Star Wars movie goers seek ultimate in sight and sound

The re-release of the Star Wars series has created an awareness in many movie viewers to look beyond what movies they want to see. Instead they seek better places to see it and hear it.

Digital Theater Systems (DTS), Dolby Digital and Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS) are three of the major sound systems used in theaters across the country.

While all types of movies from The Bridges of Madison County to Tank Girl have been released in DTS, the new Star Wars series is one of the first films in which a sound system has attracted viewers to a movie.

"When Star Wars came out people were searching out the theaters where they had the digital sound," said Ken Lehman, Northeast Division Manager for Carmike Cinemas.

Unlike conventional sound systems where the film and its sound are together on one format, DTS has a separate sound from a CD-ROM. With DTS, the actual film includes a timecode which allows the sound system to play the exact sound for each frame projected.

As a backup, DTS matches the serial number on the timecode to the serial number on the discs to make sure that the correct sound is being played.

"You can put the disc in, and it reads the code and searches out the sound," Lehman said. "You could even start the projection in the middle of the movie and the disc would be synchronized to the film."

Nationwide, Carmike Cinemas has a variety of sound systems in its theaters, however Lehman said that the majority of Carmike's high-tech sound systems are DTS.

In the State College area, there is one DTS screening room at Cinema 5, 116 Hiester St., and another room at Cinema 6 on the Benner Pike.

Twentieth Century Fox demanded that if DTS theater was available in a community, the latest of the three Star Wars movies had to be shown on that screen, Lehman said. The only way the Star Wars series will be shown on a non-DTS screen is if there are no DTS-equipped theaters in a certain community.

The recent popularity of the DTS Star Wars movies had prompted Columbus, Ga.,-based Carmike Cinemas to increase its number of screens with DTS.

"We're adding some additional DTS screens because of Star Wars," Lehman said.

He estimates that it costs between $20,000 and $25,000 to install DTS equipment -- mainly speakers and amplifiers -- in a theater.

Compared to DTS, Dolby Digital is a less expensive sound system for theaters. In 1992, Batman Returns was the first movie to be shown with Dolby Digital, and now the format has the backing of Buena Vista and Warner Brothers, the nation's top-grossing film studios, as well as other studios such as Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Miramax, New Line and Savoy.

Unlike DTS, Dolby Digital does not have a separate CD for the sound. Instead, the soundtrack is included on the actual filmstrip. Dolby Laboratories claims its non-CD format makes movies easier for theaters to handle, and lowers the cost of having a stronger sound system.

Dolby Digital is used in a variety of theaters from the nation's largest cinemas to small theaters in National Parks.

SDDS works similar to Dolby Digital, with the sound being stored on the outside of the sprocket holes.

A supplement to cinema sound systems is the Tomlinson Holman eXperiment, or THX. Developed for Return of the Jedi in 1982, THX sets quality standards for movie theaters.

"THX is not an actual sound system," Lehman said, "THX is an environment."

THX is licensed by Lucasfilm Ltd., whose founder, George Lucas advertises THX with a quote, "Sound is 50 percent of the motion picture experience."

THX sets standards for cinema's audio and visual performance. These factors include background noise, isolation, reverberation, viewing angle, projection, equipment and equipment installation.

"You can't have a lot of sound coming from an air conditioning unit or a nearby auditorium," Lehman gave for an example, "You have to have next to zero interference. There are currently only four THX theaters in Pennsylvania -- two at the Carmike Cinemas at Altoona's Logan Valley Mall, and two in the Pittsburgh area.

Each THX theater has an initial inspection, as well as recertification by an engineer to make sure the high-quality standards are maintained. There are currently more than 900 THX theaters and dubbing facilities worldwide.

Sound systems and the size of the cinemas was a major factor students had when determining where to see Star Wars. Compared to theaters in other areas, the Cinema 5 screen is much smaller. This is a result of the theater's former owner converting it from a two-screen cinema to a five-screen cinema in the late '80s. The Cinema 5 screen has a capacity of 162 seats. Carmike acquired 14 screens in the State College area in May 1994.

"We knew it was going to be sold out here, and the sound system in Altoona is better," said Jen Clarke (sophomore-anthropology).

Getting tickets at larger cinemas was much easier for some students.

"I wanted to see it with my friends and they had tickets for me," said Stacey Sweeney (sophomore-computer engineering). "Also, the sound system and screen were both bigger in King of Prussia than they are here."

In addition to the smaller size of the screen at the theater in Cinema 5, some movie-goers became disturbed by a spot near the center of the screen caused by an audience member who, Lehman believes, threw a soft drink at the screen.

While the spot has been on the movie screen for a couple months, it just recently came to the attention of Carmike's district and corporate offices.

"We called in on our screen cleaning service and that should be repaired by Friday," Lehman said. "It takes a special solution and know-how to do."

The spot was a disturbance for some students. However, Jon Rideout (freshman-computer science) tried to focus beyond the spot and more on the special effects of the movie.

"I was paying more attention to what was new in the movie, rather than the spot," Rideout said.