posted 07-23-2013 11:29 PM                    

quote: Bobby Henderson

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Atmos does allow for five speaker towers/channels behind the screen. Whether anyone bothers to wire for that is another matter. I wonder if Dolby is pushing theaters who install Atmos to also use a baffle sound wall behind the screen.

In addition to supporting the LC and RC stage channels, the two rows of ceiling surrounds and extra side wall surround speakers closer to the screen would seem to add the capability of putting a lot more audio detail up front. With that configuration it's possible for certain sound elements to seem like they're floating in front of the screen. Sound elements can track far left or far right just off the screen more smoothly. With a standard 5.1 setup if you have a audio tracking effect going into the surrounds there's a kind of "snap" effect of the audio having to shoot over that big gap between the stage speakers and surround array. Dolby Atmos fills in that gap.

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posted 07-24-2013 02:56 AM                    

quote: David Zylstra

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"Dolby Atmos Connect" is a loop where the devices daisy chain together with the first and last in the loop connecting back to the processor - very similar to (or the same as) BLU Link.

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I've seen that in the specs. It is supposed to be an Ethernet based protocol, but it's currently only used to connect DAC3201 units for additional analog channel breakouts.

But this same system could probably be used to directly hook-up active speaker equipment that supports this protocol. The question is whether or not active systems will work in such a setting.

Regarding the front channels: If a cinema goes the length and installs all supported five of them, then there is no reason why the same or an even better experience can be achieved than with five channel magnetic tracks and/or SDDS.

The Atmos sound format itself doesn't contain discrete channels, the sound mixer puts the sound where it's supposed to originate and the system calculates the best possible mapping for that sound for the installed sound system.

Existing mixes can be easily mapped onto something like "virtual channels", that mimic the old channel mapping. Or, somebody could even go the length of remastering the whole soundtrack into a native Atmos mix, but that would be very expensive and might be frowned upon by purists .

posted 07-24-2013 12:11 PM                       

quote: Frank Angel

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So theoretically, the system tries to replicate sound element placement in the SAME place no matter what the theatre size or how many speaker/channels are installed. If less speakers than are necessary to get exact localization to where the mixer wanted the sound to originate from, then it only gets as close as the installed system will allow, but not necessarily a cigar. Which is fine, and certainly better than speaker/channels dedicated to very limited and specific points with a sound needing (expected) to come out of THAT speaker at THAT location, which we have had so far up until Atmos. Thing is, this leaves an awful lot of leeway to the exhibitor...a pretty dangerous thing, IMHO. It lets them get away with putting in the LEAST amount of speakers with the assumption that Atmos will do the best to compute hot to place the sound where it is supposed to be, regardless of the actual limitations of the speakers vs the room size (and the exhibitor's "thriftiness").

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quote: Frank Angel

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...in an era where the big, "X" large screens are all the marketing rage, I would think emphasizing good sound localization across a 60 foot screen would be a main component of any premium system.

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posted 07-24-2013 03:32 PM                    

quote: Scott Jentsch

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This is a good point. It would be nice to see directional dialog used again, and being able to support historical titles with directional dialog would be quite nice for those venues that show them.

Maybe Dolby should sponsor a "Legends of Movie Sound" roadshow that would be a series of movies with great sound mixes that would play in their Atmos-equipped theaters around the country/world. That would help with awareness and give the theaters a chance to show off their investments.

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unfortunately it sounds like the planned 70mm shot 'Ivanhoe' ain't happening - - a great 'historical' that would looked great and perfect opportunity to bring back five front channel sound ... oh well [sigh]

I actually asked AMC via their facebook page if they could bring back 'Brave' to the Tysons' Atmos screen (since it didn't play in the DC area as such), they liked the idea and said they'd inquire with Disney and the higher ups at AMC to see if they could, but, alas, no dice.

Cinemark so far is the only chain that seems to like to book 'classic' films on Thursdays - if they had more Atmos systems on their ETX screens they could easily replay some of those missed Atmos titles.