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Hercules Presents 'Gamesurround Fortissimo III 7.1'

by Rainier on Aug. 7, 2002 @ 7:01 a.m. PDT

The Gamesurround Fortissimo III is Hercules's latest soundcard especially aimed at gamers and DVD fans. It sports various and significant changes over the Fortissimo III. Read more for technical details and more interesting news ....

Unparalleled gaming performance :

  • Powerful Digital Audio Processor
  • High speed performance in games
  • Smooth gaming experience
  • Mindblowing immersive feeling in games

Unsurpassed DVD experience

  • 7.1-channel 360° over-realistic positional audio experience with Games and Dolby Digital™ EX DVDs
  • Perfect compatibility with DVD technology of today and the future
  • Superior DVD audio playback
  • Complete freedom to personalize your speaker configuration

High-definition digital audio solution

  • Crystal Clear sound : Create, edit, deliver and reproduce high quality sound
  • Digital sound input and output : Download any audio sources onto your digital audio devices
  • Use your PC as a multimedia jukebox

Acid Xpress™

LOOP-BASED MULTI-TRACK MUSIC CREATION TOOL:

  • Sonic Foundry famous Acid Xpress software
  • Make your own original music with the click of a mouse and a couple of « paint » strokes
  • Combine music and sound loops to make professional-quality music instantly
  • 25 free loops included

Hercules® MediaStation II

MULTIMEDIA JUKEBOX :

  • INTUITIVE AND SOPHISTICATED SOFTWARE BY HERCULES
  • Listen to songs and mix or record* different styles of music.
  • View digital videos and pictures.
  • Create slide shows using pictures you have just taken with your digital camera!

POWERDVD PRO EX

7.1 CHANNEL SOFTWARE DVD PLAYER :

  • World acclaimed software DVD player by Cyberlink
  • Dolby Digital™ EX™ certified software
  • Ultimate DVD solution to enjoy all the benefits DVD entertainment
  • High quality video and audio playback
  • Low CPU consumption

What is meant by 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1?

With respect to soundtracks, such as those on movies and DVDs, 5.1 means that the soundtracks are recorded with five main channels: left, center, right, left surround, and right surround, plus a low-frequency effects (LFE) bass channel (called a ".1" channel because it covers only a fraction of the frequency range of the main channels).

Some movie soundtracks use a variation on 5.1 called Dolby Digital Surround EX, which has now migrated via DVDs to home theater. This format matrix encodes a third surround channel onto the left and right surround channels of 5.1 soundtracks, and may be decoded or not at the cinema’s or home listener’s option due to their inherent compatibility. Because the extra surround information is carried on the left and right surround channels, Dolby Digital Surround EX encoded soundtracks are still regarded as 5.1 soundtracks.

With respect to home playback, the terms 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 mean that there are five, six, or seven main speakers, plus a subwoofer, in the playback system. (The subwoofer reproduces the LFE channel recorded on 5.1 soundtracks, plus any bass the main speakers cannot handle.) The difference is in the number of surround speakers: two in a 5.1 system, three in a 6.1 system, and four in a 7.1 system.

Obviously, a 5.1-channel soundtrack can be played on a 5.1-speaker system. But it is not always understood that it can also be played on a 6.1- or a 7.1-speaker system. To do this, the two surround signals on the 5.1 soundtrack are spread across the three or four surround speakers. This distribution can be accomplished by a Dolby Digital EX decoder, a THX Surround EX decoder, or other proprietary methods provided in home theater equipment by various manufacturers.

So the number (i.e., 5.1) describing the soundtrack does not have to match the number applied to the speaker system. It’'s even possible to play two-channel stereo content over these multi-speaker systems by using a matrix surround decoder such as Dolby Pro Logic II. The delivery format and the speaker configuration are independent, and it is the decoder's job to bridge them effectively.

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