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Author Topic: Wow..A New Dolby Cinema Properly Projecting Scope! Aron Toplitsky Expert Film Handler Posts: 113 From: Gardena, CA, USA Registered: May 2012 posted 07-26-2016 11:19 PM                     I know there are some on this site who have expressed how they are sick of hearing about this topic, but I thought this would be interesting to share. I recently found out there is a new Dolby Cinema installation about 16 miles from where I live, at an AMC in Norwalk CA. As I walked in the auditorium, I was pleasantly surprised to see the trailers being projected on a common height screen. I’m wondering if Dolby and AMC were forced to keep that screen since it’s an old theater? If it were a new theater, I also wonder if they would install a common width screen instead? Anyhow, most of the time I go to the movies I see films in a large format presentation, which many of us know are common width screens and scope films are shown in letterbox. I’ve expressed in another thread how this never really bothered me until it was pointed out on this site. With all that said, I have to admit it was wonderful seeing a summer movie (Star Trek Beyond) in a Dolby Cinema and properly projected in scope. Some have argued on this site how a common height screen makes a difference and I must admit, it really does! It felt more like I was watching a movie. I began to think about all the big summer films I used to see as a kid. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more films at this theater!  |  IP: Logged Brian D. Whitish Expert Film Handler Posts: 103 From: Seattle, WA, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-26-2016 11:26 PM                     I hate common width screens. I saw Star Trek at Seattle's Cinerama which is Atmos and common height.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-26-2016 11:34 PM                     Since this Dolby Cinema installation was a retrofit of an existing, older theater chances are very likely the auditorium's geometry was modeled around a common height screen design. When was this theater originally built? Late 1990's? If the theater is a newer build the screen will likely be a taller, common width design. Another possibly disappointing thing: none of AMC's Dolby Cinema installations have that stealth fighter wall panel design like the couple installations in Europe. These are basically Prime auditoriums, but with a significantly better quality projection system. The only thing that looks identical to the European Dolby Cinema installations is the auditorium entrance.  |  IP: Logged Buck Wilson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 894 From: St. Joseph MO, USA Registered: Sep 2010 posted 07-27-2016 01:28 AM                     Fantastic! Good to hear. quote: Bobby Henderson When was this theater originally built? Late 1990's? If it's this theater; http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/39392 Then May of 1996. Looks like a nice ol gem. I'd like to visit.  |  IP: Logged Aron Toplitsky Expert Film Handler Posts: 113 From: Gardena, CA, USA Registered: May 2012 posted 07-27-2016 02:02 AM                     Bobby, just curious about that wall panel design. Is it supposed to enhance the picture in some way? Buck, yes that is the theater and it was built in the mid 90s.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-27-2016 09:39 AM                     If I remember correctly the stealth fighter styled angular panels on the walls and ceiling are there for acoustic purposes. I don't remember if they were meant to reduce or eliminate certain kinds of sound wave reflections or do more to direct sound waves in a more desirable way. The angled panels do serve some kind of purpose. I guess they're not cheap to make & install either otherwise we would probably see them going into all these AMC Dolby Cinema rooms. I still haven't heard a straight answer to questions about whether other theater chains in the United States could start installing Dolby Cinema screens of their own. It would seem to be very limiting if Dolby signed some kind of exclusivity agreement with AMC on this thing. AMC plans to install 100 of these systems over the next several years. They'll be up to 25 screens before the end of this year. That's a lot for one theater chain. But 100 screens is a very small number when put up against the IMAX brand, which has over 1000 screens in theaters of at least a dozen or more theater chains. Even though Dolby Cinema seems relatively way ahead of IMAX in terms of laser-based theater installations that premium screen concept isn't going to get all that much clout until other chains big and small start installing some Dolby Cinema screens, perhaps even with the stealth fighter wall treatment.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-27-2016 10:34 AM                     Aron, you can't say the Dolby Cinema auditorium was properly projecting scope unless the screen design was common height AND it had proper masking. Did the auditorium have masking?  |  IP: Logged Aron Toplitsky Expert Film Handler Posts: 113 From: Gardena, CA, USA Registered: May 2012 posted 07-27-2016 11:00 PM                     Hi Brad…yes it was definitely a common height screen and it was masked. I noticed the top of the screen touched the ceiling, so it uses side masking instead of downward masking. Please correct my terminology if it's incorrect. I just don't know how else to describe it. AMC will be adding a new Dolby Cinema screen to a theater even closer to me, at the Del Amo 18 in Torrance CA. As far as I know, all of their screens are common height with masking, the exception being the Digital IMAX of course and some of their smaller screens mask the screens downward. Again not sure what you call those? Bobby… I wonder if those theaters you are talking about, the ones with those angular panels, also have seats with the annoying subs in them? That’s the one thing I don’t like about Dolby Cinema at AMC are those bass wired seats or whatever they are. It feels like a gimmick to me. I’m a fiend for great bass but not in my chair. As far as other chains besides AMC having Dolby Cinema, the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood has it. I saw Tomorrowland there.  |  IP: Logged Buck Wilson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 894 From: St. Joseph MO, USA Registered: Sep 2010 posted 07-27-2016 11:57 PM                     Screens with masking on the top and/or bottom are common width... as in, the width of the screen is common between the two formats; Flat and 'Scope The good stuff screens with side-to-side masking are common height... as in, the height of the screen is common between the two formats. And then there's screens with no movable masking at all and those can just diaf.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-28-2016 02:50 AM                     Aron, let me find another way to clarify. If there was any screen visible that did not have picture content on it, then the screen was not masked.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-28-2016 04:06 AM                     Be odd that the top of the screen went up to the ceiling and was masked for scope. That would be a very high picture - way above the common form of line of sight, meaning that the front rows would have a devil of time seeing the feature with their heads craned upwards. Bet it was a 1.85.1 screen with the scope image in the middle, thus a letterbox presentation. This is a common form of house layouts these days. Full screen for flat, and letterbox for scope. EDIT: Went on the Dolby Cinema website and saw the pict of the house. Nice looking ATMOS house. Colors a bit vibrant and contrasting. Sconce lighting looks like a maintenance nightmare. Screen is a floating screen with no masking tabs, but the screen itself is a screen cut for scope presentations. Thus, it is a common height screen. Bet when a FLAT feature is shown on this screen, each side of the screen bordering the FLAT image will be exposed. They're getting it closer to made the presentation look correct and proper. Bet they will not be booking any FLAT content in this house any time soon, and prob will make certain that no FLAT content are booked in these houses. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-28-2016 07:13 AM                     How does one do scope properly without an anamorphic lens? Note, just did another system with an anamorphic lens...NEC this time. Only needed just over 1400 watts to get a 40-foot wide curved (gain) screen lit to 14fL on Scope from edge to edge. And on an NEC, no less!  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 07-28-2016 07:29 AM                     And the projector will NEVER fail, fantastic. Back in topic, I thought Dolby Cinemas were supposed to be fully black and refusbished as per Dolby's design. That does not look like a Dolby Cinema to me. Have Dolby already relaxed the specs?  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 07-28-2016 08:24 AM                     This may be an ATMOS, but not a Dolby Cinema auditorium. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-28-2016 08:33 AM                     Actually that's how all the AMC screens with Dolby Cinema look. It's all the same red and black decor of a AMC Prime house. They just swapped out the projectors and maybe did some improvements to the sound system. All of AMC's Prime and ETX houses were Dolby Atmos equipped already. I think they're running out of any existing Prime or ETX screens to convert over to Dolby Cinema. The conversions to follow after that will be more complicated since they'll have to install new Atmos sound systems along with the new projection setups. quote: Aron Toplitsky Bobby… I wonder if those theaters you are talking about, the ones with those angular panels, also have seats with the annoying subs in them? That’s the one thing I don’t like about Dolby Cinema at AMC are those bass wired seats or whatever they are. I couldn't say for sure, but the seats in the original Dolby Cinema design (the one with the stealth fighter wall panels) look more like regular theater seats. The AMC Prime room design tends to have bigger recliner style seats with the butt subs in them.  |  IP: Logged

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