The 1990s were featured by development and proliferation of digital audio systems. Employment of digital audio for film production was practically becoming a commonplace; the role of digital audio workstations (DAWs) in recording studios all over the world was getting more and more important. There were plans for creating a digital television broadcast system that gradually would mature into High Definition Television (HDTV). Researchers made a focus on embedding surround sound into the second-generation digital audio systems that were growing in number successfully. In that period, at least three major film digital surround sound encoding formats saw the light of the day. These were Sony SDDS TM, Dolby R Digital TM (technically called «AC-3»), and DTS TM. Moreover, the introduction of laser discs (with their ability to carry encoded surround sound) greatly encouraged advance of a nascent industry known as home theater. People began to add supplementary subwoofers and surround speakers to their home listening sets.
In the mid 1990s, the DVD was released. It provided the mass public with a medium delivering surround sound right into the comfort of their homes. Audio manufacturers started offering different surround sound tools that whetted the consumers appetite for high quality digital multitrack systems and a variety of components such as surround ready mixing consoles, monitoring units and effects devices have found their way into peoples living rooms as well as into professional studios.
Today, surrounds sound is an integral part of home theater and has also made its appearance in the automobile. Multichannel audio is used in the digital television broadcast, gaming gadgets, and in the Internet (through streaming codecs). High definition formats (like SA CD Multichannel and DVD Audio) enable the surround sound producer to allocate content without clipping and sonic compromise. This makes their advent one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of the sound production.
Essential glossary
aimed at нацеленный на
allocation расположение, расстановка
source источник
ambience окружение, обстановка, среда
suitable подходящий, соответствующий
application приложение, (прикладная) система
proliferation распространение
employment использование
commonplace привычное явление, обычное дело
gradually постепенно
to encode кодировать, шифровать
nascent рождающийся, в стадии возникновения, появляющийся
supplementary дополнительный, добавочный
medium (pl. media) носитель
a variety of разнообразие
integral part (неотъемлемая) составляющая
codec кодек (компрессор-декомпрессор) данных
high definition format формат с высоким разрешением
allocate размещать, распределять
content содержание
clipping ограничение (сигнала), отсечение
5. Scan the article and use the words in brackets to complete the statements.
1) The document «Recommendation for Multichannel Stereophonic Sound System With and Without Accompanying Picture» was issued in 1994 as a result of the conducted by the ITU.
2) The 1990s are characterized by development and proliferation of
3) In the 1990s, at least three main film digital surround sound encoding formats arrived on the scene: , Dolby R Digital TM (technically called «AC-3»), and DTS TM.
4) The DVD, which appeared in the mid 1990s, provided the mass public with a bringing surround sound right into their homes.
5) Today, high definition formats enable the surround sound producer to allocate content without clipping and
(digital audio systems, Sony SDDSTM, sonic compromise, research, medium)
6. Read the article in detail to find the answers to the questions below.
1) What was the purpose of the ITU research done in the 1990s?
2) Why may the ITU recommendation not be ideal for many music applications?
3) What was one of the main characteristics of the 1990s regarding the sound production technologies?
4) What was the focus in the exploration into surround sound throughout the 1990s?
5) What event served as a springboard to a newly born industry called home theater?
6) What fact may be considered as one of the most important achievements proving that surround sound has finally come of age?
7. Find the English equivalents of the following words and expressions in the text.
Отвечающий, ответственный за; проводить научное исследование; главным образом; исходный материал; идеально подходящий; одинаково важные; использование цифрового аудио; по меньшей мере; появились на свет; способность нести закодированный объёмный звук; цифровое телевизионное вещание; их появление; одно из самых значительных достижений.
Grammar revision: comparative and superlative adjectives
The comparative form of adjectives is er or more The superlative form is est or the most
We use er and est for one-syllable words (short adjectives).
High-higher-the highest, cheap-cheaper-the cheapest
We use more and the most for longer adjectives.
Difficult-more difficult-the most difficult, expensive-more expensive-the most expensive
Some words are irregular: good-better-the best, bad-worse-the worst, and others.
8. Use the adjectives given below in the comparative and superlative degrees. Mind the grammar rules. Some of the words are irregular.
Example: suitable more suitable the most suitable
Important, long, successful, little, high, good, remarkable, far, modern, popular, significant, short, meaningful, advanced.
Present continuous and present perfect (simple).
The present continuous is be + verb + ing (am/is/are + verb + ing)
We use the present continuous tense.