The Third Dimension in Home theater

Any one that has ever experienced a good home theater system will speak of how great the video quality was, the size of the television, how loud the sound was or the great sound separation they heard from the speaker system. Audio and video are definitely the main components of an enjoyable home theater system, but there is a third dimension in home theater. This third dimension is achieved through adding sycronized physical movement to your home theater experience.

The idea is fairly new to home theater enthusiast, but it has been incorporated in many attractions at amusement parks. Ever been to one of those interactive movies at the amusement park? The seats move, water shoots out and various other actions based on the movie on the screen. Those extra elements help to draw you even further into the production. Of course, that type production cost big bucks and isn't really practical for the average home setup. In spite of the aforementioned factors, you can get something close.

Bass Shakers

Bass Shakers or Tactile Transducers work on the concept that low bass is mostly felt and not heard. Feel the earth-shaking bass from your music, movies or video game soundtracks. Originally designed for automotive applications to produce big bass without taking up valuable space in the car. The majority of tactile transducers are simple low frequency electromechanical devices. Particularly, this is the case with Aura bass shakers in view of their extremely limited frequency response.

Tactile transducers are designed to attach directly to large surfaces such as home theater seats, couches, and flooring.

Once activated, these will drive the supporting surface structure into vibrations over the tactile range. The surface now acts as the diaphragm, somewhat similar to the cone in an ordinary speaker.

Tactile transducers help the viewer feel rather than hear the low-end frequencies found in movies and music. They are calibrated specifically to produce an accurate tactile sense, otherwise missing from music and movie sound tracks.

When attached to a resonant surface, they will effectively increase the portion of tactile sound as 'felt' by the viewer in comparison to that produced by sub woofers and ordinary speakers. Consequently, the viewer will be able to feel the natural percussive impact of sounds when watching a movie or listening to music.

Unlike a sub woofer and normal speakers, tactile transducers do not make the room overly load. The greater perceived loudness of a tactile sound transducer equipped system allows listening at lower sound volumes.

This does not mean that tactile transducers are there to replace sub woofers and speakers. This is not the case; rather their presence should be to complement the sub woofer and speakers performance.

The optimum sound level for a sub-woofer is when you can just feel rather than hear the bass. Through the use of tactile transducers, this is even easier to achieve while maintaining the sub woofer sound at a more natural level. In a similar manner, the best setting for the tactile transducer is when you can just feel the seat shaking. Do not overdo it. The illusion that the percussive impact of sound is a natural extension of the movie soundtrack should remain.

In addition, use of specially designed rubber mounts on home theater seats and flooring equipped with tactile transducers, will help keep effects and vibration isolated from other things in the room. In other words, in a proper installation, low frequency vibrations will not be carried throughout the entire house.


There are many applications for the shakers. Explore some options here.

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MONSTER SPEAKERS

YG wanted to get real live on you (and by "you" we mean music and film industry "players") with its new Voyager speaker system (based on the company's Anat reference monitors), but it definitely seems like someone had too much Transformers on their mind when they put pen to paper on these 200lb heart attacks. Let's face it, you probably weren't going to shell out the $100,000 per pair that YG is asking.

One never needs to replace a YG Acoustics loudspeaker. Instead, upgrades are performed by adding expansion modules. Furthermore,
all cabinets are fastened with machine screws only (never glue), so future technologies can easily be incorporated into an existing product.

Voyager Main Module with dedicated stand
Voyager Voyager with Main Module Subsonic Filter

Available Configurations - Fully Modular and Upgradeable
The measured performance of the YG Acoustics
Voyager is exceptional, and correlates to its perceived
sonic quality. In addition to a flat frequency response both
on- and off-axis, the phase difference between the tweeter
and the mid-woofers is near zero at all frequencies, meaning
that they radiate as one integral unit. This unique feature is
a YG Acoustics specialty, and allows for an amazing soundstage,
normally associated only with single-driver loudspeakers.
In order to ensure that every set of loudspeakers that leaves
our production facility is as accurate as the original prototype,
we use a thorough quality control process. In fact, every
Voyager set goes through the same set of measurements
used for developing the model, and crossover circuits are
designed especially for it.

Deviation:
Less than +/-0.7 dB in the audible band.
Less than +/-0.2 dB between the left and right channels.
Usable output from below 20 Hz to above 40 KHz✎

Filters:
Acoustic 4th-order Linkwitz-Riley crossover at
1.75 KHz.
The phase/amplitude uniformity of the Voyager is without
parallel.

Impedance:
4 Ohms nominal, 2.7 Ohms minimum.
The Voyager should be used with a stable amplifier, but it
does not have to be very powerful thanks to the active
subwoofers.

Dimensions:
135x33x67 cm (53”x13”x26”) HxWxD,
Weight 94 kg (208 lbs)
Excluding grilles, amplifier controls and binding posts.

Amplifier:
Class A/B, with extensive protection mechanisms.
790 W RMS.
One unit is used for each subwoofer, for a total of
1580 W RMS per system.

YG Acoustics constantly strives to update and improve existing products, as well as create new ones. Therefore the specifications and construction details in this brochure and related YG Acoustics publications are subject to change without notice.
Every YG Acoustics loudspeaker is provided with a complete report, including individual measurements. A similar log is archived for each of its
components. Thus, in the rare case that a part requires replacement, YG Acoustics can
provide one that is precisely A pair of Voyager undergoing inspection before
shipment. The speakers are packaged in custom made aluminum shipping crates, to ensure that they are every bit as perfect when they reach their proud owner as they were when they left the factory.
The cabinet of the Voyager consists of two “halves”, made of a single aluminum casting each! Thus, enormous structural rigidity is achieved, while keeping the weight low enough for a two-person team to handle.

Home Theater Watch

The Home Theater Watch is designed to give you the experience of a home theater with the functionality of a watch. This means that you can tell time and watch your favorite movie right from your very own wrist. Complete strangers will be in awe as they stand in line with complete boredom at the Department of Motor Vehicles and you are watching the latest releases on your wrist.

Now, as every word travels from this article into your mind, you can experience a universe of your favorite entertainment at the ready in any circumstance. With 2GB of built-in storage, you will be able to store a full-length feature film on your watch. In addition to being a video viewer, the Home Theater Watch plays MP1, MP2, or MP3 and WMA audio files, and allows you to view JPEG images. The screen is a stunningly LARGE 1.5 inches and features a brilliant 260K color display capability. Your videos and images will look just like they do on your PC.

Connecting the Home Theater Watch to your PC is as simple as connecting any USB device.

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OUTDOOR HOME THEATER

There is a lot of great outdoor audio equipment available. It was almost impossible, just a few years ago, to quality home theater component that were designed for outside use. I will be posting some of these items for your info! Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of outdoor theater systems.

Advantages
Great Entertaining. Experience sights and sounds from DVDs, CDs, cable or satellite channels by the pool, on a patio, or by an outside bar or kitchen area. There’s no more missing the big game because it’s nice out. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and the size of your outside space.

Disadvantages
Weather or Not. You don’t want bad weather to cancel that movie you’ve been planning to see. So if you’re in a colder or rainy climate, think twice about doing a home theater outdoors. They’re most practical in sunny climates, though usually as a second entertainment system.

Shades Required. Watching a flick while basking in the sun sounds great, until you turn on the display and you can’t see the picture because of the glare. You’ll need to place any outdoor video display in a shaded area. That means cabanas, covered patios or bar areas with overhangs. You can stay in the sun as long as the picture is shaded. Flat-panel screens and traditional direct-view TVs are commonly used because of their brightness. Front video projectors with screens require darker areas but can be great to view at night.

Think About Protection. For your electronic equipment, that is. You don’t want your expensive audio/video gear splashed by pool water, splattered with grease from the barbecue or overheating in the sun. House the electronics in a cool, dark area. Beneath a bar or in a closet might work, but best would be inside your house or a well-ventilated outbuilding. If you live on the coast, salt air presents even more dangers. Flat-panel and direct-view TVs tend to work best in outdoor environments. And any video projector should be light, portable and easy to set up, because you won’t want to leave it outside. Also make sure all your speakers are weatherproof, no matter where you live.

What About the Neighbors? It isn’t polite to share your sounds without their consent. Be a good neighbor by placing most of the audio speakers away from your house and pointing toward it, as opposed to hanging speakers on the exterior walls and blasting the neighborhood.

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