STAR WARS: HT vs T

[swgiust]

Guys,
Had to take the family last night to see the new Star Wars movie. Not going to comment
on the movie, but the movie theater. Man, the sound sucked. I actually want to go back
and ask the manager if something was wrong with their system. In a quite scene there
was an audible hiss in the left side speakers. The bass impact was nil. Dialog was good,
but other than "ambiance" there was no real action in the surrounds at all. Even my wife
commented that it did not sound as good as at home.

By the time this movie comes out on DVD, it will be in HD. I cant wait, cause my HT
will blow away what I paid $25.00 to see last night.

[edtyct]

Guys,
Had to take the family last night to see the new Star Wars movie. Not going to comment
on the movie, but the movie theater. Man, the sound sucked. I actually want to go back
and ask the manager if something was wrong with their system. In a quite scene there
was an audible hiss in the left side speakers (#). The bass impact was nil. Dialog was good,
but other than "ambiance" there was no real action in the surrounds at all. Even my wife
commented that it did not sound as good as at home.
If you don't get a satisfactory answer from the manager, tell Lucas. He'll have the THX police there in no time.

Ed

[kexodusc]

That's really too bad, I've seen it twice now in 2 different theaters...I've been impressed most impressed with the sound, though I find the bass always exaggerated in Sci-Fi films.

That said, my home theater definitely sounds superior to any theater I've been too, with the sole exception of the large, spacious "out-doorsy" feeling...I have yet to hear any home theater at any price that can capture that. My 500 sq ft-ish room doesn't, but that's only 1 aspect...in pretty much all other aspects, I don't think it takes a high priced system to outperform most theaters.

[anamorphic96]

Keep in mind not all theatres are gonna have killer sound systems. Did you see this at a newer theatre or older theatre? Do you live in a smaller town or community?

Despite what people may think there are some theatres out there that are playing SW3 that dont have digital sound.

Sounds like the film was playing in an analogue format and the sound head was not aligned properly.

[bjornb17]

in pretty much all other aspects, I don't think it takes a high priced system to outperform most theaters.

That's actually very true. Theaters are so big, that they generally have compromises in an effort to sound good to everybody sitting in the theater. However, in a home theater, you can calibrate everything to sound just as you want it at your ideal listening position. that's a luxury that movies theaters do not have.

Also, keep in mind that large theaters also have to focus on specific speakers (usually high efficiency with horns) to be able to play loud enough in that environment. I think most movie theaters sound a bit too bright to me. In a home theater setting, you can use speakers that have been emphasized to sound good, with loudness not being the main priority.

[s dog]

That's actually very true. Theaters are so big, that they generally have compromises in an effort to sound good to everybody sitting in the theater. However, in a home theater, you can calibrate everything to sound just as you want it at your ideal listening position. that's a luxury that movies theaters do not have.

Also, keep in mind that large theaters also have to focus on specific speakers (usually high efficiency with horns) to be able to play loud enough in that environment. I think most movie theaters sound a bit too bright to me. In a home theater setting, you can use speakers that have been emphasized to sound good, with loudness not being the main priority. The last newer big theater i went to had 5 speakers on each side and 5 across the back of the theater, could not see what was up front might have been behind the srceen or built in the wall, but the ones on the sides and the back of the theater was some good sized JBL'S they was loud as h-ll and sounded great

[bjornb17]

well the reason there are so many is so that the surround effects fill all sections of the theater. You can do it much more efficiently in your home than they can in the theater.

and just becuase its loud doesnt mean it sounds good. sure they may have sounded good, but loud isnt the only factor that decides that.


The more i've been improving my audio system, the less i like movie theater sound. the last 5 movies i've seen there had the sound level turned up so high, that it was the eqivalent of going to a rock concert. As you can imagine, that isnt really comfortable for a 2 or 3 hour movie.

i saw star wars 3 when it came out, and the plaster-cracking trebble was just unbearable. but then again, most people will be impressed because of the loudness

[s dog]

well the reason there are so many is so that the surround effects fill all sections of the theater. You can do it much more efficiently in your home than they can in the theater.

and just becuase its loud doesnt mean it sounds good. sure they may have sounded good, but loud isnt the only factor that decides that.


The more i've been improving my audio system, the less i like movie theater sound. the last 5 movies i've seen there had the sound level turned up so high, that it was the eqivalent of going to a rock concert. As you can imagine, that isnt really comfortable for a 2 or 3 hour movie.

i saw star wars 3 when it came out, and the plaster-cracking trebble was just unbearable. but then again, most people will be impressed because of the loudness
When i went to see T-3 they had it turned up so loud it was all most ridiculous and yes my HT does have a lot more detail than the theater does and is easyer to watch a long movie like LOTR , Also in a theater the surround speakers can really give away there location and the bass does not seem to be as deep as in my home, yes it is loud but not real deep,I know what your saying about not sounding as good as a HT but sometimes i really like the volume and spacious sound you get in a big theater.

[Woochifer]

That sounds to me like an issue with the movie theater. It's either an issue with the theater sound system not up to snuff, incorrect setup, or a problem with the decoder.

The way you're describing things, I would guess that you got the optical soundtrack played back and not the digital track. With DD and DTS, you should not hear any hiss and the split surround action should be very apparent. On the theatrical print, the DD track is optically printed onto the tiny section of film between the sprocket holes. Any problem with the decoder, and the sound will default back to the optical soundtrack, which has worse sound quality than FM radio. With an optical track, you can hear all kinds of anomalies, especially if with a damaged print or misaligned projector. I once went to a movie where the DD soundtrack could not properly read for one of the reels, and the sound kept switching back and forth between digital and optical. You could really hear the difference.

Also, alot of movie theater chains pay poor attention to properly playing back the movie soundtracks properly. Some of the theaters I've been to, multiplexes especially, will purposely crank up the bass, even if it completely throws the sound out of balance and distorts. To me, that's making up for inadequacies in the sound system, and presuming that the audience prefers exaggerated, distorting bass, over something that's more balanced to the true capabilities of the audio system.

If you want good presentation, you have to go with a good theater that knows how to properly present the movies.

Compared to a home theater, a great movie theater can't be beat simply because of the scale that it can command. The scale and impact of a 60'+ widescreen, along with a properly calibrated array of adequately powered speakers and subwoofer banks, cannot be duplicated at home. However, home theaters have an advantage in that you can optimize the playback for the listening position, which ensures more pinpoint imaging cues. Also, a lot of DVD soundtracks nowadays are getting remixed to convey more deliberate cues with home theater setups.

[ryjam282]

Either way, how did you like the movie? I thought it absolutely rocked. Paply is the man, and is so calm and collective until the right moment when the "Are you threatening me Master Jedi" line comes and then the movie just takes a very dark turn and never lets up....Great stuff Mr. Lucas.

[bjornb17]

Either way, how did you like the movie? I thought it absolutely rocked. Paply is the man, and is so calm and collective until the right moment when the "Are you threatening me Master Jedi" line comes and then the movie just takes a very dark turn and never lets up....Great stuff Mr. Lucas.

i thought it was the best movie of the whole star wars franchise. i liked episodes 1 and 2, although they were nothing spectacular, but episode 3 was on a whole other level. I left the movie saying "wow, that was much better than i could have ever expected" :)

[Woochifer]

I finally got around to seeing Sith over the weekend, and I will say that from what I heard at the theater, Sith definitely seemed to have less surround activity than the first two prequels. I would not say that the surrounds lacked directionaity , but it was not one of the best soundtracks that I've ever heard at that particular theater, which I've been to several times over the last 20 years. It also did not seem to have as much bass emphasis as Clones did.

The theater itself was the Mann Village in Los Angeles, one of the best theaters anywhere. It has a 1,400 seat auditorium, 60' widescreen, and one of the best sound systems I've ever heard. The presentation used a DLP projector, and that was the first time I've seen digital projection at that theater. I have no idea what sound format is used with the DLP presentations, so that might also explain some of the differences that I observed in the sound.

I'm still not altogether sold on digital projection. The image lacked depth and looked somewhat dark on that large screen compared to the 35mm and 70mm films I've seen there in the past. I read that the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood got a brand new 2k DLP projector for Sith, and I thought that was what the Village theater installed, but now I'm not so sure.

But, compared to a home theater, the experience of seeing that movie in that large a theater is about the scale. With a home theater, you get better dialog intelligibility and coherency in the imaging cues, and even better image clarity. But, there's nothing like matching the large screen with a massive sound system and a full flank of surround speakers and subwoofers.

To some degree, the magic of movie going is lost with the majority of prints now going to these suburban megaplexes. Compared to a typical 150 seat stadium theater with a 20' widescreen, I actually prefer the home theater. (The stadium configuration makes a smaller screen seem larger, but it also screws up the surround sound imaging) It's gotten to a point, where it's just not worth fighting the crowds, the cell phone ringing, the people talking, etc. unless the theater is special and unique.

[recoveryone]

I finally got around to seeing Sith over the weekend, and I will say that from what I heard at the theater, Sith definitely seemed to have less surround activity than the first two prequels. I would not say that the surrounds lacked directionaity , but it was not one of the best soundtracks that I've ever heard at that particular theater, which I've been to several times over the last 20 years. It also did not seem to have as much bass emphasis as Clones did.

The theater itself was the Mann Village in Los Angeles, one of the best theaters anywhere. It has a 1,400 seat auditorium, 60' widescreen, and one of the best sound systems I've ever heard. The presentation used a DLP projector, and that was the first time I've seen digital projection at that theater. I have no idea what sound format is used with the DLP presentations, so that might also explain some of the differences that I observed in the sound.

I'm still not altogether sold on digital projection. The image lacked depth and looked somewhat dark on that large screen compared to the 35mm and 70mm films I've seen there in the past. I read that the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood got a brand new 2k DLP projector for Sith, and I thought that was what the Village theater installed, but now I'm not so sure.

But, compared to a home theater, the experience of seeing that movie in that large a theater is about the scale. With a home theater, you get better dialog intelligibility and coherency in the imaging cues, and even better image clarity. But, there's nothing like matching the large screen with a massive sound system and a full flank of surround speakers and subwoofers.

To some degree, the magic of movie going is lost with the majority of prints now going to these suburban megaplexes. Compared to a typical 150 seat stadium theater with a 20' widescreen, I actually prefer the home theater. (The stadium configuration makes a smaller screen seem larger, but it also screws up the surround sound imaging) It's gotten to a point, where it's just not worth fighting the crowds, the cell phone ringing, the people talking, etc. unless the theater is special and unique.Hey Woo, I think the Mann is setup like the Spectrum in Irvine that also uses a DLP projector, the sound is full digital. I saw SW2 there and it was awsome. Way better than what I saw and heard at the Ontario Mills AMC. But I would have to agree with most ppl other post that my home system is far better than any theater I been in.