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This topic comprises 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
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Author
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Topic: THX returns to Cinemark > OT Speaker Cables
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 04-22-2008 11:54 AM
quote: Martin Brooks
Not in terms of certification, but in terms of reviewing theater quality (and not that the public at large knows anything), maybe Zagat's should take this on. Even though they'd probably get stupid comments like "you can't hear the surrounds during dialog-only segments" and "I came in a little late and they wouldn't rewind the tape for me" and "they should have played this in THX instead of Dobly (sic)", etc., it still might push theater owners to think more about sound and picture quality than marquee and concession quality, which is where they usually put the emphasis.
There have been a couple of efforts that I'm aware of, including a group of organized individuals that were going to take it on. I don't remember the name, but it was something Cinema Technology Experts Group, or something like that. The TAP program was around for a while, but that seemed to wither away.
I think the challenge in soliciting viewer feedback is that you get everything from an educated person giving some good feedback, to someone else complaining that the movie sucked. The hard part is in keeping the signal-to-noise ratio as high as possible, and in a public, un-moderated environment, it's like holding back the sea with a teaspoon in hand.
A public theater comment area is something I've been contemplating for The BigScreen Cinema Guide for more than two years (maybe more). I'm not sure that there is any sure-fire way to keep the quality level high, and I think the only way to make it a good service is to get it out there and fine-tune it over time. No matter how many safeguards against abuse I put in, someone will figure a way around it. Maybe I'll just slap a "beta" tag on it, and then it won't be a problem if it's not perfect. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
The public needs a way to find which theaters treat their customers well. If no official organization is going to do it, then it's up to the public to do it themselves and sifting through the dross is just a price of admission.
quote: Chris Slycord
It does not follow.
Based on your idea essentially if I show that I care about one aspect of film then I care about them all. So those people who love torus screens prove their love for a good picture. And you infer that they MUST also care about the best sound too right? But anyone who's seen a movie with a torus screen knows the sound doesn't end up being "right."
Yes, I think that any theater that is spending thousands of dollars per year on THX certification, and put in the extra effort during construction to do it by THX standards, it follows that they should extend that to the other parts of their approach to their business.
Obviously, some theaters don't, and that's why I added the disclaimer about incompetence always being a factor. Some places just seem to go out of their way to figure out how to do a bad job at what they do. I don't get it, but I guess that's why I don't own a movie theater. I know it's not possible to be perfect in every aspect.
I have poured 13 years of my life into The BigScreen Cinema Guide, and there are still issues that shouldn't be there. But I figure I'm making progress, and I'm never afraid to put the issues out in front of my readers. How many theaters have a running blog on their web sites, where they talk about the things they are doing to improve going to the movies at their theater? How many open up a dialog with their customers to see what those customers are looking for? How many realize that their customers might actually care about the movie-going experience?
In the end, any theater that pays for THX certification, but doesn't do other things to excel at showing movies is wasting their money. The THX logo means nothing if the presentation is poor, and it's not going to make up for the fact that the bathrooms look horrible or the popcorn is popped a week ahead of time. If the staff looks like they are serving time in prison, the THX logo on the auditorium entrance doesn't mean much.
One would hope that if a theater is paying money for the THX certification, they actually give a damn, and these other things aren't present.
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