Although home theater Blu-ray owners feel like they have been enjoying 7.1 channel sound for some time now, “Toy Story 3” will be the first major studio theatrical release to be mixed completely in Dolby‘s Surround 7.1 from the very first stage of design to final mix when it premieres in theaters June 18.
That means that more movies will offer the full 7.1 when they come to Blu-ray rather than 5.1 that is artificially sweetened.
Dolby technical marketing manager Stuart Bowling told a handful of journalists at a demo of the 7.1 Thursday at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theatre that producers until now have been limited to the six channels of sound that could be squeezed onto the soundtrack of celluloid film before bumping up against the sprocket holes.
(Story continues following the short video highlights below of the Dolby 7.1 “Toy Story 3” demo.)
With digital cinemas becoming more prevalent, filmmakers and theater owners can now present distinct audio from 7 locations encircling the audience in four different theater quadrants. Not only can voices now be heard behind you, they can be heard coming from behind you to your right or left, just as sounds from the front and sides.
It’s the perfect timing for such an upgrade to enhance the expanded visual depth and perspective introduced with 3D, which Dolby also offers through its own proprietary system.
The additional sounds could be heard in several clips shown Thursday, including the first look at a scene from “Toy Story 3” in which Ken sees Barbie for the first time. The most effective use of the new 7.1 was heard during the scene from a previous “Toy Story” movie in which the characters cross the street under orange red pylons, with the sounds of traffic and their own comments shifting perspective relative to their position on screen or as they are heard offscreen.
The same was true in a demo scene from “Up” where the dogs are chasing the old man in his balloon-flown gondola.
Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” post-production supervisor Paul Cichocki said that the enhanced capabilities bring a new level of artistic challenges and opportunities to filmmakers. “TS3” director Lee Unkrich was on stage at Skywalker Sound every day for six weeks of sound mixing to help determine where he wanted voices and sounds to come from, Cichocki said.
For studios, the new system will not be cheap during the transition process as they must spend an extra half-day in the recording studio creating a separate 5.1 soundtrack until all theaters are upgraded to 7.1, according to Disney’s senior vp of distribution, Gary Weaver. And that’s per language — Disney will multiply that cost 12x since they are releasing “TS3” in 12 languages. But the superior quality of experience for the customer and the ancillary benefit to the Blu-ray experience make it worthwhile, he said.
Bowling said Walt Disney Pictures will also use Dolby’s 7.1 on upcoming 3D releases this year such as “Step Up 3″ in 3D and 2D.”
About 240 theaters have already converted to 7.1, according to Dolby vp worldwide production services David Gray, which is a minor and inexpensive upgrade for theaters already equipped with digital systems and Dolby’s Surround and EX systems. In fact, Dolby is offering a free upgrade
— By Scott Hettrick
You’d think that with all this fanfare that Dolby/Disney would post online which theatres will be showcasing this in 7.1 Obviousily since IMAX is only two channel stereo sound in the surround tracks, it’s an incentive for other theatres to supercede what IMAX can’t do and truly deliver a sound experience like no other – it’s too bad Sony didn’t or has yet to implement the five channels in the front like they do for 8-channel 35mm print release – with digital projection implementing up to 16 channels of sound, it makes logical sense that 9.1 sound is achievable.
ola eu quero o toy story 3
I think Dolby has made mistake that doesn’t up the stakes higher by, just sticking more surround output channels onto the existing horizontal plain sidewalls seems like a waste of sound dimension.
I think the filmmakers and Skywalker sound have no imagination!
I would have pushed for discrete overheard surround and bottom below underneath surround.
Now we have basic mono overheard height surround and below underneath mono surround.
The sidewall surrounds will work in the same way and use the Dolby SA-10 EX to extract the (centre phantom signal from the left and right common stereo surrounds).
How Dolby 16channles should be used and is it really enough?
I see “sound life” as a very extremely complicated form.
So why not basic
Screen front channels
Three screen height
Three screen middle
Three screen blow
Now that along has taken up 9 channels already not much left to play with now?
Sidewall surround channels
The sidewalls each side!
Left above surround
Left middle surround
Left below surround
Right above surround
Right middle surround
Right blow surround
Now that’s taken up 15 Dolby16channels and still not enough! Sound is a complex thing when I monitor in “real life” in the “real world”.
Now we still need centre back below, above and LFE.1 channel to finalize this.
Centre back surround above
Centre back surround middle
Centre back surround below
Above overhead surround three channel, left side / middle / right side
Below bottom surround three channel left side / middle / right side
LFE.1 front 1
LFE.1 side 2
LFE.1 side 3
LFE.1 rear 4
LFE.1 overheard 5
LFE.1 below bottom 6
So Dolby is out of luck with Dolby16channles
I think 30 seems like an basic even number to place real world complex sound as and when a director or depending on how artistically creative the sound mixer really is?
Rain where does it land outside!?
It lands on the ground and sounds! It does not sound on the top middle horns or sidewall surrounds hanging many meters above you, in the cinema or the home for that matter.
It lands on surface then it, sounds that is how it is.
If you were inside a car the rain lands on the roof!
If you were in the attic or loft it lands on the roof (deeding on how hard the rain is pouring down, and the texture of the roof). Rain is one sound effect that mixes have gotten so wrong because its one element that crates believability
With Dolby16cahnnels if you want to cut corners with basics then fine
Three screen
1) Left front
2) Centre front
3) Right front
4) Sidewall surround left
5) Sidewall surround right
6) Rear centre back left
7) Rear centre back
8) Rear centre back right
9) Overhead surround left
10) Overhead surround centre
11) Overhead surround right
12) Below bottom surround left
13) Below bottom centre
14) Below bottom surround right
15) LFE.1 front
16) LFE.1 back
So picture TOP GUN with aerial flying scenes and battles (not that I approve of re-mixes an alternate DOLBY16channel track along with its theatrical 70mm DOLBY mix) now that would be acceptable.
The scene where the sound whooshes around and the F-14 does barrel roll in one of the first flying scenes at Top Gun with jazzy bass beat music.
Now the sound can swirl from left side surround to (overhead left centre right surround) then pan over to right surround.
Now that should make audiences feel dizzy.
It would be better with 30channels because you can pan it very fast from (sidewall, below surround to middle and top surround) then pan over to (overhead surround left centre right) and finish at (left side top and “stop” on middle surround) rather than bring it over to below right surround.
F-14 can pan overheard down the middle surrounds or dart across over to left or right overheard surround or fly right underneath you as if you’re up there in the sky because that’s how it would be, free no limitations as to where sound should be placed, no restrictions “just free the sound” and let it be part of the movie experience.
Underwater scenes shouldn’t they sound uniform with deep pressure to make you feel uncomfortable? Well many scenes in THE ABYSS that just misses the target.
The underwater scenes can have water sound placed on all channels because if the cinema was filled to the top of the ceiling we’re be surrounded in WATER!
The dripping water inside “the deep core” can come from multiple angles because there are objects all around it on the inside where water would land not just on the floor surface but on tables, metal structures you, name it.
Also the film was basically 4.1 with mono surrounds that worked quite well for 70mm.
So an alternative DOLBY mix up to 30channels, because Dolby16channel doesn’t seem enough to create a convincing believable sound even if it’s fabricated, its not enough for today yesterday and today’s audiences.
I was ultimately and supremely disappointed in James Cameron Avatar epic fail for a 3D film that I haven’t bothered in seeing at the cinema, only on that lousy cheap for bluray with crappy epic fail dtsHDMA 5.1 channels wow doesn’t create a true 3D its almost there, it had 3D sound some sound off-screen images to the back but not enough.
You need overhead surround and blow surround to create some sense of being there.
Also 3D is a sheer waste of time because the image is front, its focal point is in front of us, that mealy has depth to image its not what I call true 3D.
It’s impossible to place a transparent perforated screen all around the cinema including floor and ceiling and yes behind you because the world would be all around us, even if we’re not looking behind us, the world is still there!
So AVATAR fails and all the rest of these waste of time 3D films. The sound is almost as 3D than the flat image on the screen.
Personally I feel cinema is nearing its end because just about every single cliché has been done now, and it’s just rehashing the same old thing over and over with waste or time remakes in waste of time Dolby/Real/Imax3D, boring!
I’ve seen TOY STORY in Dolby3D at the Empire Leicester Square and while technically it doesn’t have the issues that 70mmIMAX has where if you look at angle tilt you’re head the left or right the IMAX 3D comes undone, its no longer IMAX 3D so IMAX 3D epic fail!
With Dolby3D you could practically do headstand and the Dolby3D will still seen as Dolby3D.
Only downside issue is the brightness is lost because the IMAX Dolby RealD filter the light down, just like sunglasses do for our eyes. So not impressed with 3D make filter that is clear transparent without any shading or colour then you’ve hit the plus. But please make screen that goes all over the cinema, otherwise 3D not interested.
Also the image would have to be projected from behind the screen rear projection. Now the issue this would have is where to place the loudspeaker? You can’t because the moment the light image is projected onto the screen you’ll see the loudspeakers! So 3D fails, unless its some type of screen that can produce sound with tiny hidden wires and eclectically charge a special type of material that can produce sound.
I think 2D is good enough just up the amount of channels is all that is required.