Cinema Sound. (VideoLogic Digitheatre)

Name: Bish

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Product:	VideoLogic Digitheatre
Date:	30/09/02 (725 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Dolby Digital sounds awesome.

Disadvantages: Pro Logic peformance not too good.

The Digitheatre from Videologic is a simple Home Cinema speaker system capable of bringing Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 surround sound to you TV, DVD, PC or even a games console. Many people now own DVD players and watch films on Sky Digital but how many of you are still listening via Nicam stereo or Dolby Pro Logic. If so you?re really missing out on a truly cinematic experience that Dolby Digital can offer.

Inside the box you will find a small decoder box with an LCD display, two front speakers, two rear speakers, one centre speaker, and a larger subwoofer speaker which incorporates the amplifier. You also get a small credit card sized remote control as well as all the necessary leads. Connecting all this up is very straight forward and the manual is very good. After a few minutes of attaching leads and plugging in both the decoder and subwoofer (so you will need two plug sockets near by) I was ready to test the system out.

I already own a Pro Logic TV so I was more than interested to see how my DVDs sounded using the Digitheatre and I can say the difference is huge. Whereas in normal Pro Logic the rear speakers add a little bit of atmosphere wether this be rain, wind etc but in Dolby Digital the sound is amazing and you really have to hear it yourself to fully appreciate the vast difference it makes. As far as watching DVDs or TV programmes broadcast in Dolby Digital this system is superb and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.

Now if you?ve read some of the other opinions about the Digitheatre you will see that it gains top marks however it does have a few drawbacks. Firstly when watching normal TV (Pro Logic) it does lack a bit of bass, especially compared to my Pro Logic TV (which isn?t a top of the range model by any means), also you will have to read the manual and fiddle about with the settings and speaker placement to get the best out of it. The subwoofer has a volume control which you use to set it to a desired le
vel then you can adjust it either way with either the remote or the decoder box. The remote does have a mute button but if you wanted to turn the volume right down you will have to get up. This may not be a big problem for some but I do find it a little annoying.

Another point worth mentioning is that the both the decoder box and subwoofer will have to be placed relatively close together due to the small lead supplied, although you could upgrade it at a further cost. Also be aware that theirs a fair amount of wires and as mention you will need two free plug sockets, so it?s a point woth mentioning if the back of your TV is already a spaghetti mess like mine. Finally unless you get very close it is impossible to see the LCD screen on the decoder box, again this isn?t really a problem.

There is a more expensive version available which is capable of producing DTS sound but for most people Dolby Digital is sufficient and the difference between DTS and DD 5.1 is less clear cut. Also take into account that many discs in the UK do not have a DTS soundtrack on them.

I know I spent the a couple of paragraphs pointing out a few of the systems faults but If you already own a DVD player and have yet to take the plunge into Dolby Digital then this system is a real treat and not to be missed. This opinion is based on the Digitheatre being priced at a very reasonable £150, which is what I paid for mine. At the time of writing it is currently on sale in Argos for a hefty £249.99 but at this price it may be worth shelling out a few more pounds for a more expensive system but If you can pick it up for £150 then I recommend it very highly indeed.

Summary: