Barco and Russia’s Nevafilm has installed Auro Technologies’ Auro-3D sound system at Jam Hall cinema in St Petersburg, the first such installation in Europe.
The Auro-3D format offers an additional layer of loudspeakers for height information, elevated 30-degrees above the main channels and leading up to 13.1. The obvious use for such an array is in the cinema, but the 9.1 Auro-3D solution is also applicable to home theatre, as the additional speakers are exactly above the existing ones (L+R front, L+R surround). A codec has also been developed that can fold down 9.1 to 5.1, or 5.1 to 2.0, purely in the PCM domain, with ultra-low latency decoding.
“One of the main benefits of Auro-3D is that it can be used in combination with our existing infrastructure,” said Vadim Kondratenko, owner of Jam Hall cinemas. “We do not need to re-design our auditoriums, but can upgrade to Auro-3D simply by adding height speakers. Auro-3D sound processing is also compatible with our existing setup.”
Brian Claypool, senior director, Strategic Business Development at Barco, which has partnered with Auro Technologies, adds: “Auro-3D gives cinemas the chance to offer their audience something completely new. Cinema sound has not significantly changed over the past twenty years since the introduction of 5.1. Following the path of the digital cinema revolution in projection, 3D sound will add to an even more immersive cinema experience. The effect of Auro-3D is more powerful and much more natural than traditional surround sound.”
For more on the technology see: : http://www.prosoundnewseurope.com/main-content/full/auro-3d-how-does-it-work;jsessionid=0842AA8B8D4D26582AACA4F0723B21A7
