CINEMA BuzzFEED - 11 October 2013

Dolby Hits the Sweet Spot

Everyone knows that sound is one-half the mix that makes for a superior presentation experience - whether you are sitting in a cinema or your living room - audio is just as important as the viewed image.  However, capturing full, life-like sound and reproducing it has been the goal of film and content makers from day one - now it is a reality with the new Dolby Atmos Sound System.

This past week I attended a dealer seminar conducted by Dolby Labs which demonstrated  and discussed the technological details of Atmos.  I can honestly say that this achievement, by Dolby, is a landmark in cinema history.  The Atmos sound experience is so immersive and so superior to current 6 or 8 channel sound that there is no real comparison.

The premise of Atmos is that reproduced sound at cinemas should be life-like.  So, for example, if someone is talking on the left side of the screen that sound should be on the left. If a plane is passing overhead, the sound should pass overhead.  To accomplish this (and it should be noted that Atmos can be installed into any size auditorium) Dolby has developed a sound processor, the CP850, that can output up to 64 discrete channels of sound - yes, you read right, up to 64 channels. Additionally, the CP850 has automatic equalization of all channels and supports 5.1 (6) and Dolby 7.1 (8) channel sound with automatic switching into Dolby Atmos.

To date, about 70 films have been released with Atmos and more will be forthcoming. Dolby admits it will take time for the studios' recording engineers and film directors to get use to the system's capabilities, as soundtracks will now be mixed differently given the potential of Atmos. There are presently 47 mixing stages worldwide that can handle Atmos and 225 screens where it has been installed.

Make no mistake, this is a milestone for the cinema industry. The Atmos  sound is so immersive and so realistic that cinemas that install it could upcharge for the experience, it's that good.  For me, the experience is much better than the 3D experience in terms of getting me involved in the movie experience.  Giant kudos to Dolby - the Atmos System is a real big winner.

NEC - First to Launch Laser Projector

NEC will be the first manufacturer to market, a cinema laser projector - the NC 1040L.  NEC began taking orders for the NC 1040L last week in Japan and the first installation will be this fall in Tokyo.

NEC's NC-1040L Laser Projector

CMG spoke with Gerd Kaiser, NEC's marketing director, who told us that, "We have considerable interest from cinema exhibitors.  The projector has been demonstrated, in private, to exhibitors in Paris and other cities in Europe with great success".

Laser projection is touted as being the next step in digital cinema and all of the projector manufacturers are developing models, NEC happens to be the first to market.  Laser illumination technology, which has been in the works for several years, provides a much brighter on-screen image than xenon lamp driven projectors. Other advantages of the technology include: lower operating costs, reduced power consumption, and increased system lifespan.  However, it should be noted that before laser projectors can be sold, regulatory issues must be overcome. For example, in the U.S. the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among other governmental agencies at the federal and state levels, must approve their use.

NEC knows the hurdles they face but the technology drives itself in many ways. The laser light source, for example, will last up to 20,000 hours (roughly equivalent to 10 years of a normal cinema operating each day for 10 hours) and the projectors are scalable so that the brightness can be varied depending upon the image throw and screen size.

NEC expects adoption of the projectors to be slow, even after regulatory approvals are met.
"Laser projectors are currently much more expensive to purchase (approx. $170,000) and therefore will be adopted first at premium, high-grossing sites which offer giant-format presentation, such as IMAX" says NEC's Kaiser. However without a Virtual Print Fee program from the studios to subsidize the cost, I believe, adoption will be a very, very slow.  My guess is, three to four years, minimum, before any meaningful number of installs and the price will have to be dramatically reduced.

In summary, laser projection technology is still at a very early stage, needs all sorts of regulatory approvals, and its capacity to provide more on-screen brightness is only meaningful to the very biggest auditoriums. Therefore, I don't think the average cinema exhibitor needs to worry about laser projectors for years and years to come.

Cannes Winner Banned

Blue is the Warmest Colour, the Palme D'Or winning film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, has been banned from exhibition in Idaho.  One of the most anticipated and controversial films of the year, and long awaited by art house movie goers, the three-hour French drama will not be aired at cinemas in Idaho.  Carole Skinner, owner of the Flicks Theatre in Boise told CMG, "We will not be able to exhibit the film because our alcohol license prohibits the screening of movies which feature - acts or simulated acts of sexual intercourse, sodomy, oral sex or other acts which are prohibited by law." Suffice it to say, Blue is the Warmest Colour, includes pretty much all of the banned acts.  However, the Flicks is the only art house in Boise, so Idaho residents will have to cross state lines to view the film. Photo, to right, is of Director and Stars of the film taken at the recent Toronto Film Festival where it earned Best Foreign Film Award.

Blue is riding high however. For its debut last week it came in second at the French box office and is the highest grossing independent film so far this year.  Interest in the award winner is huge both in the rest of Europe and the U.S. where it will be released in November. Look for it at your local cinema art house.

Best
Jim Lavorato