The revolution will not be televised: How Lucas modernised audio in film

the crisp provincial multiplexes of today

I'm hoping Dabbsie is being ironic. Or may he only goes to new build or newly refurbished multiplexes. The local ones around here have out of focus pictures and sound turned up to 12. (Yes, higher than 11)

THX name derived?

>While it is sometimes hinted that the "THX" name is derived from Holman's initials (plus

>an "X" because it looks cool) sci-fi movie buffs will be aware that THX is an obvious

>reference to Lucas's first film, THX 1138, a soporific low-budget cult dystopian slow-burner

>from 1971

1967. Electronic Labyrinth THX-1138 EB

Also the license plate (number plate to you lot) on the '32 Ford Deuce Coupe in American Graffiti – THX 138 – which began filming in 1972. And one or two oblique references in Star Wars.

So, THX derived from Holman's initials? Pipe Dream as far as I can tell.

Can I just say that the revolution will be televised. And have corporate sponsors.

The second hidden revolution was pushed by Avatar..

.. no, no, no, slow down, not for the 3D. That was merely the sales argument.

The real revolution was the conversion of a movie theatre to full digital reproduction. The only way a 3D movie like Avatar could be shown was by converting the movie theatre so it could play from a hard disk instead of reels of film. Sure, the theaters were sold this 3D utopia that Avatar indeed demonstrated but which has since not really been used to good effect (yes, that's an understatement), but the real revolution that quietly came along with it was that now movies could be sent to theaters as (DROm protected) files instead of rolls of film.

In other words, with a bit intelligent use of torrenting you could globally show a movie globally only a few hours after production has finished (minus subtitles & translated speech) because so many theaters have been converted into what is basically is a powerful cousin of the kit you use to show Powerpoint/Keynote slides with at work or school.

Modernised audio? Hmm...

I first saw Star Wars in the cinema back in 1979 and the experience was - in my unreliable memory at least - exactly as it should have been. The sound and vision were great even if the seats were small and shabby (but when you're 12, lack of legroom is rarely an issue). My local cinemas were technically pretty decent. Lest we forget, high fidelity sound reproduction did exist in the 1970s and at least some cinemas had competent technical staff who cared about providing a good audience experience.

Mr Dabb's article is entirely right about the technical improvements in cinema audio in the years since. Certainly, cinema sound ought to be universally better now than in ye olden days.

But you know what? I've given up on seeing films in the cinema mostly because the sound is generally so rotten. Audio is often painfully bad in the big modern multiplexes near me (the area's moderately affluent, urban, well connected, and densely populated with a fair bit of cinema competition) and I can't understand why. There's usually far too much bass, the gain's generally cranked up so high the repro system distorts horribly, and I try to forget the rest of the flaws. The experience is often harsh almost beyond endurance. No, no, I don't mind loud sound at all. I've enjoyed many Motorhead gigs. Bad sound is the problem. I shouldn't get better sound playing a DVD at home on the iMac feeding my ordinary stereo at home, but I do.

Does anyone know what's going on? Mr Dabbs is quite right about the technology to ensure superb cinema sound being deployed from recording to theatre audio rigs. Why's it operated so badly in cinemas at least in this corner of England?

THX certification isn't just for theatres

A guy I knew back in the 90s built a custom home with a custom home theater designed with the help of a supercomputer at Stanford (where he had moved from) and paid to have it THX certified. Why, I have no idea, but he was a radiologist who was also a PhD in computer science doing pioneering work in medical imaging, so he could afford it.

Can I just point out also...

...most ordinary fleapit cinemas in the UK were still mono up until the mid 90's at least.

So whatever improvements had been made up till that point would have gone unnoticed by most.

2 Items

1. The key to THX certification was the use of an HP sound analyzer similar to that used (in the 1980s) on US Submarines by "Sound Silencing" teams. The analyzer could be programmed for waveform analysis and "noise" detection on a per frequency/bandwidth basis,

Reference tones / pink noise would be played by the film projectors

Signals would be amplified, processed, and distributed to the speakers

Sounds would be emitted from the speakers

Multiple microphones / accelerometers would convert the sounds back to electrical signals, which were fed to the sound analyzer, which would check for frequency response, harmonic distortion. phase distortion (typically seen / expected at frequency crossover points), and amplitude.

Results were then used to fine tune the equalizers / filters / amplifiers in a feedback loop - tests and adjustments would continue, until the theater was declared to be "in spec"

Best of all, the process would be repeated at regular intervals (quarterly / semi-annually / annually), so certification resulted in a regular paycheck going to Lucasfilm / THX.

2. Any article about theater sound systems should mention the movie "Alien". At least, in my neck of the woods, it was the first "true Dolby Stereo" movie where the stereo effect & noise reduction were truly noticeable.

THX

Lucas's determination to introduce the THX specification for cinemas was admirable, just a real shame that in the UK the number of THX certified screens has fallen greatly in number.

The average UK cinema goer isn't clued up in technology and simply doesn't care about the quality of the audio, cinema's don't see any extra revenue from being THX certified. So they've abandoned it.

Says it all when I went to see The Force Awakens in a THX certified screen that the colour was all over the place, focus was in and out and the sound was poor due to blown out speakers. Its alright having certification, but its like an MOT. Only fit for the day it was issued.

"Then the Star Wars logo appears as an almost illegible glow as the projectionist continues to fiddle with the focus ring"

Focus *ring*? There speaks someone with only the vaguest of ideas about how a projector works. Besides, every projectionist worth their salt would already have focused on the certificate.

Also: when I saw Star Wars on first release in January 1978 (it having been released in the UK just after Christmas 1977), you couldn't hear "the hum of the cinema air conditioning, the rumble of a bus driving past and the laughter of a latecomer ordering popcorn in the lobby" over the wolf whistles and cheers at the opening credits.

Still waiting for the holiday special and Ewok specials to be on Blu-ray. :-)

[If that happens it will rain over all of the Sahara Desert for a week.]

You were unlucky!

I saw it in 1977, and had pretty good sound and picture.

Actually, the film image was superior to digital projection in some ways (colours and motion).