Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
The origins of the company do not deceive: Trinnov is primarily an engineering company, with technology and innovation at its core.
Over the past twenty years we have not only developed strong expertise in signal processing, active acoustics, electronics and digital audio
but also towards computing and network technologies, from audio over IP to remote access and cloud processing.
From 2003 onwards, we have been developing our own Loudspeaker/Room Optimization technology, inventing the term acoustic Optimizationand redefining audio calibration standards across multiple applications in the professional audio industry as well as in consumer environments.
The Optimizer was primarily intended for studios. Trinnov built its reputation with this technology while winning thetrust of some of the most demanding sound engineers in broadcast, music, and post-production studios around the world.
The Optimizer has been gradually refined over the years and is now the only “digital room correction” system widely used throughout the production chain, from studios to some of the finest commercial and private cinemas. It is used daily in over 2000 studios worldwide to produce some of the content you enjoy every day.
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Unique in many ways, the Optimizer relies on Trinnov’s iconic 3D Microphone to localize speakers and capture sound in three dimensions.
This microphone is designed by and unique to Trinnov, and each one is individually calibrated for accuracy to ensure the most reliable acoustic measurement. Indeed, because Trinnov feels nothing should be left to chance, they keep the entire signal path within a Trinnov-controlled environment (in their processor) rather than relying on external software, operating systems and audio interfaces.
The Iconic 3D Measurement Microphone
The Optimizer captures a huge amount of acoustic information in each measurement and performs time/frequency analysis to better understand and characterize the behavior of the speakers in the room. (Indeed, without the time domain, frequency response alone shows irregularities in response but doesn’t provide enough information to correct the errors properly, with the appropriate method.)
The highly detailed information is then processed using Trinnov’s proprietary algorithms, providing a full acoustic analysis of the room and revealing more information than any other automatic system. As an example, the acoustic graphs generated by the Optimizer for each measurement point include the phase response, group delay, and impulse response of each speaker, all of which are important to understand what is occurring in the room over time.
Most people understand that time-aligning speakers is important; but the point Trinnov has made since 2005 is that time-aligning frequencies is also essential for improving sound staging and transient reproduction. This is an area where passive acoustic treatment, although critical, cannot help.
The sophistication of acoustic analysis performed by the Optimizer may sound like overkill for the consumer world. However, Trinnov is understandably proud of its pro audio background and believes consumers deserve no less. The Optimizer simply can solve problems that other systems cannot, and this is an area where Trinnov reigns supreme. Fortunately, Trinnov introduced a setup wizard to simplify the initial measurement and calibration process.
However, the manufacturer remains clear about the fact that every system is unique. Many acoustic parameters come into play, whether they are related to room acoustics, electro acoustics or psycho acoustics. The best possible results can only be achieved by a trained ear and experienced calibrator. This fact is not specific to Trinnov but is true for any system, regardless of its sophistication.
Trinnov really shines regarding the level of integration of the Optimizer within their products. The Optimizer doesn’t require external equipment beyond the microphone. It takes only a few clicks to make any system sing, whether you do it locally or remotely over the internet. Since the measurement data resides in the machine itself, subsequent tweaks are easily made, all with 64-bit floating-point precision.
All Trinnov products include the Optimizer technology.
Designed for Performance and Longevity
Historically, the decoding, processing and operating functions of an AV Processor have been distributed across multiple, specialized DSP chipsets, in rather complex and rigid architectures.
These architectures are developed and made available to consumer electronics brands by a handful of OEM manufacturers. In a market that is driven by fast-changing technologies, this approach inevitably leads to short product lifespans and early obsolescence. Unfortunately, this paradigm is ubiquitous… except for Trinnov’s unique Processor range.
Determined to push the boundaries of immersive audio and to fight obsolescence, Trinnov chose to develop its own platform, exclusive to Trinnov products and JBL Synthesis top-of-the-line processors.
Instead of repeatedly integrating third-party, short-lifespan technologies into new hardware products, Trinnov opted for true innovation, upgradeability, and longevity. Rather than following the typical multiple DSP approach described above, Trinnov created a modern and flexible architecture where decoding, processing, and operating functions are all handled by a single Intel multi-core processor. Part of this development was Trinnov’s own 64-bit operating system to host the software: TrinnovOS.
The benefits of Trinnov’s unique approach are perfectly illustrated by atypical development cycle.
When confronted with the need to update their products, other manufacturers must waitfor the availability of a new chipset and/or OEM board, and then go through a long hardware integration cycle, possibly forcing them to abandon an existing model and create a new one. By contrast, Trinnov achieves the same (often better) result faster, by simply incorporating the new feature or capability into a simple software update for the Altitude platform.
In 2020 at ISE, Trinnov consolidated its leadership with the first official production release of DTS:X Pro, a full year ahead of competition - as a free software update to all the owners of our 3D Codec package.
Leveraging the Power of Modern CPU
Our focus has always been on theimprovement of audio quality, with specific attention to spatial resolution, acoustic correctionandimmersive sound.
From day one, our initial research on 3D Sound requires a lot of computing power to perform advanced signal processing on a high number of channels. This is why we made the decision to rely exclusively on the increased processing power of computers…
Since then, the processing requirements kept on increasing across the entire audio industry with the emergence of digital audio, high sampling rate and immersive sound.
Today, most movies and music tracks are essentially produced "in the box": Digital Audio Workstations running on computers.
Yet, in the consumer market, Digital Audio Processors still use DSP, forcing them to choose between high channel count and processing resolution. Simultaneously, we can maintain full processing resolution across all channels up to 64 channels, from theatrical dubbing stages to research labs or exclusive private theaters.
All of our processing is performed with 64 bits floating-point precision, like the most demanding mastering plugins.
Our processors run our own Linux-based operating system, tailored specifically for professional audio applications: lightweight, efficient and most importantly extremely stable. We installed the first Trinnov Optimizer Processor in 2005. It has been running 24/7 and is still operating without a glitch.
Our Iconic 3D Measurement Microphone
The measurement microphone is one of the most critical components of any loudspeaker/room calibration system.
Trinnov’s sophisticated algorithms rely not only on extremely accurate acoustic measurements but also on the ability to localize the speakers’ positions and to detect early reflections.
Our 3D microphone uses four mic elements in a precise tetrahedral arrangement. Each capsule is individually calibrated at the factory (±0.1 dB from 20 Hz to 24 kHz)
The resulting microphone calibration file is included in the microphone’s box on a USB stick. This file is installed in the Trinnov product being employed and all subsequent measurements are filtered through the calibration coefficients to ensure accuracy.
As each speaker is measured, the resulting sound waves pass through this array of microphones, hitting each one at a slightly different time. Based on this timing, we can triangulate the location of the speaker from which the sound arrived. By testing each speaker in turn, we build a three-dimensional map of where the speakers are relative to the mic (which is placed at the main listening position).
We can do this to within 2° of azimuth, 2° of elevation, and less than 1 cm of distance. We use this information to enable our proprietary Remapping technology, in which we translate from the theoretical rendering of the soundtrack to the specifics of your particular room. Remapping uses the two or three speakers closest to the intended location of a sound to create a phantom image of the sound coming from the correct direction.
Among other things, Remapping serves as a bit of a “Universal Translator” between the various audio formats. This is especially important in home cinemas since all three Immersive Audio formats disagree about the specific details of where you should place your speakers. We can solve that problem for you.
Measurement Positions
The following illustrations show a relevant and an irrelevant measurement areas for a single listening position. The idea is to perform measurements inside a volume that include head movements.
The instructions for the microphone placement concern the main measurement position, called reference point.
Additional measurements can be made ahead, aside and above the reference point within the volume described below.
For multi seats measurement, it is recommended to choose measurement locations included in the center area and avoid the positions the furthest away from the reference point.
Patented 3D Loudspeaker Remapping
Sound designers and mixers of major films have carefully constructed listening environments whose only purpose is to allow them to perfect the soundtracks on which they work.
By contrast, smaller studios are often quite challenged in terms of space and must place the speakers where they can. On the residential side, even the most luxurious home cinemas must contend with limitations like doors and windows, not to mention HVAC, lighting, and other architectural details that preclude “perfect” loudspeaker placement. Moreover, the three major movie soundtrack formats cannot themselves even agree on where the speakers should be placed. It’s a challenging situation.
Enter Trinnov’s patented Remapping technology: using a proprietary 3D microphone, the calibration process of a Trinnov processor builds a detailed, three-dimensional map of precisely where your speakers are located in the room.
The recording itself provides information about where various sounds should come from; we also know where your speakers actually are.
We can then translate from the theory of the soundtrack to the reality of your particular space.
This process minimizes the spatial distortions found in even the best studios and home cinemas, allowing you to hear what is actually in the recording.
HDMI Board
In an ongoing effort to improve the current HDMI situation not only for our brand but for the whole CI industry, Trinnov has been partnering since 2019 with CYP on a new generation of HDMI boards.
This HDMI 8+2 eARC card is now integrated into all new models of our Altitude series while also being offered as an upgrade for previously manufactured processors already in the field.
This new generation of HDMI cards is the result of a long collaborative process between our R&D team in Paris and the innovative CYP based in the UK.This new card had pretty ambitious objectives from the start with extended bulletproof compatibility overall source available on the market as well as introducing eArc and securing our early adopting of Dolby Vision, 4K and HDMI 2.1
With the release of version 4.2.11 for our Altitude platform, we are confident that this will create a friendlier environment for Custom Integrators to implement the diverse offer of sources currently available on the market
However, the manufacturer remains clear about the fact that every system is unique. Many acoustic parameters come into play, whether they are related to room acoustics, electro acoustics or psycho acoustics. The best possible results can only be achieved by a trained ear and experienced calibrator. This fact is not specific to Trinnov but is true for any system, regardless of its sophistication.
