-
BDA to Begin Ultra HD Blu-ray Licensing on August 24, Product Announcements Expected for 2015 Holiday Season
Posted Wed Aug 5, 2015 at 01:15 PM PDT by Steven Cohen -
Klipsch Demos 'Game of Thrones' in Dolby Atmos on Reference Premiere Speakers
Posted Fri Jul 31, 2015 at 12:30 PM PDT by Michael S. PalmerKlipsch and Dolby recently invited a few home theatre journalists to demo their newly announced Reference Premiere Dolby Atmos speakers.
Continue Reading -
Top Five Dolby Atmos Demos: 'The Gunman'
Posted Tue Jun 30, 2015 at 08:30 AM PDT by Sponsored PostIn our continued series aimed at delivering you the best Dolby Atmos demos, let's roll our sleeves up and breakdown the format's latest Blu-ray disc. Starring Sean Penn and Javier Bardem, with cameos by Ray Winstone and Idris Elba, 'The Gunman' is an old fashioned political thriller about black ops assassin Jim Terrier (Penn) who must confront his past in order to find out who wants him dead. This film features an engaging and immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack with numerous shootouts, explosions, and some interesting subjective-POV audio sequences
BEST SOUND EFFECT
The Assassination
Chapter 3: 00:12:31 - 00:13:35This movie's called 'The Gunman' for a reason. The black ops assassin is called to do his job: shoot a man in a moving car at an impossible distance. The moment the call his made, the op a go, music filters into the overhead channels and the movie ramps up the tension. The audience desperately anticipating the moment Jim Terrier pulls the trigger. When it comes, it sounds much less like a single bullet, and more like an artillery shell arcing across a battlefield. We get the initial thunder of the gun shot, followed by the a very specific bullet which pans from left to center (also over our heads), and landing with a deafening, glass shattering thud. It's an impressive sequence and a great sound effect.
BEST DOLBY ATMOS MOMENT
The Flyover
Chapter 2: 00:06:07 - 00:06:21A quickie, but a goodie for those who want to demonstrate their height channels and the biggest difference between Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and Dolby Atmos. In a fun transition moment, we cut from a brightly lit bedroom to a night-soaked jungle as an aircraft flies over the audience from the back of the sound field to the front. It might be a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but this flyover reminds me of the early version of Dolby Atmos tested at the Dolby Labs "sandbox" -- it's an all-encompassing sound effect that is extremely lifelike and immersive.
BEST SUBJECTIVE CHARACTER POV
Are You Alright?
Chapter 7: 00:30:30 - 00:31:15Great audio is about more than bullets and booms; it's about supporting the story. In 'The Gunman', Jim Terrier suffers from head trauma that manifests itself as a ringing headache and visuals that fall somewhere between passing out and hallucination. For this demo, we get a combination of swirling ear-ringing which tears around the soundscape, followed by deep LFE-distorted vocal intonations and a thumping MRI machine. This sequence is not only great for character, for being fully in Jim Terrier's shoes, but it also offers wonderful dynamic range.
BEST EXPLOSION
The Hotel Boobytrap
Chapter 14: 01:10:30 - 01:12:31Our protagonist Jim Terrier is a hunted man. Sneaking back into his hotel room, he finds it rigged with explosives and assassins watching him from across the street. Now's the time for Jim to set his own trap, to lure his enemies to their deaths. This fun sequence builds sonically, adding suspense with musical score, the audience hoping Jim can set the trap in time (and not kill himself in the process).
Finally, the big pay off... A wonderfully nuanced and complex explosion that ping pongs around side and rear channels before the sequence ends with a smattering of debris sprinkling downwards. It's all very dynamic. Very subtle. And very specific.
BEST SHOOTOUT
Then We Have Nothing to Talk About.
Chapter 16: 01:28:00 - 01:29:30In the film's second act climax, Jim finds himself alone and underground with the man who tried to have him killed. With nothing left to say, the first gunshot goes off, attracting Henchmen who unleash auditory hell, chasing Jim around in a series of underground tunnels.
Gunshots are always great for testing your speakers' ability to reproduce lifelike sounds because they're percussive and sharp and cover a range of different frequencies. 'The Gunman', again living up to its own title, offers excellent-sounding weapon fire as well as articulate panning and placement as this shootout climaxes.
BONUS DEMO -- keep this scene running until 01:31:17. The shootout ends and is replaced with a cat n' most chase. It's more subtle, populated by dripping water and echoing footsteps, and culminates in another one of Jim's subjective POV head trauma / ears ringing sequences.
~~~
There we have it. The Top Five Dolby Atmos Demos for 'The Gunman'. What are some of your favorite Blu-ray demos? Let us know in the comments below.
Continue Reading -
HDD Attends 'Terminator Genisys' Premiere at the Dolby Theatre
Posted Mon Jun 29, 2015 at 01:30 PM PDT by Michael S. PalmerHDD was lucky enough to score tickets to last night's Los Angeles 'Terminator Genisys' premiere
Continue Reading -
Top Five Dolby Atmos Blu-ray Demos: 'Jupiter Ascending'
Posted Tue Jun 23, 2015 at 09:32 AM PDT by Sponsored PostKeeping track of titles and chapters and time codes can be a hassle so, in what we hope will be a continuing HDD series highlighting amazeballs Blu-ray demos, we figured we'd dive once again into the most recent reference-quality Dolby Atmos Blu-ray.
Continue Reading -
I Feel Prime: How AMC Is Bringing Dolby's Vision to a Theater Near You
Posted Sun May 31, 2015 at 06:55 PM PDT by Brian Hoss -
Elac Readies "Debut" Speaker Line Designed by Andrew Jones, Includes Dolby Atmos Module
Posted Fri May 29, 2015 at 02:30 PM PDT by Steven CohenThe German audio company is making a return to the US with new entry-level speakers.
Continue Reading -
HDD First Look: 'Tomorrowland' in Dolby Vision
Posted Wed May 20, 2015 at 01:30 PM PDT by Michael S. Palmer'Tomorrowland' is the first feature film released in Dolby Cinema, a new premium auditorium which combines the strengths of Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound with Dolby Vision, a set of high dynamic range standards behind brighter displays (which we first previewed in late 2013), more lifelike color grading, and Dolby's new 4K laser projection system.
Continue Reading -
Onkyo Announces New Receivers with DTS:X & Dolby Atmos Support, Prices Start at $699
Posted Tue May 12, 2015 at 12:45 PM PDT by Steven Cohen -
BDA Finalizes Ultra HD Blu-ray Spec, Format Supports HDR & Expanded Colors
Posted Tue May 12, 2015 at 06:00 AM PDT by Steven Cohen -
DTS Announces DTS:X Support for Blu-ray & Ultra HD Blu-ray Authoring Systems
Posted Thu Apr 16, 2015 at 09:15 AM PDT by Steven Cohen -
High-Def Digest's DTS:X Home Theater Guide
Posted Fri Apr 10, 2015 at 05:00 PM PDT by Steven CohenThis week, High-Def Digest was invited to attend the official unveiling of DTS' new object-based surround sound platform. Nestled within their comfortable Calabasas headquarters, we were treated to several demos and a Q&A session, giving us a great idea of what to expect from the new technology.
Continue Reading -
DTS Details Object-Based DTS:X Audio Format for Home & Cinemas
Posted Thu Apr 9, 2015 at 09:45 AM PDT by Steven Cohen -
Pioneer Announces 2015 Elite Receivers, Including $700 Dolby Atmos Model
Posted Wed Mar 25, 2015 at 03:00 PM PDT by Steven Cohen -
Pioneer Readies New 2015 Receivers, Including $599 Dolby Atmos Model
Posted Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 06:00 PM PDT by Steven Cohen -
Dolby & DTS Propose Object-Based Audio Systems for ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Standard
Posted Tue Mar 10, 2015 at 12:00 PM PDT by Steven Cohen -
HDD Gear Deal Spotlight: Up to $300 off a Dolby Atmos Receiver, Roku Player, Projector, and Soundbar!
Posted Mon Mar 9, 2015 at 05:45 PM PDT by Steven Cohen -
Lenovo Readies Two New Android Tablets with Dolby Atmos Cinema Sound, Models Start at $129
Posted Mon Mar 2, 2015 at 12:30 PM PST by Steven Cohen -
HDD Gear Deal Spotlight: Up to $300 off A/V Receivers including Dolby Atmos Model!
Posted Fri Feb 20, 2015 at 04:30 PM PST by Steven Cohen -
ATI Adds Auro-3D, Dolby Atmos & DTS:X Support for High Performance Audio Brands
Posted Thu Feb 12, 2015 at 05:30 PM PST by Steven CohenThe audio company is integrating next generation surround sound tech into its products.
Continue Reading