Questions and answers
(Answers from Stephen Smyth, either directly quoted or summarized.)
Q:
What happens in case of a No-Deal Brexit regarding shipments into the EU after the Brexit?
(EU customers already paid VAT via Kickstarter, but maybe charged again by customs after a No-Deal Brexit and with no invoice presentable customs might judge the value according to the current price of 4000$ which could end up in about 800€ VAT + duties!
How will you ensure that this won't happen (Kickstarter backers need evidence regarding the paid price and that VAT already has been paid, including your VATIN, kickstarter confirmation will surely not be sufficient.)
A:
Regarding VAT and Brexit. First I would point out that all non EU kickstarter shipments require a customs invoice and we use the price paid by the kickstarter as the value. So even if VAT was to be charged again, it would only be on that value. Second, VAT was paid by us to the UK authorities shortly after the kickstarter closed, as is required when a sale has been made and money paid. VAT is not triggered by shipping product, but rather the sale. So I would be surprised if there is a problem since many companies will be in the same situation, ie sale and shipping straddling the Brexit date. Third, if after collecting VAT, a sale is subsequently cancelled, VAT can be reclaimed. So possibly we could reclaim VAT and give it back to EU kickstarters if it was to be charged again, but I don't know for certain. Forth, we are in Northern Ireland and the rules that govern our VAT may not change even after Brexit.
However you should be clear that getting VAT refunds and paying this back to kickstarters are just my thoughts and it may not be possible to get refunds from the UK authorities. Anyway, I honestly don't think EU customers will be charged VAT again.
Q:
What exact azimuth and elevation angles does the decoder in the Realiser assume for the loudspeakers that will be measured? Does it follow the guidelines in the Dolby Whiteaper (
https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technol...tmos-home-theater-installation-guidelines.pdf), although these are also not exact. There have to be exact values that the decoder assumes I think. In Appendix B there are default angles mentioned, but they deviate from the Dolby recommendations. So if I can choose where exactly should I place my loudspeaker for creating a perfect PRIR? As far as I understand, the angles you enter in the PRIR sound room are just for info, the decoder does not remap the output to those angles, or does it?
A:
The exact position of speakers has never been part of any standard. AES and ITU just give a range.
However it is good to put the correct positions into the A16 before making PRIRs so that you have this information for later use ( ie merging them with another measurement works best if the speaker positions are similar for both).
Atmos does not require speaker positions. Hence there is no way of telling the system where they are.
So all you can do is take the mid position of Dolby's range for each speaker as optimal.
Q:
Can HDMI-audio be simultaneously decoded by the Realiser and passed through to the HDMI output?
A:
One needs to understand how HDMI works. Downstream sink devices are interrogated by upstream sources to find out their audio playback capability. If two sinks were connected to a single source and both sources had different capability, then the question for the player is which audio stream should it send. So this is why the A16 is muted during bypass, it lets the downstream device set the audio mode in the player.
Q:
When will vertical headtracking be available?
A:
Vertical tracking will take some time to complete since it requires the use of both processors to render a single listener.
Does this mean that vertical headtracking works only for one user?
Yes I would assume vertical tracking will require both processors and therefore User B will be disabled.
Q:
Will the optical stabilisation work for both users one day?
A:
Optical head tracking only works for User A. This is temporary and we will release new HT firmware to allow both User A and B operation at some point.
We could of course add a vertical offset feature, ie if the PRIR has vertical measurements then create a new intermediate PRIR that compensates for your listening angle. So if you are seated at a plus 15 degree vertical angle then create a PRIR at minus 15 degrees. I mention this only because this would not take any extra processing power but would solve your 'elevated sound stage' problem when seated.
Q:
People "complain" that you can only enter 4 headphone names, because there are guys with more than 4 headphones out there...
As I understand it, this is only for convenience in naming the files, the A16 isn't limited to only 4 headphones, right? You can enter a name, create a HPEQ and then delete that headphone name or overwrite it with a different name and still can use the HPEQ afterwards, right?
Same with user names, and PRIR-room names, as far as I understand?
A:
Yes to increase the number of headphones/users/rooms just keep editing the list as you describe.
Questions yet unanswered
- When and how do the users that attended the different shows and had PRIRs measured get those PRIRs. It has been promised back then that those PRIRs will be pre-loaded onto the specific units, which is not the case. Some users travelled a long way just to attend a show and get a PRIR measurment done! (Maybe you just send them via E-Mail, would be the easiest I think)
- As a kickstarter backer we don't get an invoice. How do we claim warranty, if necessary?