THX Announces VCR Specification For Home THX Program

In a significant expansion of its performance guarantee, Lucasfilm THXÆ has announced a specification for VHS videocassette recorders that will be part of the Home THX certification program. The new specification falls within the THX Select category for mid-priced home theatre products. The VCR standard, announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show, will for the first time provide VCR buyers with the same quality assurance that THX has long provided purchasers of other home theatre components, including speaker systems, amplifiers, receivers, controllers, and DVD players.""The introduction of a VCR standard is consistent with the THX promise to apply our expertise to areas where we believe we can deliver a clear benefit,"" said Monica L. Dashwood, General Manager, Lucasfilm THX. ""In conjunction with the THX Digital Mastering Program that monitors the quality of VHS software, the new specification will establish a new benchmark for VCR performance.THX engineers have identified several areas of VCR audio and video performance that can be significantly improved. Decks will undergo a stringent certification process at THX headquarters in Marin County, California, including a battery of tests using computer-controlled equipment programmed with proprietary THX routines, plus viewing and listening evaluations of picture and sound quality. As a result, THX Select VHS VCRs will provide improved picture stability and clarity, color rendition and audio performance. ""VHS can look and sound very good when it's done right,"" said Laurie Fincham, THX Director of Engineering. ""Affordable performance-enhancing circuit and tape technologies, developed in the 20 years or so since the VHS format was first released, have greatly increased its potential. The THX Digital Mastering Program has also contributed significantly to the quality and consistency of duplicated program material. We expect that the next generation of VHS machines, based on our new hardware specification, will not only raise performance to the next level but also reveal the hitherto hidden potential in VHS.