Even though the home cinema has become a lot better through the years, including big televisions/beamers and surround systems, a visit to the cinema remains a unique experience. The feeling of seeing a movie together with an audience on a gigantic screen and a big sound system can’t be replicated at home. Cinemas sometimes add something to make the experience even more unique. One of those options is watching movies in the IMAX format, with a big screen close to the audience and an improved sound system. Other cinemas offer the Atmos system by Dolby, in which the sounds aren’t only produced by speakers at the side of the theater, but also above the audience, making the experience even more effective.

Dolby is mainly known for its expertise in the audio field, but with Dolby Cinema the company wants to make going to a movie an even more unique event. Last week the first Dolby Cinema in the world opened its doors within the JT cinema in Eindhoven, The Netherlands and My Filmviews was present for its presentation.

The concept

The Dolby Cinema concept consists of various parts and Dolby has thought about every detail of going to the cinema. This is immediately clear before entering the theater itself. The moviegoer is presented with an impressive 9 meter long round wall on which 4 projectors can show a movie (supported by audio) in the theme of the movie you are about to see.

As you can see above, during the presentation it was showing “The Shire” from The Hobbit. It is an invitation for you to enter and the blue lighting in the dark hall towards theater guides the audience. What stands out is the length of it. The reason for this is to separate the theater from the rest of the cinema and also making sure that as little sound from outside can reach the audience.

The theatre

Once you are inside, you will notice the blue lighting here as well, used in the stairs and walls. The seats have been placed in such a way that every visitor has the best possible viewing angle. This means that the seats at the front have been placed at an angle compared to the screen, which results in moviegoers not having to move turn their necks. The seats in the front can also recline slightly to offer more comfort. The charis are firm, have a headrest and Dolby has made sure there is plenty of room for your legs as well. Some isles have so much space that you can fully extend them without touching the seats in front.

Sound

When it comes to technology the best systems have been chosen. For the sound Dolby’s Atmos system is used. The speakers are hidden from the audience resulting in a clean look. It also means that you can’t predict where the sounds are coming from. The system is very effective. During a demonstration various trailers were shown. During a clip from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in which the apes are about to go hunting in the rain I really got the feeling of being there as you are hearing the raindrops everywhere, so not only the sides, but above you as well.

Image

For the imaging the newest laserprojection is used. A big advantage of these new projectors is that they are able to generate more light, which is a good thing for 3D projection. Because 3D glasses take away a big part of the light reaching your eye the image loses brightness. But here the image is so much brighter that I didn’t feel it was happening during a clip from Life of Pi. In one of the scenes in the lifeboat I felt the colors were just as bright as I would normally experience during a 2D showing. The projectors that are currently being used are temporary though as they will be replaced by “Dolby Vision” projectors in 2015. These will be able to show more detail as the use a higher dynamic range. This should result in an image which is closer to the way the eye sees everything in everyday life.

3D

For 3D the Dolby Cinema uses Dolby 3D glasses. These glasses have a green and red filter for each eye and although you won’t notice this initially you are able to see it when you twist your head slightly and look at the corner of the glasses. If you are sitting like you are supposed to though it isn’t a problem though. What did stand out (and slightly annoyed me) was that the light from the screen which reaches your face is reflected from inside the lenses. This is a distraction. I’ve tried two separate pairs of glasses and experienced this with both of them. I was wearing my own glasses underneath, so I can’t confirm if this effect also happens if you are only wearing the Dolby 3D glasses, but it could be the result of the brighter picture.

Conclusion

The Netherlands can be proud to have the first Dolby Cinema in the world. It is a unique and convincing concept that is well worth the slightly higher price of admission. It is an experience you will not be able to replicate at home. Although Dolby couldn’t share any dates yet of the rollout of these Dolby Cinemas in other parts of the world, they could already inform me that they are in talks with various chains in other countries to install them there. Until then you will have to head to Holland to experience it.