Cinema Professional Installation THX
THX has been synonymous with great movie sound for decades. Now, THX sets the bar for picture quality with accurate color, sharp pictures and the critically acclaimed THX Movie Mode. It’s no wonder THX Certified Displays are among the world’s best, or any other world for that matter. Most movie fans have heard the THX Deep Note sound effect playing a favorite film. But, what exactly is THX? Is it the same as Dolby Surround Sound or DTS? In March 2009 DTS becomes Datasat Digital Entertainment!
Edge of a 35mm film print showing the soundtracks. The outermost strip (left of picture) contains the SDDS track as an image of a digital signal; the next contains the perforations used to drive the film through the projector, with the Dolby Digital track, the grey areas with the Dolby Double-D logo, between them. The two tracks of the analog soundtrack on the next strip are bilateral variable-area, where the amplitude is represented as a waveform. These are generally encoded using Dolby Stereo matrixing to simulate four tracks. Finally, to the far right, the timecode used to synchronize with a DTS soundtrack CD-ROM is visible.
From a technical standpoint, THX provides architectural standards for cinema design and equipment performance. These standards help cinema owners build world-class facilities with fine-tuned acoustics, tightly controlled sound isolation and high-performance sound systems. The world’s most prominent venues, including Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Empire Cinemas in London and the AFI Silver Springs in Maryland all boast THX certification.
Unique to every THX Certified Cinema is the THX "baffle wall.” If you were to peel away the screen at any THX Certified Cinema, you will see a massive wall of speakers housed in an acoustic baffle (speaker system enclosure).The baffle wall is approximately the same size as the screen, providing a solid, smooth and uninterrupted surface to distribute sound throughout the auditorium. It produces a large sound image and accurately tracks sound elements with the onscreen action. This makes panning shots and off-screen sounds more believable and natural, helping to pull audiences into the storyline. Without a baffle wall, the sound is uncontrolled – producing a weak, uneven image.
THX Cinema Services is an on-site installation and integration organization for digital cinema and beyond. With a network of highly trained technicians, THX Cinema Services brings an independent resource to the exhibition industry to provide a complete support and maintenance solution to theater operators.
As the transition is made to D-Cinema and 3D, a theater operator must not only install new equipment but also train employees to maintain the equipment on a regular basis. THX Cinema Services offers solutions that range from product installation to field training of cinema personnel. The experts at THX Cinema Services are skilled in a variety of equipment manufacturers and technology formats, ensuring dependable and consistent turnkey support.
