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Revision as of 05:32, 19 January 2003 by Iluvcapra (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)THX is the tradename of Lucasfilm Limited's high-fidelity sound-reporduction system for theatrical movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, and car audio systems. THX was developed by company in 1983 to ensure that the soundtrack for the third Star Wars film Return of the Jedi would be accurately reproduced in the best venues.
The THX system is not a recording technology, and it does not specify a sound recording format; all digital (Dolby Digital, SDDS) and all analogue sound formats (Dolby SR, Ultra-Stereo) can be "shown in THX." THX is mainly a quality assurance system. If a Producer has his film mixed in THX, it merely means that when he shows his film in theaters, his soundtrack will sound exactly like it did when he mixed it, provided the theaters in question are THX certified theaters. THX also provides certified theaters with special equipment (a special crossover ) required for compliance with the standard. Theaters become certified by meeting certain acoustic and technical requirements.
There is a small controversy over the reason for the name THX. The rumor for many years has been that the name comes from George Lucas's early film, THX-1138. http://www.thx.com, the THX web site, does not sustantiate this theory, or give any other reason in its press materials for the name. This was not the case, though, in 1992, when this author viewed the THX web site, and the acrostic Tomlinson Holman EXperiment was given. Tomlinson Holman is a sound technician and professor, and was the original inventor of the THX system. He left Lucasfilm in the early 1990's, but the name, a striking and immediately recognizeable trademark, along with the THX "Wow" trailer, have stuck. The author of the THX-1138 claims that Lucas in an interview said that the X stood for "crossover," which would make sense, since the core of the THX system is the THX crossover, a special filter designed to improve bass management.