We had a chance to sit down with Dolby at CinemaCon. There was no news concerning Dolby Cinema technology, but they did announce a deal to install new Dolby Cinema Theater in the Middle East under the Reel Cinema brand (see Cinema Roll Outs).
To date, AMC has rolled out 65 Dolby Cinemas and plans to reach 100 by the end of the year, and 160 by the end of 2018. In China, there are 16 Dolby Cinema venues but Wanda plans to expand to 100 by the end of 2018. In Europe, there are only a half dozen venues, but AMC’s acquisition of the Odeon chain should have increase those numbers in the future, noted Stuart Bowling, Director, Content and Creative Relations at Dolby. So far, 75 movies have been mastered for Dolby Cinema and 650 titles have been mastered in Dolby Atmos. 2700 screens now have Dolby Atmos capability and perhaps 70% of titles get mastered in the format today.
New at CinemaCon was the Dolby Integrated Media Server IMS3000 (IMS3000) which combines Dolby audio and image processing in one unit. Dolby worked with exhibitors, dealers, and the industry to deliver this new integrated solution offering theater operators and the industry more flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. Overall benefits include simplified and streamlined digital cinema operations from postproduction to playback with software solutions for content management. It essentially replaces a full rack of equipment with a single box.
The Dolby IMS3000 is an innovative imaging server and audio processor that allows for more flexibility as it decodes all Dolby audio formats. Exhibitors can start with Dolby Audio 5.1 or 7.1 and upgrade to Dolby Atmos on their own schedule. Installation of the SLS Express Series with the Dolby Multichannel Amplifier is a less expensive option for exhibitors and allows them to maintain the highest standards of sound for theatres of all sizes.
Dolby is also expanding its hardware business in the cinema market (most of its business is based upon licensing). It recently acquired audio speaker provider SLS and is now offering the SLS Express series of 3-axis speakers. – CC
