Dolby announces first European venue for Dolby Atmos

Dolby Laboratories has announced the first commercial cinema in Europe to be equipped with its new Dolby Atmos audio platform will be in Barcelona’s Cinesa Diagonal Mar Screen 9. The announcement came during Barcelona’s CineEurope 2012 where Dolby showcased its Atmos system. The Barcelona theatre is expected to be joined by other European locations later in the year, including the Empire Leicester Square in London.

Andreas Spechtler, Dolby’s EMEA Regional Vice President said, “We are really excited to be showcasing Dolby Atmos here at CineEurope in the Cinesa Diagonal Mar as this is the first commercial cinema anywhere in Europe to be able to demonstrate our new audio platform. We expect to soon be disclosing more exhibitor partners to showcase Dolby Atmos across Europe, Middle East, and Africa. It is our most groundbreaking sound innovation to-date and the initial industry reaction has been overwhelming, so we are now keen to show the cinema industry here in Europe why Dolby Atmos is creating such a stir.”

Dolby Atmos is an immersive audio system using an “object based” approach to sound mixing, in which various elements of the soundtrack can be manipulated in virtual space around the audience. The system aims to take into account the entire content pipeline, from mixer to exhibitor, in an attempt to improve the cinema audio experience. The Los Angeles premiere screening of Pixar’s animated film Brave featured Dolby Atmos.