Article by: Rick Roseman
- Lauren Kenealy - Marketing Manager
Remember when watching a movie on your aircraft was a VHS tape that you pushed into a mechanical player, then listened on a version of basically the same stereo system installed in your car? Yet in those days you still paid good money to go see the latest film in Dolby Surround at the local theater.
Video delivery in an aircraft cabin has improved over the years but astonishingly, sound has still nowhere near reached the theatrical level of a modern cinema. Today, Dolby Cinemas feature Dolby Atmos technology to the delight of movie-goers around the world - yet your airborne cabin audio experience remains in the dated past.
Larger screens are arriving in cabins, which include 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) technologies such as Dolby Vision; but without the right sound matching those screens, you might as well read the subtitles. It’s sort of like going to Niagara Falls but having to turn on a radio to hear its roar. Sadly, it’s a completely lost experience.
But that’s all changing thanks to a relatively new US based IFE group. SkyCinema Aviation, LLC is comprised of a group of audio/video specialists, the likes of which are rarely assembled in the same room – let alone working together as a company. With backgrounds in the entertainment industry, audio engineering and a passion for aviation, they have set their sights on one singular focus: Finally delivering a true Dolby theatrical experience to the private aircraft cabin.
SkyCinema, along with the collaborative support of Dolby Laboratories have certified the SkyCinema Dolby DCP (Digital Cinema Processor), utilizing the same core used in Dolby Cinema theaters around the world to bring you Dolby theatrical-grade Atmos – up there! Best of all, the SkyCinema DCP can be installed in virtually any existing IFE system transforming it into the full Dolby Experience.
Image courtesy of KESTREL Aviation
Rain comes from above you in a thunderstorm on film, with the sound of each individual droplet hitting the floor. The weight of a starship is felt as it circles your body and engulfs the space you’re sitting in. Listening to ‘live recorded’ Dolby Atmos Music may not put the band in your plane but you will feel and hear them, as if you’re in the front row - simultaneous with the ambient sounds of concertgoers around and behind you.
Why do you need this? Well for one, how many times have you turned your current sound system up and the distortion turns a Foo Fighters classic into the Chipmunks?
Or try to hear the dialog of an important scene in a movie, or even hear the latest news broadcast, while the voice disappears and the other sounds overtake it? The surprise here is that there is nothing to counteract “negative sound” without Dolby processing. It all needs to be broken down and reassembled in order to experience it as you would in a natural environment.
“Other systems that matrix sound without Dolby theatrical processing ignore the vital Dolby-encoded material mixed by the makers of the film or music.” Without entirely trashing your existing IFE system, the reasonable cost and shorter downtime brings a “wow-factor” solution to individuals and charter companies alike who are looking to take the passenger experience to new a level of perfection. Even in a two-channel system, the SkyCinema Dolby DCP processor can allow a very cost-effective decoding of lost Dolby audio to correct the sound.
Implementing a full Atmos upgrade – and also adding higher quality surrounds and overhead speakers may best take advantage of the downtime of a cabin refurbishment or longer maintenance visit. In such cases, SkyCinema works with the MRO and CMS/IFE suppliers to define the optimal speaker layout to create the ultimate Atmos object-based sound field.
Dolby utilizes the science of sight and sound to dramatically enhance the moviegoing experiences for billions of people worldwide. According to Dolby, one of the ways they accomplish this is with Dolby Atmos, it’s best in class premium immersive audio sound.
The Dolby Atmos journey began in the cinema industry with the development of the Dolby Cinema Renderer, a unique proprietary card that is today installed globally in 7,000 premium theaters, Hollywood screening rooms and industry related luxury home theaters around the world by way of a Dolby Cinema Processor. Since then, Dolby Atmos has expanded to many other industries from streaming, to apps, music, sports, gaming, and more.
It is exciting to see SkyCinema Aviation revolutionize aircraft cabin audio through the installation of Dolby’s CP950 cinema audio processor and CP950A Dolby Atmos audio processor to charter and private aviation. These upgrades will improve audio reproduction in retrofit and green installs."
SkyCinema Aviation, LLC's staff consist of aerospace and audio engineers whose backgrounds include SkyWalker Sound, Dolby Laboratories, THX, and other IFE leading companies. The group has a combined 75 years of experience in designing systems for Head-of-State, Hollywood A-Listers, corporate, charter and individual clientele’s Gulfstream, Bombardier, Falcon, Airbus, and Boeing aircraft.
To learn even more, we recommend the following links – each offering exciting visual clarity and technical understanding of the truly remarkable Dolby Atmos experience.
Dolby Atmos - Bring The Cinematic Sound Experience To Your Home | Demo | Dolby
Dolby Atmos in cars precisely tuned by DSP Concepts
Dolby Vision | Demo | Dolby
Introducing Dolby Atmos Music
For more information on SkyCinema, visit: www.skycinemaaviation.com
A company with an extraordinary connection to its customers. For 45 years, they've listened, learned and developed...and it's paid off.
There is little substitution for
being this close to
Steve
Vai
and a 100 watt
Marshall stack.
But you can also rest assured, that with today's 4k OLED displays and a Dolby Atmos object-based sound system, you can bring everything but the mosh pit, right into the cabin with you.
