Sony always shafting non Atmos theaters?

[Jon Dent]

Ever since I started loading movies at our theater, I've noticed that Sony never includes 7.1 tracks on their DCPs. It's always Atmos and 5.1 backup only. Do they have a legitimate reason for doing this? Even their BluRay releases only have 5.1 on them. Feels like they're purposely short changing installations that aren't running Atmos. Feels really odd running Uncharted in 5.1 in our larger theater while Death on the Nile is running in 7.1 next door...

[Carsten Kurz]

Same over here in Europe. In a similar way, SONY, as long as they were producing DCI projectors, was endorsing 4k as the ultimate cinema experience - yet Sony Pictures never released 4k DCPs.
Stupid, since nowadays, the ATMOS production toolset supports an automatic 5.1 and 7.1 downmix of an ATMOS mix.

[Jon Dent]

Stupid, since nowadays, the ATMOS production toolset supports an automatic 5.1 and 7.1 downmix of an ATMOS mix.

You can do that in Nuendo with a simple drop down menu. And if their dubbing stages can mix Atmos it's a virtual guarantee they can do 7.1 as well.

5.1 only is a deliberate decision on their part, I just can't fathom why they're doing it other than to be dicks. They give you a two month window on decryption keys, which is very generous, but then they match it with a gimped audio track, and the difference between 5.1 and 7.1 in a theater can be pronounced (and not in 5.1's favor).

[Darin Steffl]

Has anyone reached out to Sony contacts to ask this question? It honestly could be an oversight or some weird management decision that might be fixed if they hear from enough people.

We don't run 7.1 yet but will be in the future. If enough people reach out, they may fix things.

[Leo Enticknap]

Stupid, since nowadays, the ATMOS production toolset supports an automatic 5.1 and 7.1 downmix of an ATMOS mix.

But creative types don't like automatic, as a general rule. I suspect that the sound designer, dubbing mixer, director, music editor, etc. would all want to QC a separate 7.1 mix and suggest tweaks, re-edits, etc. So producing two separate non-Atmos mixes would likely add significant post time (and cost). That having been said, most of the other big studios are prepared to make that investment, which begs the question as to why Sony isn't.

[Frank Cox]

I remember getting a (letter? email? something?) from Sony a few years ago saying that a few theatres were using something to fake 7.1 sound on their movies and everyone should stop that since Sony movies are 5.1 and that's all there is to it.

[Jon Dent]

I remember getting a (letter? email? something?) from Sony a few years ago saying that a few theatres were using something to fake 7.1 sound on their movies and everyone should stop that since Sony movies are 5.1 and that's all there is to it.

Is Christopher Nolan in charge over there or something?

Oh guess not, you can understand the dialog in Sony movies....

Thanks folks I'll be here all weekend...

[Marcel Birgelen]

I remember getting a (letter? email? something?) from Sony a few years ago saying that a few theatres were using something to fake 7.1 sound on their movies and everyone should stop that since Sony movies are 5.1 and that's all there is to it.

With common cinema gear, it isn't all that trivial to fake 7.1 from a 5.1 DCP, I wonder what kind of wacky setups they must have been running to "upmix" 5.1 to 7.1.

Then again, we've upmixed some 5.1 mixes to 7.1 and 2.1 mixes to 5.1 with some modern neural-network based filters and the results are pretty stellar...

[William Kucharski]

Is Christopher Nolan in charge over there or something?

Oh guess not, you can understand the dialog in Sony movies....

Thanks folks I'll be here all weekend...

It's always ridiculous to me when Nolan gets slammed for this when he does it for a reason.

Perhaps I'm too young, but I've never seen people complaining that you can't hear what The Professor tells Roger when he's walking him to the plane at Midway Aiirport in North By Northwest and the plane engines start.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Same over here in Europe. In a similar way, SONY, as long as they were producing DCI projectors, was endorsing 4k as the ultimate cinema experience - yet Sony Pictures never released 4k DCPs.
Stupid, since nowadays, the ATMOS production toolset supports an automatic 5.1 and 7.1 downmix of an ATMOS mix.

Carsten, I think Sony knew from the slow sales in the beginning and the fact that the abnormal way they went in by them collecting the VPF's, that their projectors were not going to be around for very long, so why spend the money producing 4K DCP's....

[Jon Dent]

It's always ridiculous to me when Nolan gets slammed for this when he does it for a reason.

Yes, he is nothing if not deliberate with his sound choices (like everything else in his movies), but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Personally I find the sound mixes of many of his movies to be obnoxiously loud. I'm curious how that's going to play out with "Oppenhiemer".

[William Kucharski]

I'm curious how that's going to play out with "Oppenhiemer".

Atomic bombs are not known for being quiet.

Yes, you don't have to like Nolan's choices, many don't while I do and appreciate why he makes them, but that's just me.

Hopefully events will not overtake the film and we won't be finding out in real life, ever.