OT: Cinema's, how many audio channels?

VMP wrote on 10/8/2004, 7:59 AM
How many audio channels does a conventional cinema have?
Because when I look arround in a cinema I see mostly about 16 surround speakers.
Or are the 16 surround spekears splited from 5.1 channel audio?.

Like for example 5.1 channels is actually 3.2 plus 1 for subwoofer.
3 stands for = left front, right front, centre.
2 stands for = left surround, right surround.

So are the 16 speakers sharing the 2 surround channels?
For example=
Surround right channel connected to 8 right sepakers , surround left connected to 8 left speakers.
Or do they have 19 channels printed on the film??

In other words do all those speakers have a seperate audio channel, or are some of them sharing 1 same channel?

Thanks for any reply

Comments

BJ_M wrote on 10/8/2004, 10:54 AM
5.1 for standard dolby digital and standard DTS

the surround channels are tied together unless you see some at the back of the theater -- those are extra surround channels ..

- DTS is only timecode printed on film outside the sprockets and Dolby Digital is printed as sort of picture of a digital mismash between the sprockets ..

Dolby Digital is picked up by a camera and DTS (timecode) is picked up by a laser head.

Dolby SR is printed inside the sprockets and is an analog pickup.

There is also mag strip.

Stereo in the true sense means 3 channels btw ....
Bob Greaves wrote on 10/8/2004, 12:47 PM
Most of the theatres in the Binghamton NY area where I am from are loaded with speaker enclosures. They have no definite configuration. Rather, the control console is capable of receiving any number of multi-channel formats from 1 to 8. Some formats are identified automatically ALL formats can be manually selected. Whatever format is detected or selected is routed through the various amplifyers and speakers as seems to make good sense to the people who designed the theatre.

Bottom line is that the theatre will handle what ever it gets and distribute the sound some how.
VMP wrote on 10/8/2004, 1:52 PM
Thank you for your replies.

I really have learned alot through you pros, with this and all the other threads.
Cheers.

Now I can be happy by knowing that the 5.1 EX system that I have, is not very different than a "cinema sound system' as for channels.