What argument did the studios have in the 1980's not to shoot in 70mm? Many. Most of the camera systems around at that time were very old. 65mm film stocks were very limited. So were the lenses. Steven Spielberg explored the possibility of shooting "Empire of the Sun" in 65mm. After examining what cameras and equipment were available the idea proved infeasible.

In 1989, theatrical 65mm camera systems began a dramatic improvement when Arri released their model 765 camera. Wilcam came out with a new Showscan camera. Panavision developed the Super Panaflex in the early 1990s. These modern camera systems, the lenses that go with them and the newer film stocks Kodak developed have largely gone wasted.

Nearly all of it is to blame for 35mm digital sound print formats being developed at the same time. At least Cinema Digital Sound had a 70mm version. But Dolby has never had any plans on accomodating the 70mm gauge with a 70mm version of Dolby Digital. Same goes for Sony, even with all their nostalgic anecdotes about Todd-AO and its "five up front" audio format. Both companies may have patents on the books about a 70mm SRD or 70mm SDDS process. But they have made no moves to develop film readers or the items needed to get the audio bitstreams printed onto 70mm.

BTW, Douglas Trumball doesn't seem to have a problem with shooting electronically these days:
http://www.filmandvideomagazine.com/Htm/homeset.htm

 |  IP: Logged

DTS Paris has now told me, that Play Time in 70mm has been running in 6 different theatres since the Cannes Festival, bookings warying from 2 to 6 weeks. All using one reader/unit only, and no failures.
That's comforting. -and the solution with an extra reader, ready to chance, must be enough for a small budget then.

Then i only need a final "go" from the distributor in Paris. -Hope to show Play Time medio november --on the glorious 15 feet giant screen and allmost full stereofonic sound --

Next dream would be having both Patton and LOA coming this way, but the chances are less than small, i'm afraid.

 |  IP: Logged

I'm sitting here listening to the LoA Original Soundtrack CD, "newly restored edition", (c)1990 Arista Records, on Varese Sarabande #VSD-5263. This is probably the version of the musical score that was used for the 1989/1990 reissue/restoration of LoA. I saw one of those shows in L.A. in 70mm 6-Track Dolby. My memory of that show is that the image quality was astounding, but the music sounded shrill and harsh to me. I attributed this mostly to the theater's sound system. Now I'm listening to this CD, and it sounds very similar: kind of harsh, shrill, and even somewhat distorted. It's very listenable, but far from perfect.

Can anyone characterize the sound quality, especially the music, from the newly-minted LoA prints currently making the rounds?

And has anyone had the luxury of comparing the sound of the mag tracks at the Dome in L.A. to its DTS counterpart?

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

Just to let you know, you have the info right here in your back yard at: 70mm screenings

------------------
---------

Cheers, Thomas
www.in70mm.com
www.dp70.com
www.70mm.dk

are you sure about the DTS format for 2001? THE last time the Cinemateque showed the new print, it was Dolby SR encoded Todd-AO format mag tracks. The same was true of the other print circulating on the East Coast.
And the Dome's showing of Lawrence of Arabia is also 6-track mag, although some of the new prints are DTS.

The 40th Anniversary Presentation
Newly Remastered Digital Sound. Fresh 70mm Prints in Select Locations.

And yes, the Ziegfeld will run Lawrence in 70mm/DTS.