Pictured at AES 2009 in NYC are PMC CMO Maurice Patist (left) and Penteo President John Wheeler.
Photo: David Goggin
At the 127th AES Convention in New York City (October 9-12, 2009), UK manufacturer PMC Speakers used its new TB2S Series speakers to demonstrate Penteo Surround, which offers a new process for converting conventional stereo into 5.1 audio for motion picture, broadcast, and Internet streaming media using Penteo’s proprietary technology. PMC has a longstanding reputation for quality monitoring using Advanced Transmission Technology, with a large number of installations in premier recording studios worldwide.
“It was really exciting using this extraordinary new Penteo Surround system to demonstrate our new TB2S-A II Series in a 5.1 setup at AES 2009,” says Maurice Patist, PMC CMO and strategic sales manager/Specialist Systems Group. “It created quite a buzz at the convention and boosted our presence on the show floor quite nicely.”
Penteo president and inventor John Wheeler adds, “It was great to be able to show Penteo on the fantastic sounding PMC monitors. Their transmission-line technology makes for a tremendously accurate near-field assessment.”
At AES, Penteo Surround showcased its new Penteo/RT, which automatically converts live stereo broadcasts into 5.1 surround on the fly, giving broadcasters the ability to send out all their programming as a 5.1 mix simultaneously with their stereo transmission.
Already used in such blockbusters as Warner Bros. Watchmen and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, the Penteo process also allows film mixers to incorporate 5.1 audio elements converted directly from stereo music sources. According to Penteo president John Wheeler, the process is the first true “panorama slicer.”
“It’s a process that separates out specific pan-pot positions within a stereo mix so that they can then be re-assembled into a true 5.1 mix, with no ‘artificial sweeteners’ like delays or phase changes,” Wheeler explains.
The Penteo 5.1 mix automatically snaps back to the original 2-channel mix when presented in conventional stereo settings. “Stereo compatibility is not an issue,” Wheeler adds. “We mathematically equal the original stereo mix, but spread out over five positions, so that it precisely downmixes back to the original.”
For more information, visit www.pmc-speakers.com and www.penteosurround.com.
