Crestron 7.1 High-Definition Professional Surround Sound Processor HD-XSP

Today’s modern boardrooms and auditoriums are more than just places to meet and speak to an audience — they’re high-tech presentation environments where groups gather to share ideas, inspire thought and motivate action through the use of dynamic, interactive multimedia. In an age where the televisions in our homes are commonly supplemented by some kind of surround sound enhancement, it’s only logical that we should expect the same aural experience in any corporate, government, hospitality or educational presentation space. But, while specifying a large screen display has become as simple as choosing paint, adding high-quality surround sound still relies on wedging consumer grade components into an otherwise professional system. The result is typically complicated, expensive, and ultimately unsatisfactory.

The HD-XSP from Crestron® answers the call for a truly professional surround sound solution that’s simple and affordable to implement. The HD-XSP provides the features and performance necessary to enable high-definition 7.1 channel audio for virtually any commercial environment. It fits easily in a crowded equipment rack and integrates cleanly with other AV and control equipment. It supports the latest 7.1 digital formats including Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby Digital® Plus and DTS-HD Master Audio™, with advanced HDCP management for trouble-free handling of all your digital HD content. Professional DSP and input/output mixing is even built in to streamline integration as part of a complete multimedia presentation system.

The HD-XSP is also useful for many residential applications, providing a cost-effective, compact surround sound processor that’s well suited for integration as part of a total home automation and entertainment system.

Complete connectivity

The HD-XSP includes full input connectivity for all types of digital and analog sources including Blu-ray Disc® players, HDTV receivers, game consoles, computers, media servers and mobile devices. Additional specialized inputs and outputs are provided to facilitate integration with system switchers, matrix routers, microphone mixers, and teleconferencing codecs.

• HDMI® Input – The HDMI input provides the essential interface for handling high-definition 7.1 digital surround sound and HDCP protected content. It can also handle DisplayPort Multimode signals using an appropriate adapter. Easy HDMI input expansion is possible using a Crestron HD-MD8X1 switcher^[1]. CEC signals can even be passed through from a control system to control the source device right through the HDMI connection.
• SPDIF Inputs – A combination of one optical and two coaxial SPDIF digital audio inputs provides connectivity for digital sources without HDMI.
• Stereo Analog Inputs – Two stereo audio inputs are included to handle analog signals from line-level sources such as laptop computers, media players, and mobile devices.
• Surround Sound Outputs – A total of eight balanced line-level outputs are provided to drive a multichannel power amplifier feeding up to seven speakers and a subwoofer. The HD-XSP can be configured to work with systems up to 7.1 channels, including those without a discrete center speaker or subwoofer. Each output channel includes a 9-band graphic or parametric EQ plus trim, delay, and crossover adjustments. Additional controls are provided for main volume, bass, treble, loudness, compression, and LFE.
• Downmix Output – This balanced output provides a stereo or mono downmix of the surround sound signal to feed a separate speaker zone, assistive listening system, codec, or recording device. It includes controls for volume, bass, treble, loudness, and balance.
• Mix Input – This balanced stereo input is designed to connect to the output of a microphone mixer or teleconferencing codec. This input bypasses all internal signal processing and surround sound decoding, mixing with the main program signal at the Front Left/Right and/or Downmix outputs.
• HDMI Output – An HDMI output is included to pass the HDMI input signal through to a display device. The HDMI output passes Full HD 1080p60 video and WUXGA computer signals with HDCP, Deep Color, and 3D. It also passes audio with the option to select either a straight pass-through from the HDMI input or a stereo downmix of the main surround signal. It can even pass CEC signals from a control system to control the display device.

Each HDMI, SPDIF, and stereo input includes an input compensation adjustment to match the average level between sources. Each of these inputs also includes up to 80 ms of lip-sync delay.

Easy Integration

By design, the HD-XSP fits seamlessly into just about any AV presentation or distribution system. It is rack-mountable and occupies just one rack space. It contains no fans, ensuring silent operation. Via Ethernet, it can communicate with a Crestron control system, allowing simplified operation using your choice of touch screen, handheld remote, or mobile device.

Via its HDMI input and output, the HD-XSP provides an ideal solution for adding surround sound processing to a Crestron DMPS Series DigitalMedia™ Presentation System or any DM® Switcher. It can even be located remotely and interfaced using a DM transmitter and/or receiver. Or, via its SPDIF or analog inputs, it can be added to a Sonnex™ Multiroom Audio System to provide surround sound processing for a single room zone.

Via its Mix input and Downmix output, the HD-XSP solves a lot of problems that other processors just don’t address. The Mix input allows the signal from a microphone mixer to be passed through unprocessed and mixed with the program signal at the output. This allows live speech and surround sound signals to coexist and function simultaneously through the same speaker system. The Downmix output converts the full audio presentation into a stereo or mono signal, perfect for feeding a remote listening zone, an assistive listening system, or a recording device.

For teleconferencing and Web streaming applications, the HD-XSP serves as a cost-effective surround sound downmixer to allow participants at the far end to experience the full audio presentation. Simultaneously, it mixes the incoming signal from the far end with the local surround sound audio and sends it to the local room speakers.

To drive all the room speakers, Crestron AMP Series Commercial Power Amplifiers offer a high-performance, custom-configurable multichannel amplifier solution for boardrooms, auditoriums, and custom theaters of any configuration — even systems using 70 or 100 Volt ceiling speakers. Or, for the ultimate in performance, choose a PROCISE® High-Definition Professional Surround Sound Amplifier.^[1]