Immersive sound: Next step in the evolution of film sound experience

Abstract

Surround sound has been a part of the cinema experience for decades. The early versions of the technology can be traced back to the 1930s, and the first commercial film employing surround sound was Walt Disney's Fantasia (1940). The channel-based digital surround sound on film technology, labeled shortly as 5.1, was standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) in 1987. The variations of this concept have been developed since and adopted in domestic environments. Each progress regarding audio technology has aimed to create a more realistic sound field for the audiences. These developments also open up new creative possibilities for the directors and producers. The standard surround sound creates a two-dimensional sound field by using at least six speakers on the horizontal axis. The next big step for spatial audio technology is immersive sound. Immersive sound is a general term outlining several techniques to create a three-dimensional sound field to match human auditory perception as realistically as possible. In the 21st Century, digital media technologies evolve through phases such as development and appropriation, which are determined by the interaction of consumers and producers, along with other technological, economic, and cultural factors (Spilker, 2018, pp: 4-32). In addition to traditional theaters, digital streaming platforms provide a vast selection of films to the audiences, while the accompanying immersive audio content presents spatial experiences. In this chapter, the creative sonic possibilities offered by Dolby Atmos technology will be discussed, along with the focus on the recent Turkish productions and the local video-on-demand services. © 2022 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.