While classic shows like The A*TEAM, Knight Rider, and Dallas were exciting and fresh back in the day, in light of television's recent technological advances, these once-revered series now seem lifeless and dull. That doesn't mean they should be forgotten about, however (especially not Dallas), and the new SoundField UPM-1 Stereo-To-5.1 Surround converter can help give these canonical TV works new leases on life.

The UPM-1 (short for "Up-Mix-1") is a hardware, rackmount processor that was specifically designed to allow HD television broadcasters to convert stereo audio sources to 5.1 surround signals in real-time. This way, a station's archives of "legacy" programming can be added back into HD rotation, and the viewer-subscriber won't be forced to listen to boring old stereo audio on their ginormous home theater system while watching Get Smart, for example.

Other up-mixing processors have been on the market, both in hardware and software form, but the UPM-1 is different in that it doesn't use effects processing (like reverb) and phase-shifting to create its 5.1 signal. Instead, the UPM-1 "generates the material for the extra channels by closely analysing the source stereo signal over time. Using a unique algorithm developed for the purpose, the UPM-1 can detect reverberant content in the stereo signal, differentiate it from the direct sounds in the mix, and separate it out." In other words, the UPM-1 extrapolates information from the source audio, as opposed to adding information to it, resulting in, one would logically assume, a "truer" signal. Good news for Hogan's Hero's fans.

Adjustments to the UPM's upmix algorithm can be made via five rotary knobs, labeled "Direct Sound" "Ambient Sound" ("Front" and "Rear"), "Width" and "Centre Divergence." In addition, there are individual output controls for "L/R", "Centre", "LFE" and "LS/RS" volumes. Rear connections are BNC and include Wordclock in and out for syncing with other digital conversion processors.

The SoundField UPM-1 is now shipping to fulfill international pre-orders. Contact SoundField for pricing information.