Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Odd sound format of Emerging Pictures features

This is topic Odd sound format of Emerging Pictures features in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Warren Dewey (Member # 3609) on 05-10-2010, 06:47 PM:

A friend's theater receives "alternative content" digital features from Emerging Pictures. I noticed that these shows have center channel (dialog) present in all 3 front speakers-- left and right front speakers as well as the center. The theater's film sound reproduces normally, with left channel only on the left, center only in the center, right on the right.

The server is set for 5.1 surround and Emerging says it is operating properly. Their server's monitor screen meters show 3 channels fluctuating with dialog.

Has anyone else noticed this? Does anyone know if this normal for material from Emerging?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-18-2010, 11:20 AM:

I wonder if Woody Allen is doing the mixing work.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 05-18-2010, 11:40 AM:

Emerging Pictures has many non-cinema clients and they encode their product to have this spread in case of missing channels.

Posted by Warren Dewey (Member # 3609) on 05-19-2010, 11:15 AM:

Thanks for the info, Richard. I have seen consumer products that output 'foolproof' formats like this-- usually to compensate for a possibly missing center channel, but it was weird hearing it in a theater. Talked to Emerging's tech but he did not mention this to me-- he kept saying this format was what Emerging got from the studios.

However LF and RF on Emerging's "surround" track is apparently an Lt-Rt stereo mix, so it's possible to generate a reasonable surround track within the processor.

We took the left and right front channels out of the Emerging server and ran them into a non-sync input of the CP650 with "pro logic" selected. Out came a nice 4.1 surround mix, with dialog only in the center, true left and right where they are supposed to be, and mono surround. I guess this might be an acceptable way to re-create the original surround mixes on Emerging's material for theaters.

If you use the original Emerging "surround" outputs, what you get is a highly collapsed front soundstage, approaching mono--- most likely not what was intended by the filmmakers.