Specifications

Myth: "THX restricts manufacturers in
terms of their design creativity."
Reality: Nothing could be further from the
truth! See text at left.
Design Manual for the product in question. THX products are designed to be THX products. The
manufacturer knows what they have to do from square one. Once they have a working sample, it is sent
to THX where it is tested, for a fee, and either checks out and a license granted, or it is sent back with a
report on what needs to be addressed. THX tells us that they have yet to receive a product which got
everything 100% right on the first try.
Licensees then pay a small per-unit license fee for the manufactured product.
I hope everyone can appreciate why, to this day, the particulars of THX's criteria are not public. They
are a business like any other and they need to protect their intellectual property. If everything was out
in the open, people could just say, "It meets or beats the THX criteria", and THX would get nothing.
They'd fold, and we'd never get all the benefits they've brought this industry over the years.
When asked why their product is not THX certified,
some manufacturers have told us its because they
"wanted to do things THX does not allow". In terms of
speakers, there is indeed not a whole lot of latitude (no
full-range models for example), but when it comes to
electronics, that's nonsense. THX requires that a piece
perform to their spec (or exceed it) and that it do what
it is supposed to do when the THX mode is engaged. Manufacturers are free to offer exotic decoding
schemes, try innovative things like room EQ (such as the Audyssey system in some recent THX receivers),
or offer crossover options other than the standard THX (because not every customer is going to have THX
speakers). Lack of THX certification in higher-end electronics (where cost is supposed to be no object)
may be an indication that the manufacturer is not willing to make a competent product, or that they just
don't feel their customer is interested in certification.
Nick Platsis from Anthem Audio Video:
"The THX Ultra2 spec has tougher standards compared to the other licensing bodies, for
example higher output swings are required, especially for the subwoofer channel. On the
video side, no one else tests it. It's good that someone does, for example some manufacturers
may take the bandwidth of a video switch and try to pass that on as the bandwidth of the
whole circuit from input jack to output jack. Regardless, it's not difficult to meet any of
these standards unless attempting to do it on the cheap or there's an element of laziness
somewhere.
The challenge is integrating every single option that THX, Dolby, and DTS have to offer while
maintaining user friendly operation and preventing conflicts between the various
requirements. Then, when more processing options appear on the scene, it starts all over.
Luckily, the people at THX are great to work with."
Other Areas of Interest
In recent years, THX has branched out into other markets as well as continually revitalizing existing ones.
On the professional side, THX has implemented PM3, their Professional Multi-channel Mixing and
Monitoring program.
THX has also become active in the PC Computer market. While the THX Computer was something of a
flop, THX PC Speakers are very well respected. There isn't really an industry standard for PC sound like
their is for movie sound, so what THX is doing with PC speakers is basically saying that at a given price, a
product is as good as it can be, basically giving you some assurance you're not being ripped off, and it
takes away your need to try and decipher specs (which in the PC Speaker market are practically useless).
Perhaps more interestingly, THX has gotten involved with computer/PC Game development. The
production values of computer and console games have risen tremendously in recent years, in some cases
rivaling Hollywood, but the industry at large has grown up largely without the benefits of standards. It
has taken THX to come in and infuse the industry with the concept of consistent and