What is Dolby Cinema? Bringing Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to the cinema

(Pocket-lint) - You cognize the operation "seeing is believing"? On a travel to Dolby Laboratories successful the USA, we got to illustration archetypal manus precisely what that means successful presumption of theatrical installs, having sampled the notation Dolby Cinema on-site astatine the company's headquarters.

Dolby audio-visual technologies were successful 8 Oscar-winning movies successful 2019 - including champion dependable mixing and editing for Bohemian Rhapsody and champion cinematography for Roma - which has lone accrued dramatically since.

There are present implicit 250 Dolby Cinema installs worldwide, with Dolby committing to an further 200 sites worldwide. There are present much than 6,000 Atmos-enabled cinema screens successful 90 countries. In the UK, the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square was the archetypal Dolby Cinema, which was since followed by a 2nd determination successful Leeds and a 3rd determination successful Manchester's Trafford Centre. 

• We took a sneak peek wrong the UK's archetypal Dolby Cinema astatine Odeon Leicester Square

Dolby Cinema's operation of Dolby Vision projection and Dolby Atmos situation dependable makes it a perchance unrivalled proposition for cinema-goers.

Picture quality

• Dolby Vision projection - dual HDR RGB laser system
• 1,000,000:1 opposition ratio
• Double the brightness of accepted cinema setup

Over caller years there's been a large behind-the-scenes displacement successful contented production. From modular definition, to Full HD, to Ultra-HD 4K, the solution stakes person been climbing. But beyond that - and possibly much importantly - is that dynamic scope seizure has been widening and, done HDR (high dynamic range) presentation, the extent of achromatic levels and highest achromatic brightness for improved contrast, on with a broader colour palette, has accrued considerably. It each makes for a much elaborate and vibrant picture.

• What is Dolby Vision? Dolby's precise ain HDR tech explained

Which brings america to the archetypal cardinal constituent astir Dolby Cinema: the dual laser strategy - which uses an array of HDR-capable RGB laser systems - that tin present an representation with a opposition ratio greater than 1,000,000:1. That's to say, determination are implicit 1 cardinal "steps" of discernible levels betwixt the blackest achromatic and the whitest white. A emblematic cinema mightiness connection a 2,500:1 opposition ratio.

Back successful 2013 we spoke to Brian Bonnick, IMAX's main method officer, and helium pointed retired however "IMAX projection movie is successful and astir the 4,000:1 range," continuing that IMAX with Laser is "double that, astatine astir 8,000:1". Now, IMAX with Laser is already awesome - positive it has the unsocial selling constituent of an ultra-tall 1.43:1 format (movie/scene dependent) - truthful ideate a strategy with immoderate 12,500 times much contrast, which is what Dolby Cinema offers.

Which is each good and good, but moviegoers won't needfully attraction astir numbers - it's each astir the representation and the immersion. Dolby showed america an fantabulous objection trailer astatine its HQ to show-off its constituent of difference. First we were presented with greyer blacks than its modular strategy was susceptible of presenting; then, aft "flicking the switch" astatine the extremity to show, the existent Dolby Cinema capabilities were shown, revealing the depths available. And we're not talking thing lone highly trained yes volition spot - the quality was nighttime and day, overmuch similar comparing backlit LCD to OLED.

The 2nd cardinal constituent astir Dolby Cinema is that it's astir doubly arsenic agleam arsenic a emblematic cinema system, with a highest brightness of astir 31Lv (foot-lamberts). Interestingly, IMAX with Laser claims to beryllium 50 per cent brighter than a emblematic cinema, meaning a Dolby Vision laser projection is 50 per cent brighter than that again. If our calculations are close past a Dolby Cinema 1275 square-foot surface would necessitate projectors to present astir 40,000 ANSI lumens, which is immensely agleam for a surface presented successful adjacent acheronian - and you tin truly consciousness that erstwhile sat successful beforehand of the image.

A 3rd cardinal constituent is Dolby 3D. Well, if it's your thing. As 3D glasses typically negate astir a halt of light, the accrued brightness of Dolby Vision projection helps marque for a much distinctive representation done those lenses. Dolby besides uses a antithetic acceptable of colour wavelengths for the near and close lenses of its glasses, with the laser system's usage of six superior airy sources being tuned to for the champion cognition of three-dimensional separation. Not that we spot 3D arsenic a cardinal to cinema's future, really, but the enactment is there.

Overall, portion Dolby Cinema isn't going to show the standard oregon ratio of IMAX - determination is simply a 70 x 125ft IMAX screen, for example, which opened astatine the Traumpalast Multiplex successful Leonberg, Germany, precocious 2021 - it surely tin beryllium called the king of brightness and contrast. It has to beryllium seen to beryllium comprehended.

3D situation sound

• Dolby Atmos situation dependable strategy includes overhead speakers for 3D dependable experience
• Sound 'objects' tin determination individually done 3D space; up to 128 dependable objects

There is 1 portion of the Dolby Cinema bundle that a fig of theatres already person installed: Dolby Atmos, the three-dimensional situation dependable strategy (not to beryllium confused with the pseudo Dolby Atmos that is offered successful truthful galore user products but without the aforesaid existent transmission outputs arsenic a cinema install).

Dolby Atmos works by positioning speakers passim a hemispherical-like statement - including straight overhead - for a afloat immersive dependable experience. Unlike with a 5.1 oregon 7.1 situation - which connection 5 oregon 7 situation talker points with a azygous bass constituent - Atmos has perchance unlimited range, though astatine contiguous that's 64 talker fields maximum.

Sounds aren't channelled unneurotic into groups but alternatively defined arsenic idiosyncratic objects which, arsenic they slice speaker-to-speaker, springiness the content of moving done space. So a pitchy flying overhead truly does alert implicit you. Sound designers tin manipulate up to 128 objects astatine erstwhile - not that they apt volition successful immoderate 1 country - truthful the originative imaginable is huge.

Part of an Atmos instal involves intelligently positioning speakers. At the beforehand is simply a video wall, down the projection screen, to springiness a existent frontal sound, without being capable to spot the speakers themselves. Such concealment is cardinal for galore of the different speakers as, psychologically, if you can't visually pinpoint a sound's root past it's much convincing and immersive.

At the Dolby Cinema notation theatre successful San Francisco, the institution has besides invested heavy successful sound-proofing - which is simply a recommended portion of the install. In this instance, factual walls and reflective interior insulation guarantee the extracurricular satellite can't beryllium heard, truthful erstwhile those other quiescent scenes are playing out, you won't miss a azygous nuance.

Dolby Cinema is what we should expect from our movie viewing: the precise best. During hard times for theatres, we bash anticipation that exertion specified arsenic this volition adhd a lease of beingness to cinema. Long unrecorded the theatrical experience!

Writing by Mike Lowe.