3D audio is coming to a theater(and home) near you

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Several months ago I posted about a 3D audio format called Iosono that literally surrounded the theater with 300-400 speakers. This system had the ability to place audio objects anywhere within the space of the auditorium including outside the speakers and walls, and far, far over your head. The complexity of this system, and the price of installation impeded this version of Iosono from widespread usage.

Since Iosono was introduced, they have now come up with a much more marketable solution based on a 8.1 solution with fewer speakers and more reliance on DSP to achieve the same precise effect. This system uses the standard 7.1 theatrical setup, with a ceiling channel supported my multiple speakers.

Iosono is not alone in adding speakers and channels to the theatrical setup. Dolby introduced Atmos system built around 11.1 channels, adding ceiling speakers as well.

Not to be left behind, DTS and Barco have introduced their own 11.1 theatrical sound system.

Dolby is currently in discussions with CE manufacturers to introduce Atmos 11.1 in home theater receivers. Considering the difficulty in getting folks to upgrade to 7.1, this is going to be a hard sell for Dolby.

IMO, in terms of the theatrical environment, I think this is a huge step forward. I never subscribed as a audio engineer to Audussey 11.1 DSX system or Dolby PLIIz with front height and rear height speakers. To me this was the wrong approach because height was only perceived at the front and rear, but not overhead
The sound was not consistent from source to source, or from scene to scene.

I have been experimenting with height channels via the ceiling using a Smart CSX-jr processor which has a ceiling channel derived by detecting identical information in both the left, right, and center rear channels, and steering some of that information upwards but lower in level. Even though this is not a discrete way of getting a ceiling channel, it has been very effective in giving the enveloping effect of a discrete ceiling channel.

While theaters may adopt all of these 11.1 systems, I don't think Dolby will be very successful in getting this into our hometheaters.

[E-Stat]

IMO, in terms of the theatrical environment, I think this is a huge step forward

Cool. Closer to the state-of-the-art experience of listening to the world outdoors. Where sounds move through the three axes. One of my theatrical "steering" references is when Neytiri observes Jake release an arrow that flies from right front to left rear.

Even though this is not a discrete way of getting a ceiling channel, it has been very effective in giving the enveloping effect of a discrete ceiling channel.

To reproduce overhead helicopters?

[GMichael]

Will there be feathers in the seats to tickle my.... ?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Cool. Closer to the state-of-the-art experience of listening to the world outdoors. Where sounds move through the three axes. One of my theatrical "steering" references is when Neytiri observes Jake release an arrow that flies from right front to left rear.

One of the things I observed from my first Iosono demo was that the sound guys created and ambient bed of outdoor sound in all of the channels, and then placed objects within that bed. So I felt like I was in a soccer field, a meadow, a beach with gulls flying overhead, and a huge cave with endless amounts of discrete reflections. The walls just disappeared and were replaced by an actual sense of a very specific ambient space with specific objects floating within it. It was uncanny

To reproduce overhead helicopters?

So much more than this. Imagine a beach scene(in 3D which I know you enjoy) with the sound of ocean waves hitting the beach in five discrete places(and phantom images in between) along the horizontal axis, Gulls flying overhead(a single or multiple ones in very specific places) along with the ambiance of a beach crowd, and the sound of people in four discrete quadrants around and behind you(4 discrete channels surrounding you). The sonic realism of this scenario would be uncanny. My imagination as a sound designer and mixer is off the chart with this kind of sound design palette. For me this would be the equivalent of being able to paint 3D sonic pictures to match the visuals!.

[E-Stat]

So much more than this. Imagine a beach scene(in 3D which I know you enjoy) with the sound of ocean waves hitting the beach in five discrete places(and phantom images in between) along the horizontal axis, Gulls flying overhead(a single or multiple ones in very specific places) along with the ambiance of a beach crowd, and the sound of people in four discrete quadrants around and behind you(4 discrete channels surrounding you). The sonic realism of this scenario would be uncanny. My imagination as a sound designer and mixer is off the chart with this kind of sound design palette. For me this would be the equivalent of being able to paint 3D sonic pictures to match the visuals!.

So, when do we start?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Will there be feathers in the seats to tickle my.... ?

(Sir T grabs a rubber glove and.........................slaps the heck out of GM for that comment) Tome que sucia de America!(Take that filthy American!)

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

So, when do we start?

It already has started with Disney/Pixar movie Brave coming out this year(Don't know exactly when though). We were the first studio to use the Iosono format, and I wanted to make sure that Disney was the first with this format as well. So when Dolby invited me to demo the fomat at Dolby labs, I quickly got Disney in the game with the first movie I thought would utilize the technology the best, and that movie was Brave.

Peter Jackson is also considering the format for The Hobbit. I don't know of any other studio other than mine that have committed projects to this sound format.

[GMichael]

Must be challenging to sync the 3D audio to the 3D video for every seat in the house. How big is the sweet spot?

(GM picks up the white rubber glove that Sir T hit him with, sniffs it and gags)

WTH were you doing with this thing?!

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Must be challenging to sync the 3D audio to the 3D video for every seat in the house. How big is the sweet spot?

It is really no different than what we do not with 3D and 7.1

(GM picks up the white rubber glove that Sir T hit him with, sniffs it and gags)

WTH were you doing with this thing?!

You sniffed it?? I forgot to tell ya a Proctologist gave it to me.....

[GMichael]

It is really no different than what we do not with 3D and 7.1

It just seems to me that there would be a greater need for precision here.

You sniffed it?? I forgot to tell ya a Proctologist gave it to me.....

Oh thank heaven. I was afraid that you got it from Spanky.

[bobsticks]

Oh thank heaven. I was afraid that you got it from Spanky.

Maybe you hadn't heard...that's Doctor Spanky now

[RGA]

I am excited by this - Movie theaters should be spectacle events - that's the point of going - big screen big sound and it should be "better" than what you can do at home. Keep taking it to the next level.

Still waiting for the holodeck experience from Star Trek - someone was working on this massive room with the virtual reality rigged up systems - I believe at Nasa - hopefully someone else picked it up.

A holodek would be awesome.

[GMichael]

I am excited by this - Movie theaters should be spectacle events - that's the point of going - big screen big sound and it should be "better" than what you can do at home. Keep taking it to the next level.

Still waiting for the holodeck experience from Star Trek - someone was working on this massive room with the virtual reality rigged up systems - I believe at Nasa - hopefully someone else picked it up.

A holodek would be awesome.

When I was at the T.J. Watson Research center, there was one project where you could go into a room and play handball in a type of holodeck room. The ball and your opponent (a disembodied hand) were both holograms. It was a far cry from a STTNG holodeck, but it was only the late 80's.