Posted January 18, 2013 by Derrick Thiecke in Technology

The Future of Surround Sound: Dolby Atmos

An Immersive Theater Experience Like Never Before

In the past several years we’ve seen a huge uprising in home theater systems. 1080P HD, Blu-rays, 3D T.V.s, and 42” inch T.V.s. We can’t forget the sound system too. Many homes are now equipped with 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound system. It’s all so affordable to the average consumer that these things are in almost every household today. This has posed a huge problem for major motion picture theaters.

Dolby-Atmos

On Apr 23, 2012 at the annual CinemaCon, Dolby introduced their Atmos System. A product that they believe will “Revolutionize the Cinema Industry and Entertainment Experience”, and hopefully once again set your local major motion picture theaters above and beyond what your home theater can accomplish.

Since the release of Dolby Atmos mid last year, 72 theaters have implemented Atmos Systems world wide, and 12 movies have been released for Atmos with another 7 planned for release in the coming months.

Now after all this, you’re probably wondering, what is Atmos? Currently, most theaters run 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems with approximately 10 to 14 speakers and a sub woofer. That’s 5 or 7 separate audio channels. Dolby Atmos introduces a 64 channel system with the possibility of up to 128 speakers.

Dolby believes that the Atmos technology will immerse the viewer into the film like never before, by overcoming two major obstacles confronted when using 7.1 and 5.1 systems. These include overhead audio and the ability to place discrete sounds at individual places throughout the theater.

What would a new advanced piece of technology be if it wasn’t backwards compatible? Well I have good news, Dolby Atmos has the ability to render from 5.1 all the way up to 64 discrete speaker feeds. The inherent scalability and adaptability of Dolby Atmos allows exhibitors to manage their budgets and upgrade cinemas over time, yet improve the experience for the audiences at each step.

Go look for an Atmos theater near you and let us know what your experience is like.

Dolby Dolby Atmos Sound Technology Theater Technology

Derrick Thiecke

I recently completed my bachelors program at Ex'pression College in Emeryville Ca.. When I'm not working on a film, recording a band, or making music, I'm typically out on the open road for a relaxing motorcycle ride. I also enjoy computer programming and android application development. You can find my current apps in the android market under the publisher name "Dutch85".