Cinema Sound & Image Today: Translating Premium Exhibition to Exceptional Residential Cinema Design
04 Feb 2025
CC1.4
Immersive sound in commercial cinema has expanded dramatically since the arrival of ATMOS, AUROMax, and 12 channel IMAX in the last decade. Imaging has moved more slowly since the film to digital transition that peaked in 2009 with the release of Avatar. The benefits of HDR color and dynamic range are rarely seen outside IMAX and Dolby Cinemas, but new light steering DLP Projectors and microLED theater screens will democratize HDR for a growing number of exhibition theaters beginning this year. These new benchmarks for image quality will impact residential performance targets in ways that will be explored in this seminar.
The translation of commercial cinema immersive sound design to residential systems, including the handling of solid screens, will be explored as will the translation of HDR imaging to residential spaces. All the above will be discussed using the framework of CEDIA’s RP22 Immersive Audio Recommended Practice document, and in anticipation of preliminary work on the RP23 document currently in development from the immersive video standards committee.
Apple Vision will be discussed tangentially and the virtual viewing geometry and environmental space options it provides will be reviewed to illustrate what may or may not become a theatrical screening room ‘experience’ alternative.
The author will share images from The Culver Cinema's microLED theater including excerpts from the joint SMPTE/AES meeting held in Feb 2023 where many DPs and Directors experienced the new DCI HDR specification (March 2023) in practice for the first time. The reaction then and since will be discussed in terms that may impact the design decisions, we make in residential cinema projects now and going forward.
Completed theater design examples and case studies will be included to illustrate concepts considered in the presentation.
Session Learning Objectives –
1. Participants will learn to select imaging components to optimize the visual cinematic experience including screens (size, surface, format, and masking strategies); projectors (technology, horsepower, and format); and signal processing hardware (automated tone mapping, and AR management). All will be in consideration for meeting professional cinema performance criteria for the delivery of an exceptional theatrical experience while being faithful to the creative intent.
2. Participants will learn to select sound components including sources (4K, HDR, HFR content), immersive audio SSPs (Codecs & Loudspeaker architectures), amplification (power & headroom), and loudspeakers (Timbre, Dynamics, Dispersion), to achieve the sound objectives found in PLF and boutique cinema exhibition theaters.
3. Participants will learn to evaluate and benchmark the performance of completed architectural cinemas in sound (Timbre, Dynamics, Localization), and image (Field of View, Image Fidelity, HDR WCG D/R and PQ curve matching). The business opportunity for profit and differentiation derived from delivery of elevated cinematic experiences that come from HDR images and Immersive sound in superior spaces will be made self‐evident.
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
![[inst]ALLICHT](https://cdn.asp.events/CLIENT_Integrat_169E7B04_E6F3_39F6_8BE4DB27C54F731E/sites/ise-2025/media/libraries/partners/Inst_Allicht_Logo.png/fit-in/500x500/filters:no_upscale()){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
)
.png/fit-in/500x500/filters:no_upscale())
)
)
)
){kind=logo}
![rAVe [PUBS]](https://cdn.asp.events/CLIENT_Integrat_169E7B04_E6F3_39F6_8BE4DB27C54F731E/sites/ise-2025/media/libraries/partners/rAVe-PUBS-Google-Logo.png/fit-in/500x500/filters:no_upscale()){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
)
)
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}
){kind=logo}