Posted by Vincent at bg-tc-ppp296.monmouth.com on March 17, 2002 at 15:25:39:
In Reply to: Question for pinecone and/or Vincent posted by Fry on March 17, 2002 at 15:15:07:
- there would have been two for theatrical- 5.1 (or 6.1, I'm not sure if J&SBSB mixed in Dolby-EX or not), and a 2.0 Matrix surround mix. DTS/Dolby Digital/SDDS- there are all DELIVERY FORMATS, *NOT* mixing formats. Essentially, you're taking the uncompressed 5.1 mix and then encoding it using one of these delivery formats. Arguments over the merits of each system have to do with how well the compressed audion sounds in comparison to the uncompressed original. The *ONLY* instance where a "special" mix is made specifically for one of these formats would be if you were mixing for Dolby-EX, or SDDS using 5-channels up front. But, you're still not MIXING in those formats, you are mixing uncompressed digital sound, and then it's compressed and encoded using one of these systems.
As for the "special" mix for home- what's usually done in such a case is, the film is remixed in a smaller room and at a lower level. When mixing for theatrical, you'll mix in the room the size of a theater, and when transfering such a mix without modification to DVD, there can be problems. Phil will know better than I, but from what I understand, there's a special EQ curve that's applied to theatrical mixes to compensate for the fact that the film will be playing in a large theater- I believe it involves ramping up high frequencies that will otherwise be muted from the sound traveling through the theater screen (since speakers are behind the screen), plus the fact that the sound has to fill a large space. When playing a mix optimised for a theatrical playdate on a much smaller home system with the speakers much closer to the viewer, the sound can be quite harsh with high-frequencies that are too hot. So essentially what is done is, the film is remixed in a smaller room that's closer to a home-theater's dimensions, with speakers that are closer to the types you'd use at home. The final *SOUND* will be the same (or as close as they can get) to what would be heard under an ideal theatrical setting, but the characteristics of the mix have to be altered somewhat to compensate for the much different home-viewing environment vs. a theatrical viewing environment.
I hope that makes sense. If Phil's around, maybe he can correct any errors I may have made, but I'm pretty sure this is the jist of it.
Vincent
: Since you already had four mixes (Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, DTS &
: SDDS) for the film, I assume (correct me if I'm wrong) that the cinema
: Dolby Digital mix was the starting point for the DVD mix. What sort of
: modifications were made to accomodate the venue change from
: cineplex to home theater? Whatever they were, the results are great,
: but I'm curious about the changes nonetheless.
: Thanks.