Hello! I think all of you must have seen many movies in the cinema, but did you know the technology system of the cinema? Bang! Bang! Will you feel surprised by the sound in the cinema? Well, sometimes I will. However, did you know the sound system they used where you are sitting? First, I would introduce the sound system we are using nowadays!
Look at this!
From the Broadway website, a cinema in Hong Kong, we can see something like SRD, DTS, etc. They are the abbreviations of the sound system developed by Sony and Dolby.
First, did you know this logo?
Yes, it is Dolby, definitely you did see its logo before some movies started. Dolby Digital is a company established by Ray Dolby, he also founded the "Dolby Laboratories" to technically develop the sound system, the first creation is a noise reduction system.
At first, the 35mm and 16mm film only support mono sound system, as it did not support stereo system, the atmosphere created for the audiences would be reduced. However, the Dolby Digital Sound could solve this problem since it can handle sound into stereo or more channels and provide a surround sound at the cinema. From the first Dolby stereo system in 1975 to now, Dolby has developed different types of sound system and it successfully became standard of the movie industries, so when you sit on the cinema, you are enjoying the fruit of Dolby laboratories.
1. Dolby Digital
This is analog film sound format first used in 1992 by the movie "Batman Returns". It is using multichannel to play sound and it is called as 5.1-channel.
Click the logo to view logo movie of Dolby Digital!
Dolby Digital Benefits
Delivers a worldwide standard in surround sound
Enables up to 5.1-channel surround sound for an enveloping audio experience
Ensures excellent audio quality for any Dolby Digital soundtrack
(quoted from Dolby official website)
As you can see, it is the prevalent standard around the world, and you can enjoy it on Broadway and many other cinemas!
2. Dolby Digital Surround EX
It is also called as Dolby Digital Surround Ex, the name we can see on the Broadway website is SRD-EX, developed on 1999.
(quoted from Dolby official website)Dolby Digital EX takes the Dolby Digital 5.1-channel setup one step further with an additional center surround channel (reproduced through one or two speakers) for extra dimensional detail and an enveloping surround sound effect.
Feature films originally released in Dolby Digital Surround EX (the cinema version) carry the encoded extra surround channel in their subsequent DVD releases, as well as onto 5.1-channel digital satellite and TV broadcasts.
What is 5.1-channel? They usually included the left, center, right and left,right surround, these five channels could be called as 5-channel. What about the "0.1" channel? It is implying the Low Frequency Effect (LFE) channel, which specialized for those low frequencies sound between 3-120Hz only, this "0.1-channel" could increase the reality of the sound. Therefore, the 5.1-channel usually means the left, center, right and left,right surround and the LFE channel.
For the SRD-EX, it is different with the previous SRD system in 1992, it adds a center rear channel to the original 5.1 system, and it actually has 6.1 channels. Although it is a product of 1999, cinemas are still using this system on their theatre.
Then, tell me more about DTS!
What is DTS? It is the abbreviation of Digital Threatre Systems developed by the DTS Inc. It is the main competitor of Dolby and actually DTS developed many sound systems in attempt to defeat Dolby's system.
3. DTS Extended Surround (DTS-ES)
Click logo to view the logo movie!
Played back with a DTS-ES capable receiver and a 6.1-speaker layout, a movie encoded in DTS-ES will dramatically intensify the DTS surround effect. You’ll clearly hear sound effects — such as footsteps coming up behind you — along with other sounds that move front-to-back, and from side-to-side behind you. Even with an older DTS-capable receiver and a 5.1-channel speaker layout, you’ll still hear the center surround channel information; it will be “matrixed” or mixed in between the rear speakers. In either case, you’ll get the fuller, more realistic audio that comes with all DTS formats. (quoted from DTS official website)
This is the sound system developed by DTS and exclusively used in cinemas, also it mainly compete with Dolby's SRD-EX and Sony's SDDS. Its previous version is DTS SURROUND, which only had 5.1-channel, and the ES version increased to 6.1-channel.
All above are for Dolby and DTS systems, what about Sony's?
4. Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS)
As you see, it is the abbreviation we saw from the Broadway website: SDDS. It is developed by Sony and exclusively for cinema sound system in 1993. It used 8-channels, included five front channels, two surround channels and one sub-bass channel, actually it is a 7.1-channel system. However, it is quite expensive for companies to produce in 7.1-channel, only 101 films used fully 7.1 channel from 1993 to 2007 June, according to Sony's official data in its website.
Since SDDS's late arrival and its expensive cost, the mainstream of movie sound system still are Dolby Digital and DTS's realm. After this belief introduction, do you know more about the sound system of movies and cinemas?
At last, what is the future of sound? High Definition!
Reference:
DTS official website
Dolby Digital official website
Logos
Sony SDDS official website
台灣電影筆記(Chinese version only)
All the logo copyrights are belonged to their own companies.
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