Reality Technologies - New surround technology

[chucky3042]

Hello Everyone

I am happy to say I have seen the first acceptable molded cases and the cardboard boxing is excellent in addition the first 100 boards have been assembled and will be tested next week. 55 of these units are already sold. They will be ready on the start of next month!!!

On other news (NEWS FLASH)- we have come to an agreement today with Swinburne University in Melbourne Australia for the joint final development and commercialisation of our TOTAL PERSPECTIVE system. Swinburne will have a team of final year product design, engineering , marketing/ business students to work co operatively with us on this project. I believe it is fair to say they have heard it and recognise how it has the potential to challenge the existing 5.1...22.2 surround market.

This is scheduled to start at the beginning of first term next year (March), just after our scheduled release of our new "bookshelf Electrostatic 2.1 " system.

Regards

Charlie

 

[jsrstereo]

Hello Everyone

I am happy to say I have seen the first acceptable molded cases and the cardboard boxing is excellent in addition the first 100 boards have been assembled and will be tested next week. 55 of these units are already sold. They will be ready on the start of next month!!!

On other news (NEWS FLASH)- we have come to an agreement today with Swinburne University in Melbourne Australia for the joint final development and commercialisation of our TOTAL PERSPECTIVE system. Swinburne will have a team of final year product design, engineering , marketing/ business students to work co operatively with us on this project. I believe it is fair to say they have heard it and recognise how it has the potential to challenge the existing 5.1...22.2 surround market.

This is scheduled to start at the beginning of first term next year (March), just after our scheduled release of our new "bookshelf Electrostatic 2.1 " system.

Regards

Charlie

Hey Charlie: That's good news - thanks! Be sure to let us know when we may place our orders.

 

[QuadonMoto]

Hello Everyone

I am happy to say I have seen the first acceptable molded cases and the cardboard boxing is excellent in addition the first 100 boards have been assembled and will be tested next week. 55 of these units are already sold. They will be ready on the start of next month!!!

On other news (NEWS FLASH)- we have come to an agreement today with Swinburne University in Melbourne Australia for the joint final development and commercialisation of our TOTAL PERSPECTIVE system. Swinburne will have a team of final year product design, engineering , marketing/ business students to work co operatively with us on this project. I believe it is fair to say they have heard it and recognise how it has the potential to challenge the existing 5.1...22.2 surround market.

This is scheduled to start at the beginning of first term next year (March), just after our scheduled release of our new "bookshelf Electrostatic 2.1 " system.

Regards

Charlie

NEXT month? You mean (that) I've been waiting at the door from 11:30 'till 2:00 each day, waiting for the DHL or FedEx man to bring my decoder? Well...by this time I guess it will include the SQ core. I guess the wait IS worth it.

 

[chucky3042]

Hi
It IS all coming together but it as a very complicated process to get all the last details for a consumer ready product together.... plastic, sexy cardboard boxing, cables, instruction manual, blah, blah, blah! I guarantee it is a few weeks away look at it from the point of view that it has taken us 4.5 years to do the research and design on this one!

Have you already placed your order in advance?

Regards

Charlie

NEXT month? You mean (that) I've been waiting at the door from 11:30 'till 2:00 each day, waiting for the DHL or FedEx man to bring my decoder? Well...by this time I guess it will include the SQ core. I guess the wait IS worth it.

 

[chucky3042]

.

 

[QuadonMoto]

Hi
It IS all coming together but it as a very complicated process to get all the last details for a consumer ready product together.... plastic, sexy cardboard boxing, cables, instruction manual, blah, blah, blah! I guarantee it is a few weeks away look at it from the point of view that it has taken us 4.5 years to do the research and design on this one!

Have you already placed your order in advance?Regards

Charlie

Yes...I (looking at the timeline) am among the stated 55 souls that forced $400 on you. As for which of the features to eliminate...5.1 or TSS, I'd would think (with all of us having more than 2 speakers) the TSS could be.........umm..., as it were, "chucked" without any one of us noticing the loss. But being able to have accurately decoded SQ ("accurate" implies correct placement) within the TP framework would be really fine. With such promise, I'd really hate for my unit to be shipped without it.

 

[oxforddickie]

I'm probably going to be speaking out of line here, but i feel something needs to be said.

This unit was originally sold to you guys on the promise of accurate decoding of QS. No mention was made of it being able to handle SQ correctly, in fact i believe they said it was not capable of it.

And then they made the silly mistake of it possibly being SQ friendly 'in the future'. Didn't they say thay units would not be SQ friendly, and was basically a super QS decoder? I'm guessing they wish they never said that now.

SQ is a bitch to decode correctly.

Perhaps guys you should put the record straight as to what the unit you will be shipping is capable of doing?

 

[rustyandi]

It is a QS decoder
It is Not a SQ decoder
Charlie said that he would look at making a SQ decoder in the new year
I dont think that the SQ decoding would be in this unit as there is not much room

 

[oxforddickie]

Thanks for that, perhaps that will stop people thing it's something it's not

cheers

 

[chucky3042]

Hi All

I agree with Rustyandi and Oxfordickie!

I believe (hope I did ) I stated at the start of this forum that the Surround Master has a QS core and as such will perfectly decode QS. Outside the QS core our "analogue/ DSP " logic is quite different in many areas to the original Sansui variomatrix. We claim an improved "decode" of conventional stereo sources and an improves decode of SQ in comparison to the Sansui units as a result of our "logic". But yes it is no match for having a SQ core.

Perhaps Ron or Bob are better placed to comment on this claim as they both have extensive libraries of SQ material.

I have noted the requests of QQ forum members for a QS/ SQ switch-able decoder and I assure you we will produce a special release (really just for QQ members and surround sound tragic's) early next year. For those who want to buy the existing "consumer" orientated unit now we can perform a software update when it is available next year (return mail).

Perhaps I was not clear in my discussions earlier that whilst the Surround Master is a very powerful tri band QS decoder it is primarily intended for the "Joe average" consumer market, suitable for those who simply want to set and forget .... just connect the thing to your existing stereo outputs and out comes a very good surround without having to deal with menu systems. Our experience in our large home theatre demo facility in Dromana Melbourne (see page 4 of this thread) is that the vast majority (no exceptions so far) prefer our decode of the stereo down mix from DVD / Blu ray to the discrete outputs! I really do believe the existing 5.1 discrete system is a bandwidth hungry, non stereo compatible and frequently poorly recorded mess - I have never heard a really impressive demo. Yes I know I have just ruffled many feathers but it is late Saturday night so I am entitled to do so.

In addition one of our prime claims is that our Involve record format (yes it is different to QS) is fully stereo indistinguishable ... QS could never claim that. It is our eventual aim to convince the recording industry that recording in Involve format is a win -win. Those who just want stereo can just play stereo and they would not miss any detail, those who want surround will not pick the difference to discrete (except more lost ambience that discrete recording frequently miss).

You may now attack me on mass.

Regards

Charlie

 

[oxforddickie]

In addition one of our prime claims is that our Involve record format (yes it is different to QS) is fully stereo indistinguishable ... QS could never claim that.

Oh so true LOL

 

[Quadwreck]

I am looking forward to having a best-available QS decoder in my system, and by the looks of things, this may be what I've been waiting for, especially if it is as good or better than the venerable and elusive QSD-1. What would be more convenient for me, as well as many others, is having selectability when it comes to other decoders for other forms of quad, and it's doubtful (certainly unprecedented) that a unit containing all forms of decoding would be the top in all forms. Rather than taking that course, why not the ultimate switchbox? This would be a switchbox made for any quad receiver/amplifier, allowing hookups of separate units made to decode QS, SQ, DY, EV, SRS and other such matrix systems. There could also be a switch for outboard discrete units, such as Q4, Q8 and CD4. I have a patchboard, but it's cumbersome, and they're not easy to find, so this is something a lot of users could probably use.

 

[ChristopherLees]

I am looking forward to having a best-available QS decoder in my system, and by the looks of things, this may be what I've been waiting for, especially if it is as good or better than the venerable and elusive QSD-1. What would be more convenient for me, as well as many others, is having selectability when it comes to other decoders for other forms of quad, and it's doubtful (certainly unprecedented) that a unit containing all forms of decoding would be the top in all forms. Rather than taking that course, why not the ultimate switchbox? This would be a switchbox made for any quad receiver/amplifier, allowing hookups of separate units made to decode QS, SQ, DY, EV, SRS and other such matrix systems. There could also be a switch for outboard discrete units, such as Q4, Q8 and CD4. I have a patchboard, but it's cumbersome, and they're not easy to find, so this is something a lot of users could probably use.

mmm switching QS, SQ, DY, EV, SRS,Q4, Q8 and CD4 at 4 rca in for each and 4 rca out that's at least 36 rca sockets on the back panel.

then add in digital formats with 7.1 ins and outs and ....


not to mention the type of switch that needs to handle all this and the time involved wiring it all together....


and finally any volume controls needed

 

[bmoura]

Hi
It IS all coming together but it as a very complicated process to get all the last details for a consumer ready product together.... plastic, sexy cardboard boxing, cables, instruction manual, blah, blah, blah! I guarantee it is a few weeks away look at it from the point of view that it has taken us 4.5 years to do the research and design on this one!

Have you already placed your order in advance?

Regards

Charlie

Sexy Cardboard? Hmm, there's a breakthrough right there..... !

 

[watsontr]

He knows us all too well. I've been buying expensive cardboard and plastic, masquerading as box stes for ages!

 

[chucky3042]

Hi

Actually, I am quite serious, if the product ends up in the major chains it must look "Apple", you would be surprised at how much cost, time and effort goes into presentation. As mentioned previously we are really not targeting the specialist quad/ audiophile guru market - even though we believe it is a top end product.

Regards

charlie

Sexy Cardboard? Hmm, there's a breakthrough right there..... !

 

[QuadonMoto]

I'm probably going to be speaking out of line here, but i feel something needs to be said.

This unit was originally sold to you guys on the promise of accurate decoding of QS. No mention was made of it being able to handle SQ correctly, in fact i believe they said it was not capable of it.

And then they made the silly mistake of it possibly being SQ friendly 'in the future'. Didn't they say thay units would not be SQ friendly, and was basically a super QS decoder? I'm guessing they wish they never said that now.

SQ is a bitch to decode correctly.

Perhaps guys you should put the record straight as to what the unit you will be shipping is capable of doing?

First, I wasn't aware of problems with correctly decoding SQ; I thought the real problem was in having the encoding correctly understood by recording engineers. So...good to know.

Now, I've stated that I bought into the decoder because of the wording on their website, later described as overenthusiastic, clearly stating VAST abilities at "perfect" decoding of about any format you might stumble onto, including SQ. Yes they did; and, yes, the statement remains on the site. That the decoder doesn't currently do SQ ("correctly" being an understatement) HAS been presented...but here, to this Forum rather than in advertising. Yes, I JUMPED! Since then I've navigated my way through the restating and clarifications that seem fairly reasonable to me. I perhaps need you to relate your concerns about the '...units would not be SQ friendly,' from the point I think we've been offered a generous "upgrade" beyond the SQ unfriendly basic unit, hopefully to be everyones Christmas toy...this year. I can't speak to their wishing not to have said they can do it; I do see the declaration being restated numerous times, and indicating it to be a simple matter. Your expertise likely exceeds mine; and I have to say that Tinkerbell likely is alive because > I < believed in Fairies. I guess a question to you would be if you think it can be done, and to Charlie if it really IS as easy as it's been said to be. Charlie has stated (below...for the ?th time) that after the first of the year they will provide SQ, eliminating one of the other features; and I think that's a really fine accommodation. My statement was that I wish it could come WITH the SQ...essentially without bother of returning the unit for what he has stated elsewhere will be a relatively simple drop-in, if I understand correctly with elimination of whatever feature currently occupies the chip they'll burn the SQ onto...and that as features go, another attempt at two speaker "surround" (with so many in the marketplace) would mean very little to folks with more than two speakers. Thus my vote of keeping the 5.1, which does have relatively more usefulness...while "Chucking" (I do amuse myself) the TSS. So, sure, I'm up to the task of sending it back for a refitting; it's really nice of Charlie and Co. to do this.

You know, I'm really as interested in the Involve encode/decode process as anything. What I think I've seen of its ability in reproduction, it would be great if the Encoder and Decoder were offered in a "deal" bundling (Hey, Charlie; I'll already have half of the bundle!). Considering the networking from this Forum's membership, there could be a lot of mileage realized that might only slowly occur in the usual solicitation and demonstration process.

Like you, I'm still a bit in the dark about particulars. I think I understand that 5.1, TSS, or SQ exist as overlays on the Total Perspective field. It would be nice to have that firmed up. And, sure, what the box will "do out of the box..." and after the retrofitting of SQ would be great. I suspect such a statement might then reasonably be incorporated into better articulated adverts.

 

[chucky3042]

Thanks QuadonMoto

Firstly I must confess I am in no way in control of the words used in our website or indeed to a lot of the press release stuff that will follow soon. The general view and advise we have is that we should not add to the confusion of an already messy surround market with a multitude of past and present systems. The mass "Joe public" market would stare blankly at us with even a word of QS, SQ, RM, CD4, Ambisonics, SRS, Q Sound, Dolby prologic 1 and 2, Dolby digital, DTS........Bluray. In addition many of these conflicting and confusing systems are not stereo compatible, necessitating the user to start working switches or dreaded menu systems.

I really do have technical objections to some of the oversimplifications of terminology and claims that is proposed but QQ members and I have sufficient background to understand the subtleties of each competing system. It is our philosophy to provide both the high end Quadphile and the average Joe with a set and forget system that operates universally with the basic stereo outputs and is capable of as good or better surround than is achievable with discrete systems that frankly lack ambient detail (most are just buckets of sound from the centre mixed with some left / right action plus the occasional ping sound from the rear).

In addition we want to get the product at a consumer market price and in most HiFi the box is about 50% of the cost and so the use of a mass market plastic option was chosen (I did not want it!!!). Oh well compromise/ democracy.

We will take up your suggestion of a bundle package of the decoder/ encoder (plastic box version) and I will advise the forum shortly of its costings. A studio rack mount version of the Involve encoder will also be offered.

Total Perspective works with ALL existing systems and has the effect of getting rid of the center channel and enabling people to sit anywhere, and yes it really works well with Involve. I hope to publish on this forum some photo's of the mini TP speakers in a week or so. The controller is being miniaturised to fit into our plastic case and will be ready for production by say Easter next year (I will publish a photo in say 2 weeks).

Regards

Chucky

 

[inkubuzz]

So Chucky, how do we order the box at the QQ price you mentioned before?



ink

 

[Overture]

So Chucky, how do we order the box at the QQ price you mentioned before?

ink

Greetings! My turn again. I'm about to throw together an image (so only members of the forum can see it) with the promo code.
In a nutshell you go to paypal, pay to our email address the discount price, and in the comment/message you put your name and full shipping address, that it's for the surround master, that you're from the QQ forums, and include the code from the image. If any of those are missing, I'll just refund the payment.
So it will be totally separate from the website ordering process.

Watch this space soon.

`David