I experienced Dolby’s reference 34-speaker Dolby Atmos theater – and it made me appreciate the importance of movie theaters
DA Gadgets I
recently
visited
Dolby
Europe’s
HQ
in
Soho,
London
and
got
to
learn
about
all
things
Dolby
–
from
Dolby
Vision
HDR
grading
to
Dolby
Atmos
audio
production.
But,
the
most
mind-blowing
moment
came
when
I
experienced
Dolby’s
own
reference
Dolby
Atmos
movie
theater,
called
the
Screening
Room.
First
stepping
into
the
room,
I
could
tell
that
this
was
no
ordinary
movie
theater.
It
was
clear
that
every
detail
had
been
carefully
planned
out
and
that
this
was
what
movie
theaters
are
supposed
to
look
and
feel
like.
The
demo
consisted
of
clips
from
popular
movies
and
trailers,
including
Dune:
Part
Two,
Spider-Man:
Across
the
Spider-Verse,
Top
Gun:
Maverick
–
a
regular
favorite
I
use
to
test
the
best
TVs
and
best
soundbars
–
Barbie
and
more.
All
demonstrated
how
effectively
Dolby
Vision
and
Dolby
Atmos
add
a
greater
dimension
to
the
viewing
experience.
The
high
level
of
audio-visual
immersion
in
that
theater
was
something
I’d
never
experienced
before,
and
while
I
was
sitting
there,
it
dawned
on
me
that
this
is
why
movie
theaters
are
so
important.
Of
course,
I’d
been
to
movie
theaters
plenty
of
times,
but
I
hadn’t
been
for
a
long
time,
usually
just
sticking
with
home
viewing
for
convenience.
While
it’s
possible
to
get
a
seriously
good
home
theater
setup
that
combines
incredible
sound
with
visual
brilliance
from
the
best
4K
projectors
or
best
OLED
TVs
–
as
we
discovered
with
these
7
setups
during
our
Home
Theater
Week
–
there’s
something
about
heading
to
the
movies
that
hits
differently.
A
different
experience
altogether
Every
aspect
of
the
Dolby
screening
room
felt
detailed,
even
the
opening
demo!
(Image
credit:
Future)
Dolby’s
theater,
which
seats
up
to
67
people,
was
filled
with
comfortable
black
leather
chairs
bathed
in
blue
lights.
I
was
told
that
both
of
these
elements
were
intentional,
as
the
blue
light
gives
a
softer
glow
to
set
a
mood
and
the
particular
material
used
on
the
chairs
doesn’t
reflect
light
from
the
screen,
allowing
for
greater
visual
immersion.
Dolby
had
carefully
considered
every
aspect
of
the
experience.
The
theater
uses
34
speakers,
all
carefully
positioned
to
maximize
the
effectiveness
of
Dolby
Atmos
soundtracks,
and
the
clips
and
scenes
that
were
shown
used
Dolby
Vision
HDR
to
create
a
high-impact
image.
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and
more.
The
demo
began
with
the
Darkstar
test
flight
scene
from
Top
Gun:
Maverick.
Immediately,
thunderous
bass
shook
the
room
and,
despite
the
power,
there
was
a
perfect
sense
of
control.
As
Maverick
flew
over
Admiral
Kane’s
head,
the
sound
of
the
jet
seemed
to
fly
over
my
head
and
down
the
length
of
the
room.
Wind
whipping
against
the
windows,
the
rumble
of
engines
and
even
the
tightening
of
Mav’s
grip
on
the
flight
stick
–
it
all
sounded
crystal
clear
and
accurately
placed,
making
me
feel
like
I
was
in
the
cockpit.
Across
The
Spider
Verse
showed
off
the
system’s
more
subtle,
nuanced
side.
In
the
scene
where
Miles
is
being
interrogated
towards
the
movie’s
ending,
the
creaking
floorboards,
punching
bag
and
a
turntable’s
crackles
all
blended
perfectly
with
the
foreboding,
bassy
synths.
Each
effect
was
reproduced
perfectly
and
was
clear
enough
that
I
felt
I
could
pinpoint
the
speaker.
Elsewhere,
Dune:
Part
Two
delivered
an
immersive,
crunching
experience
as
explosions
and
gunshots
rocked
the
room,
balanced
with
the
isolated
breathlessness
of
the
characters
during
moments
of
calm.
Finally,
the
house
party
sequence
in
Barbie
provided
the
ultimate
pop
dazzle,
showcasing
the
system’s
excellent
dynamic
range
during
Dua
Lipa’s
Dance
The
Night
Away.
As
for
Dolby
Vision,
no
detail
was
lost
even
in
the
dark
cockpit
scenes
from
Top
Gun:
Maverick.
Barbie
demonstrated
luscious,
bright
pinks
and
bold,
vibrant
colors,
all
of
which
are
expertly
handled
with
no
oversaturation.
Finally,
Dune:
Part
Two
looked
suitably
epic,
but
with
lifelike
textures
and
detail
in
the
more
intimate
shots.
An
unmatched
feeling
My
trip
to
Dolby
HQ
in
London
made
me
realise
just
how
good
movie
theaters
can
be
(Image
credit:
Dolby)
Watching
in
Dolby’s
screening
room
made
me
understand
just
how
vital
movie
theaters
are;
they
are
the
best
way
to
experience
movies.
A
giant
screen
you
could
never
get
in
your
house
and
a
sound
system
that
immerses
you
in
a
way
that
not
even
the
best
Dolby
Atmos
soundbars
can
is
what
going
to
the
movies
is
all
about.
And
while
fellow
movie-goers
can
sometimes
be
annoying,
there’s
also
a
sense
of
community
–
we’ve
all
seen
the
clips
of
crowds
reacting
to
Avengers:
Endgame.
Sadly,
the
future
of
movie
theaters
looks
bleak,
with
many
closing
all
over
the
world.
But
now
with
the
prices
of
streaming
services
increasing,
movie
theaters
have
a
shot
to
make
a
comeback.
Dolby
is
working
with
companies
to
bring
its
‘Dolby
Cinema’
to
more
locations.
In
the
UK,
for
instance,
there
are
now
Dolby
Cinemas
in
multiple
cities
including
London
and
Birmingham
with
plans
to
open
more.
While
not
every
movie
theater
is
going
to
deliver
the
same
level
of
performance
as
Dolby’s
Screening
Room,
the
quality
of
many
theaters
is
better
than
what
most
of
us
can
achieve
at
home,
so
I
say
head
down
to
your
local
movie
theater
as
soon
as
you
can!
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