THX Creator Apparently Hired By Apple: Is a ‘Real’ Apple TV on the Way?

Most of us have learned to love the THX sound, known as ‘deep note’ during the intro to THX-certified movies and trailers. The man behind the Lucasfilm THX audio system is Tomlinson Holman, who has apparently been hired by Apple. He was the first to develop a 10.2 sound system and won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for his work in 2002.

The basis for this speculation comes from the following tweet by Leo Laporte:

I have it on good authority that Tomlinson Holman (of THX fame) is joining Apple to run audio. Major upgrade.

Of course this hasn’t been confirmed, but there’s only one reason Apple would invest in Holman’s expertise: they must be a real Apple TV coming in the future. Steve Jobs has clearly stated the current Apple TV project is just a ‘hobby’. Maybe an actual Apple branded TV isn’t too far off? Apple already has patents that hint at a possible standalone HDTV unit. LCD technology has grown leaps and bounds–Apple surely must have something in the future pipeline.

Personally, I would assume Holman is there to improve the audio quality for MacBooks and iOS devices, as there certainly is room for improvement in that arena.

What do you think? Apple TV with surround sound coming our way soon?

[via GigaOM]

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