ChrisB - I get what you mean about theatres

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#43
I've never really thought about it until now,but yea..the last half a dozen times I've been to the theater,the sound has been horrible! I even remember sitting there during one movie,and being,basically irritated the entire time. Was not enjoyable. I thought it was just a fluke that one time..but thinking back,in the last 10 years or so,the sound quality has gone to crap. It used to be epic.

Never really realized why I haven't cared to go to the movies lately,I think I just figured it out.

I wonder if the theaters get inspected/re-certified for the THX thing at regular intervals? Seems like they wouldn't re-certify a theater with obviously blown speakers.
 
#44
DigitalJunkie said:
I've never really thought about it until now,but yea..the last half a dozen times I've been to the theater,the sound has been horrible! I even remember sitting there during one movie,and being,basically irritated the entire time. Was not enjoyable. I thought it was just a fluke that one time..but thinking back,in the last 10 years or so,the sound quality has gone to crap. It used to be epic.

Never really realized why I haven't cared to go to the movies lately,I think I just figured it out.

I wonder if the theaters get inspected/re-certified for the THX thing at regular intervals? Seems like they wouldn't re-certify a theater with obviously blown speakers.
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I dunno that what we're hearing is necessarily blown drivers or amps - I kinda think it's the outrageous if not physically harmful requirements of the THX specs in the first place. I've been as equally as disenchanted at the Royal Victoria Museum National Geographic Theatre - a real Imax 😉 and not likely an install to run damaged gear

but I guess I could be wrong

I wonder if all sound engineers actually mix listening at the reference levels - perhaps it's because they do, and continue to throughout their careers that the sound quality has deteriorated?
 
#45
Chris, I think the sound quality of the mixes are generally very good for movies. At least when I bring them home. What I was hearing at Skyfall was obvious poor equipment. Whether blown drivers, damaged drivers, poor cross overs, speakers being over driven, or poor setup, I don't know. But it was definitely low-fi. My hunch is a combination of stressed/overdriven speakers and poor/cheap design. They had bad balance and sound at low levels (bad/cheap design). And at higher levels they seemed to dirstort (overdriven).

The quality of speakers to achieve the levels at the listening distances they are faced with in a theatre takes tremendous performance, which likely comes with a high price tag. I'm thinking my $10 went into the theatre owners wallet rather than upgrading the old and tired speakers. The Rutherford Mall theatre in Nanaimo has got to be at least 20 years old. I'm guessing it hasn't changed much.
 
#47
planet10 said:
A commn problem are typical multiplexes spend as little money on gear as they can get away with. ie Accountant driven design.

dave
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Well if these cine-malls meet initial THX certification requirements when new ( is Silver City's set up old enough to have suffered from deterioration already?), what exactly does that say? Is it simply a matter of attaining target SPLS and RTA spectrum content with test gear, or do the "field certification inspectors" actually listen to an entire showing, including the often most egregious portion - the trailers of coming events?

Ryan, you're probably right about the actual quality of sound mix - the recent "blockbuster" releases I watched at home ( all streamed in HD by local cable provider) - Abram's Star Trek, Super 8, Cloverfield, Avatar, to name the first few that come to mind, were quite tolerable at far less than THX level, and I'm pretty sure none of the drivers are blowed up.
 
#50
planet10 said:
THX is not a very comprehensive standard,

dave
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per the infallible resource known as Wikipedia:

The THX system is not a recording technology, and it does not specify a sound recording format: all sound formats, whether digital (Dolby Digital, SDDS) or analog (Dolby Stereo, Ultra-Stereo), can be "shown in THX." THX is mainly a quality assurance system. THX-certified theaters provide a high-quality, predictable playback environment to ensure that any film soundtrack mixed in THX will sound as near as possible to the intentions of the mixing engineer. THX also provides certified theaters with a special crossover circuit whose use is part of the standard. Certification of an auditorium entails specific acoustic and other technical requirements; architectural requirements include a floating floor, baffled and acoustically treated walls, no parallel walls (to reduce standing waves), a perforated screen (to allow center channel continuity), and NC30 rating for background noise.
THX is currently owned by sound card manufacturer Creative Labs, which holds a 60% share of the company.
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IOW, spend as much as you can to make it as good as you can, and for a minor licensing fee we (THX labs) will say so 😉

I mean, when the same certification label can be attached to an automotive audio system as a 1200 seat theater ...

But all jest aside, this is the part that contradicts my most recent experience :

TASA THX.com
 
#51
Dave hit it spot on... Had a buddy who bought some amps off a friend who worked for Cineplex and IMAX over the years... They were Bryston 4B or I believe. not sure what they were used for, but I can only assume they no longer use gear like this and have opted for units costing a fraction with "near similar specs".

I know nothing of the industry but can only guess... As cinemas continue to upgrade to meet the current levels of technology, they will be forced to either redo the whole joint as cheap as possible, or they are able to anticipate the next little bit and have systems that can be upgraded to some extent. Then factor in a multiplex with 10 theatres... bound to be shortcomings in the name of savings.
 
#52
I'm tellin' you guys......
I don't think movie theaters will be around in 10 years.
They will find a way to crack down on pirating, then release movies in 4k resolution for download.
Complete with binaural audio, and tactile transducers.

Personally, I think binaural audio for a movie would be the tits!
Could you imagine how scary they could make horror films?
We are talking heart attack territory.
They would have to come with a disclaimer 🙂
 
#54
I don't go to theaters because of the sound. And that is not just an equipment problem. The soundtrack is manipulative in a way that an old literature major, who wants the play to be the thing, can't buy into. Then the overwhelming spl and surround effects, which said lit major is unwilling to surrender to, just exacerbate the irritation. Too bad. It was the Big Deal. Now it's too big to be good.
 
#55
Take with you some of those Foamy earplugs, SP 32 at least.
Works wonders for the TOO DAMN LOUD and invariably crappy sounds.. then one only has to deal with the Moronic Film.
Dunno about the 5 years.. Although PT Barnum would smile. IMO one has to be genuinely dim of wit to willingly subject oneself to the Movie Theatre experience these days.
 
#56
Bare said:
Take with you some of those Foamy earplugs, SP 32 at least.
Works wonders for the TOO DAMN LOUD and invariably crappy sounds.. then one only has to deal with the Moronic Film.
Dunno about the 5 years.. Although PT Barnum would smile. IMO one has to be genuinely dim of wit to willingly subject oneself to the Movie Theatre experience these days.
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Is this the whole "a sucker is born every minute"? Thing? Barnum never said that. Is that irony?
 
#58
And a lot of people aren't willing to invest the minimum ~$2000 to have an at home theatre experience. They just can't in some cases. You can see a lot of movies at $10 a pop for $2k. Especially if your equipment never requires replacing.
 
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