DMD viewers to miss hi-tech sound effects

Most movie theatres in the city are not equipped with Dolby Surround 7. 1, that is necessary for the complete auditory experience of Rohan Sippy's Dum Maaro Dum

DMD viewers to miss hi-tech sound effects

Most movie theatres in the city are not equipped with Dolby Surround 7. 1, that is necessary for the complete auditory experience of Rohan Sippy's Dum Maaro Dum

Rohan Sippy's new venture Dum Maaro Dum (DMD) that boasts of a glittering star cast including Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Rana Duggabati and Pratiek Babbar is in the news again, for a 'sound'u00a0 reason. DMD, which claims to be India's first feature film to use Dolby Surround 7.1, has an uphill task ahead as very few theatres and multiplexes in the city have such an upgraded sound system. According to sound experts, viewers might not be able get their money's worth when they visit theatres to enjoy the dramatic thriller, set amidst the beaches, side streets, and waves of Goa.

The advanced Dolby Surround system 7.1 is supposedly the USP of the movie, which is set to be released today. Speaking to MiD DAY, Shyam Lala, owner of Audio Energy company, which installs and maintains sound systems in theatresu00a0 across the city, said, "There are very few cinemas that are equipped with technology as sophisticated as the 7.1 Dolby Surround system. Most theatres are equipped with the Dolby 5.1 surround system. Of course, the movie can be screened using this system. But the sound effects will not be as state-of-the-art as the moviemakers had promised.

Moreover, this system is more suitable for theatres that have limited seats. This too is an obstacle, as most of our multiplexes are 500 seaters," he said. Lala explained that the effect of the technology would be more pronounced in an enclosed room, preferably a mini-theatre. In Mumbai, out of the 150-odd cinemas, only about 20 to 25 cinemas have installed the advanced 7.1 system. "We are going to screen the movie on Friday. We are not aware of the 7.1 surround system, nor do we have enough information about how the technology should be operated. We have a 5.1 Dolby system, and the movie will be screened using the same," said Rakesh Sharma, general manager, Cinemax Sion.

Another sound engineer from Vile Parle, who requested anonymity, opined, "The producer's desire to create an impressive experience for Dum Maaro Dum viewers might fall flat on its face. The intention of the producer was to involve the audience in the action to such a degree that they would become part of it. However, the sound systems fitted in most of the cinemas is not equipped to create such an effect," he said. However, the good news is that most of the PVR, Cinemax and Big Cinemas movie halls in Mumbai and Pune are equipped with the sound system, and will offer viewers the complete auditory experience of the film.

Dolby 7.1 vs 5.1
Dolby Surround 7.1 improves the spatial dimension of soundtracks and enhances audio definition as it comprises eight channels of audio.u00a0The result is a full-featured audio experience that better matches the visual impact of movie. Dolby Surround 7.1 provides four surround zones to better orchestrate audio channels in a movie theater environment. The two zones found in most movie theatres are the left surround and right surround zones.

In a Dolby Surround 7.1, there are additional back surround left and back surround right zones. The addition of these two zones enhances directionality, panning 360 degrees around the theatre. These features are absent in the 5.1 surround system.

The Other Side
Pankaj Kedia, head, of the sales and business development department, Dolby Laboratories, India, said, "We have received tremendous response from the leading cinema chains to upgrade to Dolby Surround 7.1. Around 100 screens in India have already been configured for playback of Dolby Surround 7.1. We expect 16 multiplexes across Mumbai to play Dum Maaro Dum using Dolby Surround 7.1. There are many more screens across Mumbai and India that are in the process of upgradation to Dolby Surround 7.1. Moreover, we have also completed the audio alignment and calibration of these screens to provide a superior experience to the audiences."