Dolby Cinema is a type of premium large format movie theater designed by Dolby Laboratories that combines Dolby proprietary technologies such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as other signature entrance and intrinsic design features. The technology competes with IMAX and other premium large formats such as Cinemark XD and Regal's RPX (Regal Premium Experience).[1][2][3]
History
The first installations featuring Dolby Cinema were JT (now Vue) Bioscopen Cinema in Eindhoven, Netherlands on December 18, 2014; followed by Cinesa La Maquinista in Barcelona, Spain.[4] Dolby Laboratories has partner contracts with Cinesa, Vue Cinemas, AMC Theatres (known as Dolby Cinema at AMC, formerly Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime until early 2017),[5] Cineplexx Cinemas, Wanda Cinemas, Jackie Chan Cinema, Reel Cinemas and Odeon Cinemas[6] to install Dolby Cinemas.[7]
On May 26, 2017, Dolby announced they made a deal with Pathé Cinémas to open 10 new locations in Europe. Seven will be located in France and three will be located in The Netherlands.
Technology
Dolby Vision
Dolby Cinema uses a Dolby Vision projection system developed by Dolby Laboratories in collaboration with Christie Digital. The system consists of dual Christie 4K 6P (primary) modular laser projectors featuring a custom design to allow for unique light path. The system is capable of delivering up to 48 cd/m2 on unity-gain matte-white screens for 3D (and up to 106 cd/m2 for 2D), a substantial improvement on current generation 3D systems which deliver in the range of 10 to 14 cd/m2 for 3D. The result is improved brightness, color, and contrast compared to traditional xenon projectors.[10][11] The first theaters temporarily used off-the-shelf dual Christie 4K laser projectors until the Dolby Vision-capable ones were shipped out in spring 2015.[2]
Dolby 3D uses spectrum separation, where the two projectors function in stacked operation with each projector emitting a slightly different wavelength of red, green, and blue primary. There is no polarization present on the projector, and the 3D spectacles have notch filters that block the primaries used by the projector projecting the image intended for the other eye.
See also
- IMAX
- RealD 3D
External links
References
- Sensory Assault: Dolby Takes on IMAX With Mega Theater Rival The Hollywood Reporter, March 12, 2014^
- Mariella Moon. Dolby is launching its super-vivid IMAX competitor in the Netherlands retrieved December 7, 2014^
- Kevin Lally. Going Big: More and more circuits invest in Premium Large Format brands