So it seems the actual next-gen home theater will be equipped with a whopping 24 separate speakers. Just what I need, another 19 cables snaking around my living room. So you heard Ellen's "yeah, no" from all the way out there, eh?
I took a course in "System Architectures," paid for by the US Air Force. System Architectures are used to design things like the Aegis air/missile defense system, providing a framework for interfacing parts of the system to each other and outside systems.
We were told it is also being used in home theater design. Now I know why.