when did they start doing surround sound for movies? (1 Viewer)

[felix_suwarno]

i was browsing netflix, and a few 1992 movies were recorded in dolby 2.0.

when did they start using dolby 5.1? what movie was the first?

 

[Damin J Toell]

when did they start using dolby 5.1? what movie was the first?

The first film fully released with Dolby Digital 5.1 was Batman Returns in 1992.
To answer the question in your thread topic, though, multi-channel surround soundtracks have been around since the 1950s.
DJ

 

[JeremySt]

I have also heard that the first film to use "Digital Surround" (not DD) was Dick Tracy. Could be wrong.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

Fantasound for the 1941 premiere gala release of Fantasia. At the very least credited as the first feature film with multi-track surround sound.

Walt Disney and his team used to be the ones who set the pace and other's followed.

Speaking of pioneering, there were a handful of films from various studios using a widescreen process (including 70mm) as far back as the 1930's. Although, the widescreen process didn't become popular until the early 1950's due to the rise of television.

Dan

 

[Damin J Toell]

I have also heard that the first film to use "Digital Surround" (not DD) was Dick Tracy. Could be wrong.

Dick Tracy (1990) was the first film to use CDS (on the 70mm prints), a digital surround format that was also used on Terminator 2 and Edward Scissorhands. CDS ("Cinema Digital Sound") was had 5.1 discrete channels and was the first such digital format. It wasn't used on 35mm prints until The Doors in 1991.
DJ

 

[felix_suwarno]

CDS? now the question is, was there a receiver that did CDS? looks like CDS had a short life.

 

[felix_suwarno]

top gun :

Sound Mix: 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) / Dolby (35 mm prints)

what do they mean? i have never heard 70 mm 6 track. what does dolby mean there? 2.0 ?

 

[Dan Hitchman]

Usually 6 track magnetic 70mm sound had two additional speakers behind the screen (for five total) and a mono surround channel (spread throughout the auditorium).

A few newer 70mm tracks allocated the additional screen channels to stereo surround duty and the sixth channel as a "baby boom" channel. The configuration in most home and commercial theaters now. Apocalypse Now and Alien both used 6 track in this fashion, as examples. I think the 70mm blowup of Top Gun also used 6 track in this manner.

If you can, find and pick up the AC-3 LD version of Alien as it has the original 70mm roadshow mix on it with stereo surrounds. The current DVD is sourced from the 2.0 Dolby Stereo master with mono surrounds, although they did fix the audio cue screw ups. Hopefully the 5 Star version of Alien will mix the corrected 35mm cues with the 70mm roadshow mix that has a much more surround heavy experience.

Dan

 

[Damin J Toell]

eek. unnecessary post. deleted by author.

DJ

 

[Peter Kline]

Modern surround sound (after Fantasia) was introduced in 1952's "This Is Cinerama". There were 5 speakers spaced behind the 146 degree curved screen; 2 speakers on either side of the auditorium and one in the rear which was manually turned on from time to time by a sound technician during the showings. Although the 3 projector Cinerama printed programs (except for "South Seas Adventure") indicate 6 channels in an illustration (form Popular Mechanics), there were 7 descrete ones from a separate mag. reel that was syncronized with the 3 film projectors. 7 films were made in the original process with an 8th film made in a copycat system call Cinemiracle (which was eventually bought out by Cinerama).

The Cinerama films:

This Is Cinerama (1952)
Cinerama Holiday (1955)
Seven Wonders Of The World (1956)
South Seas Adventure (1957)
Search For Paradise 1958)
The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm (1962)
How The West Was Won (1962)

....and in Cinemiracle:

Windjammer (1958)

 

[GregK]

Following up on what Peter said, Cinerama had a most
impressive audio set up. I was fortunate enough to see
and hear "How the West Was Won" in it's original Cinerama
format in Dayton, OH. ..It was simply amazing. Besides a
slight amount of hiss, the audio was clean, directional,
and dynamic.

Avoid the current DVD of "How the West Was Won", as
it does not have a 5.1 mix, merely a 2-channel Dolby
Surround mix. The picture is also sub-standard, having
been made from an inferior print that combined the
original three panel Cinerama prints.

 

[Jeff Pounds]

Since nobody else has mentioned it, I'll go ahead and note that Jurassic Park was the first film released in dts.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Star Trek VI and Newsies were test-run in Dolby Digital in 2 theaters unadvertised.
Heaven and Earth was the first print the theater I worked at got that had a Dolby Digital track on it- we didn't have the equipment installed yet, and for a while only the prints that went to theaters that had DD actually had the track on it.

 

[Peter Kline]

For the upcoming 50th Anniversary showing of "This Is Cinerama" at the Dome in Hollywood, a new 7 channel digital conversion of the soundtrack has been made from the original analog elements along with a brand new print (I should say 3 prints). I hope an annoucement of when the 3 projector showings will commence will be made by August. September 30 is the anniversary of the first showing of the film (it was at the Broadway Theatre in NYC - a converted legit house).

 

[Derek Miner]

now the question is, was there a receiver that did CDS?

For the home? I don't think it was ever attempted. CDS died out by the end of 1991.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Actually, the original Fantasound run of Fantasia was in late 1940. After the disaster premire, the film was heavily edited (to 87 minutes!) and released in plain vanilla mono.

It wasn't until the 1991 re-release that the original Fantasound was heard again. The 1982 version had a lousy re-score by Irwin Kostel in plain Dolby Stereo.

 

[Ted Lee]

i remember in the late 70's / early 80's when i used to go to a lot of movies with my uncle.
we wouldn't go to a movie unless it had the "70mm 6-track dolby stereo" moniker. it was an absolute must.
i think one of our favorite theaters was "The Hastings" - i think it was in pasadena. huge theater, big-screen, great sound. i think they eventaully converted one theater into two separate ones!

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>Since nobody else has mentioned it, I'll go ahead and note that Jurassic Park was the first film released in dts.

 

[Damin J Toell]

I have no idea!!! That's the one that they mess up the original release, right? I sent mine back and have it replaced, and I must say it's a real good track.

He was talking about the theatrical release of Jurassic Park, not the DVD.
DJ

 

[felix_suwarno]

so why didnt those old surround system survive then? why didnt they make those for home system?

and what is the difference between dobly digital and dolby ac3?

and why does sdds not used for home system? is it better than dts?