MULTICHANNEL ACTIVE MATRIX SOUND REPRODUCTION WITH MAXIMUM LATERAL SEPARATION

A sound reproduction system for converting stereo signals on two input channels, which may have been directionally encoded from a four or five channel original using a phase/amplitude film matrix encoder, such signals including at least one component which is directionally encoded through a phase and amplitude encoding device and at least one component that is not directionally encoded but is different in the two input channels, into signals for multiple output channels, for example center, front left, front right, side left, side right, rear left, and rear right, including decoding apparatus for enhancing the directionally encoded component of the input signals in the desired direction and reducing the strength of such signals in channels not associated with the encoded direction, while preserving both the maximum separation between the respective left and right channels and the total energy of the non-directionally encoded component of the input channels in each output channel, such that the instruments recorded on the right input channel stay on the right side of the output channels and the instruments recorded on the left stay on the left side, and the apparent loudness of all the instruments in all the output channels stays the same regardless of the direction of the directionally encoded component of the input signals.