Product Reviews

The DigiTheatre Decoder isn't really a new product - it's simply the decoder from the DigiTheatre speaker set, sold as a standalone unit. It cleverly takes the Dolby Digital soundtrack from a DVD, and decodes it, working out what sounds should be made by each of your 5.1 speakers.

At first we were a bit mystified - at £150, it's only £100 less than the full Dolby Digital system that won a recommended award in our October Hollywood at Home feature. To actually get any use from the DigiTheatre Decoder, you'll actually need speakers and an amplifier too. But then, all the standalone six-channel

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amps on the market cost a bomb, and usually include a Dolby Digital decoder anyway.

However, the clue is in the VideoLogic Crossfire speakers' "AC-3 LFE" input. This socket simply provides direct access to the Crossfire's subwoofer (LFE stands for 'low frequency effects'). This means that the Crossfire speaker set and DigiTheatre Decoder can be combined to produce a Dolby Digital system of true hi-fi sound quality.

The only thing that's missing from this system is the centre speaker, but this is created 'virtually' by the decoder, mixing the signal in with the left and right channels. This works well if you're sitting dead centre, but otherwise VideoLogic suggest you could use your TV or standard multimedia speakers for the centre channel. Not a terrible suggestion, though they're not likely to be up to the same quality as the Crossfire speakers.

The unit itself works faultlessly. It looks good, with a backlit display brimming with information. There's also an intuitively designed set of buttons, and a credit card-sized remote control. However, at £140, it does seem overpriced, especially when you consider how much more you get in the £220 DigiTheatre system.