Oh my dear God. It's about time, THX!

SAN RAFAEL, CA, June 24, 2002 - THX, formerly a division of Lucasfilm Ltd., has been spun off as an independent company, THX Ltd. Lucasfilm remains an investor in the newly formed privately held company, along with other corporate and private investors. The formation of THX Ltd. will allow the company to further expand into markets outside of Lucasfilm?s core areas of expertise.

To better serve its current markets and position the company for growth in new areas, THX Ltd. also announced a reorganization of its programs and services into five key areas: THX Studio, THX Cinema, THX Home, THX Mobile and THX Games. In the professional arena, THX will continue to expand its list of licensees in the newly established THX Digital Cinema Certification Program as it develops new standards and criteria for the next generation of THX Theatres. The THX Digital Cinema Program establishes performance and quality levels for digital systems and individual digital cinema components, including projectors and servers. Additionally, under THX Mobile and THX Games, THX is targeting car audio entertainment systems and computer games and game consoles as key areas for expansion.

"As a separate company, THX is better positioned to grow our existing markets as well as new areas where our expertise in quality sound and picture presentation can be applied," said Mike Hewitt, Acting General Manager, THX Ltd. "One of these exciting new areas is the Digital Cinema initiative which now falls under the THX Cinema umbrella."

THX Ltd. is dedicated to achieving superior presentation quality in theatres, homes and cars through a unique combination of design standards and certification programs. For studios and filmmakers, THX Studio provides comprehensive quality assurance and mastering programs for theatrical film and digital releases. THX Cinema works with the exhibition and post-production community around the world to deliver the ultimate cinema experience by designing and building certified theatres that adhere to comprehensive and proprietary THX standards. THX Home allows consumers to replicate the theatre experience at home through THX certified home theater and multimedia products. THX performance is also available in automotive entertainment systems through THX Mobile, and for computer games and gaming consoles through its THX Game program.

In case you people can't translate, this is so very good news. This means that we can start watching our movies, playing our games, and whetever, with THX branded televisions, surround sound systems, and more.

Imagine watching the Star Wars films on DVD with this new available technology.

Amazing. Expensive, probably, but amazing. I cannot wait for this new merchandise to hit retailers.

If anyone has any comments or would like to update this news here with release dates for thier products or whatever, please post.

 

What does "Limited" mean in that context? I've always wondered what that means when used that way.

 

Couldn't tell you offhand to be honest. Anyone want to answer this question?

 

Why couldn't we use THX technology before the spinoff?

 

They're a LLC. A limited-liability-corporation.
They're under a certain restriction in the marketplace. They can only do so many things. Lucasfilm is also a LLC.

There are different corporate designations: S Corporation, C Corporation, L Corporation, etc.

An S Corp is a small business corp having no mora than 35 shareholders, one uniform stock, etc.

An LLC has more flexibility, but still has some restrictions.

EDIT: Speaking of, some people bash Lucas for being greedy, but how many corporations, especially in Hollywood, actually spin-off and downsize? Lucas has done this time and time again over the last 20 years. Expect more in the future. LucasArts could be next.
In an age of consolidation, mergers, and buyouts, it's refreshing to see one corporation not.

 

Limited liability companies make sure that the owners of the company aren't liable for the company. Say, if the company was in debt, then the owners wouldn't have to liquidate their personal assets.

 

I never noticed a difference between THX and any others. THX just got the good movies that looked and sounded "different" than regular movies (such as teen flicks, etc.)