my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Dolby Surround EX still in use? (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Dolby Surround EX still in use? Brian D. Whitish Expert Film Handler Posts: 103 From: Seattle, WA, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-04-2009 01:47 AM                     Is Dolby surround EX still being used for theatrical releases? Its no long on their website nor is it on posters anymore. Or is it on all prints? Brian  |  IP: Logged Daniel Schulz Master Film Handler Posts: 387 From: Los Angeles, CA USA Registered: Sep 2003 posted 09-04-2009 02:26 AM                        Dolby Surround EX (or in its DTS Digital Sound equivalent, DTS-ES) is still in use, though it's not favored by most mixers. The last theatrical release with an Extended Surround track was Disney/Pixar's Up, and the the next is Overture's Pandorum. We're seeing typically 2-3 Hollywood releases per year.  |  IP: Logged Scott Ribbens Expert Film Handler Posts: 118 From: Los Angeles Registered: Oct 1999 posted 09-05-2009 12:16 AM                     " Ponyo " was/is in EX.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-07-2009 03:52 AM                     Woo hoo.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 09-07-2009 03:09 PM                     Our CP650 indicates "UP" has EX.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-07-2009 03:50 PM                     Watch out Bill...you might give John a Heart Attack with such excitement! SG  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 09-07-2009 04:29 PM                     I agree with John, big f-in whoop. EX is wasted in so many theatres, either by crap acoustics or the fact that the house is so narrow that the effect is wasted due to no "room to run around." Nice try Dolby...  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-07-2009 06:43 PM                     Just the mention of a feature being released in EX makes... ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.................... Seriously, I'm glad Pixar still support it, but when no other major release all summer has bothered with it it just makes me mad...especially when it turns up on DVD with an extra track. Dolby EX and Exhibitors...why on earth did we both bother?  |  IP: Logged Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 09-07-2009 07:12 PM                     What about the digital release? Will that have ex encoding?  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-07-2009 09:36 PM                     Well see, there is another rub. DCinema doesn't really have the EX channel built into it schemes. Sure, they are all set up as 8-channel but the 7th and 8th channels are rather nebulous in design. In once scheme they are listed in the Todd-AO fashion of 5-behind the screen, 2 surround and a sub (5/2L in some circles). But okay, if one were to do that...how does a 5.1 theatre do that mix down? Nothing provided for there. So lets look at Cinema processors...the CP650...if you want the DCinema version...EX comes along for the ride and you have to either wire it up for that OR pay attention to your surround levels because it will presume you have all four surround channels and will play the channels at the levels presuming all four are there. So sound wise, DCinema is digging itself into the 5.1 model despite having the capability for 8 to 16 channels right now. Steve  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 09-07-2009 10:47 PM                        quote: Scott Ribbens " Ponyo " was/is in EX. Just to keep all the "Zzzzzzz" going, all of Studio Ghibli's films have been EX since the format came into use.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-12-2010 05:19 AM                     Alice In Wonderland is EX.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-12-2010 05:25 AM                        Remember when all of the top-notch theaters were running around busting their balls to install EX or equivalent? Ha ha!  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 03-13-2010 04:48 AM                     We have EX with CP500's but heard that there was a needed version update with the 500's to make EX work more stable. ..we got EX shut off for the time being.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 03-13-2010 02:10 PM                     DVD tried to help the Dolby•EX situation. DTS-ES one-upped it by offering a discrete 6.1 scheme. Now Blu-ray has made the entire EX thing irrelevant by offering 7.1 channel layouts, with four surround channels. And even that isn't getting used all that much by various movie releases on Blu-ray. So there's very little if any advertising value left in a format that simulates a back wall surround channel. DTS' last couple of theatrical sound processors could do discrete 8 channel layouts. If D-Cinema was better deployed it could do the same as well. But there's no activity happening on that.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.