
Craig: But, actually, in researching for this podcast, I wasn't aware that Abbey Road actually has a huge history, way before the '60s and way before the Beatles.
Jack: Absolutely. Going back to the '30s, where, actually, that tune that we heard at the beginning of the podcast, Land of Hope and Glory, was recorded by Sir Edward Elgar - I don't know, the guys in the control room here might kill me for saying it - but sort of the unofficial theme song for this part of the world, isn't it? Wouldn't you say? OK. They're giving me a nod. [laughs]
Craig: They're going to kill you, Jack. [laughs]
Jack: I'm getting a nod. But, not only do we have The Beatles. Obviously, Abbey Road, if I have my trivia correct, the first studio to ever go beyond 4-track tape recording, right? You guys actually figured that out here. It was you guys, right, that figured this out? [laughs] Sitting in that chair, how to tie together multiple 4-tracks to go to 8-tracks, later 16-tracks. And a lot of that technology, I guess, was pioneered here for the very first time.
Craig: Jack, I have a question. When I visited your house the other day, I noticed a guitar.
Jack: Yes, I do have one of those.
Craig: …which I have to remind my listeners, and your listeners, was sorely out of tune, Jack.
Jack: [laughs]
Craig: I tuned it for you.
Jack: Yes, he did. Yes, he did.
Craig: And I'm just trying to understand how it is, with all the history and background I have in guitar playing and music...
Jack: Why I'm sitting here and you're not. [laughs]
Craig: Why are you in Abbey Road, and why am I stuck here? How did that happen?
Jack: Do you realize you will never hear the end of this? Oh, wait. Craig, can you hang on? I think that's Pink Floyd just walked in here.
Craig: Oh, is that right? Say “hi” to Pink for me, OK? [laughs]
Jack: Yeah. Dark Side of the Moon. [laughs]
Craig: You missed that one.
Jack: Wait, that's John Williams. He's in the other room here. Hi, John. How are you doing?
Craig: Now, for our listeners, I do have to say one thing.
Jack: What's that?
Craig: Jack is not in the magic room.
Jack: What is the magic room?
Craig: The magic room is Studio 2, Jack.
Jack: How do you know I'm not in the magic room? For all intents and purposes, I could be...
Craig: Because you told me you were in Studio 1. You told me you were there where all that history was created, Jack.
Jack: You know what? I was just teasing you. [laughs]
Listen, Craig. What are we going to do on this podcast this time? I would like to just sit here and tease you about Abbey Road this entire time. It would make for a wonderful podcast that I would listen to over and over again.
Craig: Yes.
Jack: Probably as loud as I can, on speakers, as close to your office as humanly possible.
Craig: Justice, right?
Jack: [laughs] Given that the rest of our listening audience probably wouldn't be able to get the fun out of that that I would. I suppose we're going to do listener questions.
Craig: We're going to do listener questions and I tell you what, to start us off, Jack, I'd like to - in deference to where you are - I'd like to refer to a question from a gentleman...
Jack: Oh, wait, Craig, can you hold on, Radiohead just walked in. Hang on, sorry.
Craig: Yeah, yeah. OK.
Jack: Oh, I'm never going to get over this. We're going to do this the entire podcast. Go ahead. You probably don't even care about Radiohead, do you?
Craig: Are you done?
Jack: OK. Go ahead. I love, for the record, Radiohead is sweet.
Craig: For the record? [crosstalk] For the CD or for the MP3? Which one, Jack?
Jack: Go ahead. Give me one. Give me a question. We're going to do this.
Craig: OK, here's the question. This is a softball. This is Anthony from Lancashire . Notice that the yank here didn't say “Lanca-shire” or anything. It's “Lancasheere”, right?
Jack: I'm getting another thumbs up.
Craig: Are you getting a thumbs up or thumbs down from me? I can drop you allover there.
Jack: I got a thumbs up.
Craig: All right, cool. Anyway, Anthony is talking about, actually Anthony's got basically a Freeview system that delivers analog signals. He's patching his analog signals, his left and right signals, into his surround system. He's asking what's the best way to get the most surround performance when you basically have a system that's got stereo LtRt analog outputs? So, Jack, go ahead.
Jack: Well, I would say Pro Logic IIx. Pro Logic IIx, man, because you can take that stereo LtRt and take it right up to 7.1, if you've got a 7.1 system with Pro Logic IIx.
Craig: Up to 7.1.
Jack: You absolutely could. Now, most people aren't going to have a 7.1 system. So, for those folks out there with a 5.1 system, obviously Pro Logic II is the answer for you.
Craig: Pro Logic II will take any 2-channel source and make it 5.1.
Jack: Go up to 5.1, that's right. And it helps, in the case of broadcast television, often times when broadcast television is mixed, these days they're generally mixing in 5.1. Then for the stereo feed, they're folding that 5.1 down into what's called an “LtRt”. That LtRt signal is essentially Dolby matrix encoded, meaning that if you have a system with Dolby Pro Logic II, push the Dolby button and suddenly you're going to full 5.1.
Craig: Yeah, if you take some of the information we learned from Jim Hilson and recently Ioan [on prior episodes of Dolbycast –Ed.]. A lot of times, for example, the Olympics, they actually went out and recorded those, or captured the audio in 5.1. And if you had a digital cable system that had Dolby Digital, obviously you had that capability to enjoy that as 5.1 discrete.
But I know, worldwide, a lot of systems didn't have digital cable, they didn't have 5.1, they didn't have Dolby Digital. So, what happens is, on location, they will take those 5.1 sources, fold them down into a stereo signal, encode it as Pro Logic II, and then send it out to your home where that signal can then be unwrapped by your Pro Logic II surround receiver.
Jack: It's really funny, this is something I've been talking about a lot over here. I've been on business over here in London, actually, visiting a lot of folks that deliver feature length films over the Internet. And one of the things we've been talking about is that, more often than not, those feature length films that are being delivered over the Internet right now by these guys that set up these aggregators, if you will, it only has a stereo soundtrack.
But, what a lot of people don't know is that stereo sound track actually has that great 5.1 information embedded in it. So, if you have Pro Logic II or Pro Logic IIx you can actually get at it. So, broadcast television, any stereo movie medium out there, even VHS tapes.
Craig: Jack, including downloadable content, right?
Jack: Craig, can you hold on, The Spice Girls just walked in.
Craig: Oh, really? Say “hi” to Posh for me. She's over here now, you know?
Jack: I'm just going to drop every possible name we can here.
Craig: Wait a minute. We have Mr. Beckham here, I think, we have Miss Spice here. We've got the London Bridge here.
Jack: They're rolling their eyes in the other room over there.
Craig: We're buying up all the culture.
Jack: This is true.
Craig: I'm going to buy one of those double-decker buses and ride it into work.
Jack: Yeah, there was a headline here in one of the papers saying, "Is Beckham's performance suffering since he's doing all this traveling back and forth the U.S. ?" I think, the guy's never played better. [laughs] I am definitely not getting good looks from the other guys.
Listen, on that note, we better go to a break. When we come back, we're going to talk more about Abbey Road Studios, we're going to answer some more questions. So, see you in a minute.
Announcer: Got questions for Jack or Craig? Email Dolbycast at dolbycast@dolby.com.
Jack: And we're back here at Dolbycast, coming to you live from London, England, at none other than Abbey Road Studios. In fact, I'm coming to you live in front of an estimated 350 million people. Just as the Beatles did in 1967, when they recorded their worldwide satellite television link up called Our World, which is very, very cool.
Craig Eggers: Thanks, Jack.
Jack: I actually found a transmission of it online, where you can just see a little clip of it, and it's like the coolest thing. Can you imagine being a Beatle? At that time, in 1967, playing in front of 350 million people via satellite? It must have been just absolutely mind blowing.
Craig: Yes, it was, Jack.
Jack: I mean, seriously. Probably second only to Dolbycast, coming live from London, England .
Craig: So, Jack, have you enjoyed any bangers while you've been over there?
Jack: I have. I've had plenty of bangers and mash. Bangers actually mean two different things here in London . It not only means bangers and mash, but it also means a really good techno tune. They say, "It's a right banger." So, we were out wandering around the East End of London, hitting up all the great clubs there.
My friend actually does live sound here, a little company called Chili Sound Systems. Chili, dropping him a little props here on Dolbycast. They've got this really wicked Martin Audio live PA system that he carries around to all the clubs. He turned that thing on for us the other night, and unbelievable. It just sounded absolutely fabulous. If there's one thing they do right here in England, it is the sound systems in the clubs are unbelievable.
Craig: Now, I have a question, Jack. They don't record techno music in Abbey Road studios do they?
Jack: I'm getting 2 thumbs up in fact, yes.
Craig: Oh, no.
Jack: No, I'm definitely getting some chuckles from the control room in there. It'd be pretty sweet if they did.
Craig: No, no, no, no. No, Abbey Road Studios is the top.
Jack: Hold on. I've got my list here of all the recording artists. I might be able to find one here.
Craig: Oh, Jack.
Jack: Well, let's see. Check this out, you'll find this is cool. Do you remember the 5.1 Yellow Submarine sound track?
Craig: Yes.
Jack: Did you know, that was done here, actually? Have you checked that out?
Craig: Yes, I knew that Jack.
Jack: That is very, very cool. I actually heard that for the first time just the other day and it's unbelievable and what's great about it is it was mixed here.
Craig: Thanks, Jack.
Jack: I am getting... What's that? Where you're not, actually? Let me throw that in there. Mixed here, where you are not. [laughs]
Craig: Yeah. You're really enjoying this, aren't you?
Jack: I really am. This has got to be my favorite episode ever. It really does.
Craig: You know what they say about pay back. You know what they say, right?
Jack: Now go ahead, give me another listener question there. Throw one out that we can discuss. We've got to get through these questions. We've got so many questions.
Craig: I have to say, Jack, that it's probably appropriate that you're over there at Abbey Road rubbing it in...
Jack: I know, it's just too perfect.
Craig:... because, we've actually had some listener questions that have said “Craig, you need to be a little bit softer, a little bit easier on Jack.”
Jack: I know. I haven't been sleeping.
Craig: So, I'm trying to be nice and gentlemanly and easy and you're over there rubbing it in.
Jack: I can take it, bring it on. Turning up the heat.
Craig: It's interesting, we've had a long ongoing dispute, you and I, about how to connect digital connections - whether to use an optical connection or, as I have often said, use the digital connection utilizing the coaxial cable?
Jack: Yeah. Oh, I've got to tell a story about this. Read the question and I'll tell a story. This is great.
Craig: Well, actually, we had a reader by the name of Brad who did interject basically a very, very good comment. He said, if you have a system where the potential exists for ground loops. And ground loops is basically hum that you get in your system from improper grounding. That can often be resolved by utilizing optical cable as opposed to a coaxial.
Jack: That is a good point, I didn't think about that.
Craig: He makes a really, really good point. So, thanks Brad, for mentioning that. There's actually a whole website on this, it's Meridian Unplugged is one of the things you start looking for. And Meridian, by the way, is a very, very fine audio company from the U.K.
Jack: Yes. You've got it. The developers of the core stuff behind Dolby TrueHD, in fact based on Meridian Lossless Packing, MLP.
Craig: Yep, truly. So, what were you going to say about coaxial and optical?
Jack: Oh, gosh. So, we get a message in from what looks to be one of our listeners, it's actually one of our coworkers, who shall remain nameless. He's like, "you guys, we've got an entire floor full of audio engineers, why don't you just plug in both connections and just measure the jitter," right? I was like, case closed.
Craig: That's right, jitter. Who was that?
Jack: He was like, "you guys, this is Dolby, let's go measure it and figure it out." He shall remain nameless, but needless to say he was really razzing us good, he was razzing us good.
Craig: So, are you still an optical guy, Jack?
Jack: I like optical. The simple reason is that I use a lot of game consoles, and that tends to be the connection of choice for game consoles. They're coaxial connection. So I just use coaxial when I run out of TOSLINK inputs basically. There's no reason why, I just do it that way, because so many things actually have the optical TOSLINK as opposed to the electrical coaxial connection.
Craig: You know, old habits are hard to break, and I guess, I still hearken back to the days when we did have some jitter going across that optical line. So, I'm still a fan of coaxial.
Jack: Yeah. You know what? The latest phrase in London right now is "to be fair," which basically means I'm going to say something that may be a little controversial. But, to be fair, as they say over here now; to be fair, I've actually been using HDMI. What the heck? I mean, everything's got HDMI on it now. I have a DVD player with HDMI, I've got a set top box for my cable with HDMI. The game consoles all have HDMI.
Craig: And HDMI, Jack, is going to be a big topic of our next, upcoming podcast.
Jack: That's right. If fact, we've gotten so many listener questions in about HDMI, HDMI 1.3, the new AV receivers that are just now coming out. In fact, I saw one of those in your office, didn't I?
Craig: Yes, you did. Yes, you did.
Jack: [laughs] Very cool.
Craig: So, let's go to our next listener question. Are you ready?
Jack: Let's do it, I'm ready.
Craig: Do you want to interject anything from Abbey Road ? Did somebody important walk in?
Jack: You know, in fact, hold on. Wait a minute, I think, The Drifters just walked in. The Drifters just walked in along with none other than, who else can I throw in your face here? Well, I could say Spiritualized, but you wouldn't know Spiritualized. You know Blur, I'll throw out Blur. Blur just walked in.
Craig: Who's Blur?
Jack: Oh, come on. You're killing me. How do you not know Blur?
Craig: Come on, who's Blur?
Jack: It's the biggest Brit pop band to come out in the last 10 years. It's Blur. They're great. You would really dig them. You know what, if you haven't checked out Blur, check out Blur. I also really recommend a band called Spiritualized, which is also one of the bands that's putting out hit records here at Abbey Road, just absolutely recently. And Spiritualized is very, very cool music.
It's like, the best way, I guess, I would describe it is like space rock. Like these textures of guitars and all kinds of crazy processing and mixing techniques. It just sounds absolutely fabulous. So, if you haven't checked out Spiritualized, they're just very, very cool.
Craig: Hey Jack, there was a time when space rock was David Bowie and Pink Floyd, just FYI, you know?
Jack: That is true. Pink Floyd was... Oh, I've got to just throw this out here; are you ready for this? The Last Emperor was mixed here, Room with a View, Brazil. Need we even bring up Raiders of the Lost Ark? I mean, how cool is that?
Craig: Very cool.
Jack: I have a list of movies that were mixed here, it is unbelievable. Deep Impact.
Craig: Are you done?
Jack: Eyes Wide Shut. I mean, come on. Memphis Belle. Remember Memphis Belle? It's like the best movie, with the B-17, remember that?
Craig: Yes, yes I do.
Jack: I love the ending to that movie. I won't give it away, but it's like the greatest ending. I remember watching that movie as a kid... All right, listener question. Listener question, let's have one.
Craig: Are you ready?
Jack: Yes.
Craig: This is an interesting question and I've been dying to get to this. This is from a gentleman by the name of Mark, and he says he's having trouble trying to decide which type of surround speakers he needs for his home theater system. There are different terms, different types, and I'm not sure what I should get. Mark mentions direct radiators. He mentions dipoles.
Jack: Yes, yes.
Craig: So, let's talk a little bit about direct radiators, let's talk a little bit about dipoles, and their functionality.
Jack: This is a great question. This is a great question.
Craig: So, you want to start off?
Jack: Well, I think, essentially, the moral of the story is that these days, it's a matter of personal taste. It hasn't always been that way. As I recall, correct me if I'm wrong, but some of the earliest surround systems, back in the days of Pro Logic, it was always dipoles, right? Is that right?
Craig: Well, THX actually was the company that recommended the use of dipoles for the rear surround speakers.
Jack: Because they're more diffuse, right? They're more diffuse.
Craig: Exactly. I think, their philosophy was that you wanted to create that diffuseness, that airiness of a theater. The goal was to literally reproduce that airiness of the theater within your home environment.
Jack: Right. And so, for our listeners that don't know what a dipole versus a direct radiator speaker is, maybe you should just break that down, just so they can get a mental picture of what the two different speakers might look like.
Craig: Well, a direct radiator speaker could be anything from a bookshelf speaker to a tower-type speaker.
Jack: Yeah.
Craig: And its purpose is, literally, to reproduce in-phase, that discrete signal that's coming from your left, your center, your right...
Jack: It's a direct acoustic image being projected directly from the speakers.
Craig: Exactly.
Jack: And that's mostly what you see.
Craig: Exactly.
Jack: When you think of a speaker, that's generally what pops up in your mind is a direct radiator.
Craig: So, a dipole, Jack?
Jack: And a dipole is a speaker that's designed to create sort of a diffuse sort of... How do I want to describe this? Craig, you take this one. It's hard to describe. I actually use them in my own home theater.
Craig: Typically, the speakers are out of phase.
Jack: Is that right?
Craig: So, you've got one speaker that's in-phase that's pushing, while the other speaker is pulling, if you will.
Jack: Is that true?
Craig: Yeah. Yeah.
Jack: I did not know that.
Craig: You didn't know that?
Jack: I actually use them in my home theater, because I've got a Klipsch system, I believe, that uses a dipole, if I'm not mistaken. I'm going to have to go home and check now. But, I didn't realize one of the speakers was out of phase. Is that true?
Craig: Yes.
Jack: Go ahead.
Craig: Now, what you're going to get is to your point, that more diffuse sound stage, if you will.
Jack: Right, right, right. Which is nice.
Craig: It's a little bit more difficult to localize sounds, because with a direct radiator, you can literally point to a sound coming from a specific site.
Jack: Pinpoint the sound.
Craig: And with the dipole, you've got a more diffuse type of sound stage, if you will.
Jack: Now, you're making me worried, actually. I'll tell you why. Because I play a lot of games, right?
Craig: Yeah.
Jack: And for me, what's important is actually being able to pinpoint the enemies that are off-screen and know exactly where they are.
Craig: There you go.
Jack: So, for me, it seems like, maybe, I'm going to have to get some direct radiators.
Craig: I think, you're going to have to.
Jack: I think so. I think so. I bought them because it was evidently more cinematic. It was more like the movie theater.
Craig: Well, the other thing is, you know, I listen to a lot of 5.1 music.
Jack: Yes.
Craig: And in most instances, the people who are mixing 5.1 music are usually utilizing direct radiators.
Jack: That's right. In fact, here at Abbey Road, where you're not...
[laughter]
Jack: They are actually using direct radiators, as I'm looking at them - and quite nice ones, at that - the B&Ws, I was telling you about.
Craig: Well, in spirit, I'm there because I have my B&Ws at home to go home and look at and imagine.
Jack: [laughs] Well, isn't it nice to know that when you listen to that Beatles soundtrack that was mixed in 5.1, you are literally getting the exact same experience that they got here in the studios because you're using the exact same speakers at home? [laughs]
Craig: There you go.
Jack: That is very cool. That is very cool. I must say, a little bit of jealousy on this end. Not much, but a little.
Craig: Just a little, just a little.
Jack: [laughs]
Craig: So, let's take a break, and we will come back, hopefully, with one more listener question.
Jack: That sounds good.
[musical interlude]
Announcer: This is Dolbycast. Jack and Craig would love to answer your questions. Email them at dolbycast@dolby.com. That's dolbycast@dolby.com.
Craig: And welcome back to Dolbycast. I'm Craig Eggers, coming at you from Dolby in San Francisco . And on the line, we have Mr. Jack Buser, coming from where, Jack?
Jack: I am the walrus.
[laughter]
Craig: Cuckoo ka-choo, baby.
Jack: [laughs] So, actually, Craig, I've got to tell you, I'm looking at this book here, coming to you live from Abbey Road Studios.
Craig: Yes.
Jack: And this is the coolest book. Listeners out there, if you want to buy something that is just ridiculously cool, I highly recommend this. It's called Recording the Beatles, and it's all about Abbey Road Studios. It's the history of Abbey Road . It is the most gorgeous book you have ever seen. There are pictures, layouts of all the studios. It's everything you ever wanted to know about The Beatles and Abbey Road Studios. It is the coolest thing.
And what's coolest about it is it actually comes in a box that's shaped like a 2-inch reel of tape. [laughs]
Craig: Really?
Jack: It's fabulous, man! You've got to check it out. It's called Recording the Beatles.
Craig: Is that my Christmas present, Jack?
Jack: It may be, actually. It may be. As long as you keep it at your office and I get to come in and check it out. The other cool thing that I learned about Abbey Road Studios is that they used to make... all the recording engineers, which, at the time - let me get this right - they were called 'balance engineers,' right? Because it was all about mixing.
Craig: Oh, that's cool.
Jack: And it was mixing engineers, but they would basically balance the mix, right?
Craig: Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
Jack: And if you ever wondered where that white lab coat look comes from in audio, I suppose that's Abbey Road . Along with the skinny black tie, which was the uniform around here, I'm understanding.
Craig: Oh yeah.
Jack: So, I'm really razzing the guys in the other room, "Where's the skinny black ties and the white coats?" That's so cool. All the kids these days are rocking those skinny black ties and probably don't even know why, huh? [laughs]
Craig: Are you done?
Jack: Go ahead.
Craig: Can I talk now?
Jack: I'm at Abbey Road and you're not.
[laughter]
Craig: A gentleman by the name of Geoff Emerick, he actually recorded Sgt. Pepper's[ Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles –Ed.].
Jack: Yes.
Craig: He wrote a book last year and did a radio tour. [ Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles by Geoff Emerick and Howard Massey –Ed.] It was very curious, because I was listening to him on one of the interviews he did on radio, and he was talking about John Lennon. John Lennon, apparently hated... he's like me. He hated the sound of his voice.
Jack: Are you kidding?
Craig: And he was always encouraging the engineers to do some sort of fix, to put some sort of special effects onto his voice to change his voice...
Jack: [laughs] Isn't that funny?
Craig:... Because when he heard it during playback, he apparently was never satisfied.
Jack: Who was it that was doing that tour? You mentioned a name. Who was that?
Craig: Geoff Emerick.
Jack: Geoff Emerick, huh?
Craig: Yeah.
Jack: And he worked here at Abbey Road, where you're not, right?
Craig: Thanks, Jack.
Jack: [laughs]
Craig: Thanks.
Jack: Sorry. I've just got to get these zingers in. [grunts]
Craig: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jack: Keep going. Let's do another listener question. We've got to do one more listener question. We have so many of these piled up. We've just got to get through them. Let's do it!
Craig: I think, this one's going to be a teaser, though, Jack.
Jack: Is it?
Craig: It's from a gentleman by the name of Keith, who mentions that he has a 5.1 system, or he's actually trying to install a 5.1 system, but he's worried about wires and cables, particularly for the rear surround speakers.
Jack: Right.
Craig: And he was asking about 900 MHz speaker capability.
Jack: Oh, that's a great question. Those are becoming kind of trendy.
Craig: Exactly. And I think that's something we need to cover in a future podcast.
Jack: That is true. We could do a whole thing on that. I guess, the moral of the story is that if you don't want to run wires across your room, a lot of manufacturers now, especially with home-theater-in-a-box systems...
Craig: Well, Altec Lansing. I believe JVC has some wireless rear surround speakers.
Jack: That's right, yeah. And it just literally uses a 900 MHz signal, which is relatively clean, and transmits the surround audio to the back speakers. I think it's a great solution.
Craig: So, that's something we'll be talking about in a future Dolbycast.
Jack: Yeah. And one thing I wonder is, do they sell a standalone transmitter? That would be cool, too. If you had multi-channel, discrete outputs on your AV receiver, you could probably go into one of those guys. And I don't know. I wonder if there's a standalone one you can buy. I'm sure there is.
Craig: I think, you should invent one, Jack.
Jack: I think, I might.
Craig: And then, you could buy Abbey Road Studios, and you could do all of your recordings from there.
Jack: Hang on. Craig, it's Ringo. Hang on for a second.
Craig: Uh-huh.
Jack: How are you doing, Ringo? Jack. Nice to meet you. No, Craig's not here. No. He's not here.
Craig: Craig couldn't be there.
Jack: He couldn't be here. [laughs]
Craig: Tell Ringo I used to own a Super Beatle amp, though, OK?
Jack: Craig's saying that he used to own a Super Beatle amp. No? Yes? OK. Yeah. [laughs]
Craig: [laughs]
Jack: He looks impressed. What can I say? He looks impressed.
Craig: OK, yeah. Good. Well, I'm a Marshall guy, OK?
Jack: Well, Craig, listen, this has been an absolute blast being here without you.
[laughter]
Jack: [laughs] I'm never going to end this. I swear, this is just too much. This is just too much.
And listen, jeez, you're going to CEDIA, I guess, coming up pretty soon. I guess, by the time this airs, you might be at CEDIA. Is that right?
Craig: I'm going to CEDIA. And we will have a special report coming back from CEDIA.
Jack: That'll be cool. Boy, I wish I was going to CEDIA.
Craig: Where are you going?
Jack: I've got to say, as jealous as you are of not being here, I am jealous I'm not going to be at CEDIA. That's like my favorite show.
Craig: Where are you going? You're going to be in the south of France or Tuscany ? Or where are you going to go?
Jack: That's right. I'm taking a little vacation with the wife. And we're going down to Rome, and then we're going over to Barcelona ; so, that's going to be great. That's going to be great. [laughs]
Craig: OK. Make sure you don't get a tan from standing in the English rain, OK?
Jack: [laughs] Actually, you know what? It has been gorgeous here. Every time I come to London, it's like the clouds part, and suddenly it's gorgeous. And all my friends that live here, they say, "It's not like this. Honest." [laughs]
Craig: The clouds part. Jack Buser has arrived.
Jack: Everybody talks about London being all rainy and cloudy. Every time I come here, it's like Hawaii .
Craig: Oh my God.
Jack: That's great.
Craig: OK, Jack. Tell them who you are, Jack.
Jack: I'm Jack Buser.
Craig: And I'm Craig Eggers.
Jack: I am the walrus.
[music]
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