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This feature and write up is a compilation of information taken from the THX official website, Wikipedia and Audioholics.com.

From Wikipedia:

"The THX system is not a recording technology, and it does not specify a sound recording format; all digital ( Dolby Digital, SDDS) and all analog sound formats (Dolby SR, Ultra-Stereo) can be "shown in THX." THX is mainly a quality assurance system. If a producer has their film mixed in THX, it merely means that when the film is shown in theaters, the soundtrack will sound exactly as it did when it was mixed, provided that the theaters in question are THX-certified theaters. THX also provides certified theaters with special equipment (a special crossover) required for compliance with the standard. Theaters become certified by meeting certain acoustic and technical requirements. Some of the room requirements include a floating floor, baffled and acoustically treated walls, no parallel walls (to reduce standing waves), a perforated screen (to allow center channel continuity), and NC30 rating for background noise."

According to the inventor of THX, Tomlinson Holman, the name has two meanings.  It comes from the name of George Lucas' first movie, "THX 1138" in 1971, a colossal failure (many believe Lucas uses his current success to get back at his early critics).  It is also an acronym for his name and is short for Tomlinson Holman's eXperiment. Holman created the system while working for Lucasfilm in 1983.  His original intent was to create a way to ensure that the soundtrack for Return of the Jedi would be played back in theaters exactly as it was mastered in the studio.  Since that time, the THX system has been used to ensure accurate sound reproduction for everything from theatrical movie theaters to car audio systems.

Does THX certification matter for your home theater?
THX certification applies only to dedicated home theater rooms.  If you don't have one of those, you can't get certified.  In that case, a THX certified installer will be able to use some of the THX principles to improve the overall quality of your home theater, but you won't get true THX reproduction.  If you have a dedicated home theater, THX certification means that your playback environment must conform to strict standards on layout and design, acoustics, lighting, background noise, and equipment positioning and installation.  All this to guarantee that you're hearing exactly what the recording engineers wanted you to hear.  And you get a plaque for your wall.  THX certified equipment tells you that the equipment can be used to create a THX certified theater, so it must conform to a minimum standard of playback quality.

From Audioholics:

THX Standards

Picture:

• 16:9 >=36 degree horizontal viewing angle
• native HD capable
• Screen luminance >= 16ft lamberts
• THX certified, acoustically transparent screen

Sound

• Mid-band reverberant field pink noise <+/-4dBC between any two seating positions
• No audible distortion playing program material at 115dBC
• Background noise <=NC22
• At least four surround speakers, two side and two back

User Interface

• Remote controls with a logical user interface
• All basic functions available with a single key stroke

Measurement

• Video performance measurements taken using Sencore CP5000 quality gear or better
• Audio performance measurements taken using four microphone spatial/temporal RTA techniques with 1/12 octave resolution or better.

From THX website:
"THX Ltd. provides technologies and services for optimizing the production and playback of entertainment content in the professional and consumer markets. The company's certification programs and technologies deliver the ultimate entertainment experience, providing superior playback of movies, music and games, and improving the interoperability of entertainment products and applications. Today, thousands of commercial cinemas, post-production studios, home entertainment products, DVDs and games have been designed and certified by THX. Founded in 1983, THX is headquartered in San Rafael, Calif. Its Digital Works office, offering quality assurance, DVD mastering and post-production services, is based in Burbank."

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