For Next
Generation Immersive Sound Formats

CULVER CITY, CALIF.—Responding to the
growing popularity of home theater systems with immersive sound, Sony Pictures
Post Production Services has added a new mix stage dedicated to next-generation
home theater audio formats. Located on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City,
the new stage is designed to simulate a home theater environment and equipped to
master feature film and television projects in Dolby Atmos®, Auro-3D and other
immersive sound formats. This new room has been used to prepare several feature
titles for Blu-ray Disc, 4K Ultra HD Disc, and digital delivery.

 “This new stage keeps us at the
forefront in immersive sound, providing an ideal workflow and environment for
mastering for home theaters,” said Sony Pictures Post Production Services
Executive Vice President Tom McCarthy. “We are empowering mixers to maximize
the creative potential of these new sound formats and deliver rich, enveloping
soundtracks that consumers can enjoy in the home.”

“The Sony Pictures Post Production mix stage adds to the
growing footprint of Dolby Atmos enabled post production facilities and gives
the Hollywood creative community the tools they need to deliver an immersive
experience to consumers, adding additional depth, detail and clarity to the
soundtracks,” said Curt Behlmer, Senior Vice President, Content Solutions and
Industry Relations, Dolby Laboratories.  

“The hope of film buffs and makers alike is an experience
that fully transports the audience into the world of the characters,” said Auro
Technologies CEO Wilfried Van Baelen. “Having major releases from Sony Pictures
Home Entertainment incorporating Auro-3D helps provide this immersive
experience, with sound design unlike anything audiences have heard before, to
ensure they are able to enjoy films how the creator intended—with full impact.”

“As their home theaters grow in sophistication, consumers
are demanding high-quality home viewing experiences, with immersive sound,
ultra HD resolution, and high-dynamic range. This new stage allows our
technicians the ability to more closely replicate a home theater set-up, so
they can continue to deliver the best experience for consumers,” said Rich
Berger, Senior VP, Digital Strategy, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

The new mix stage features an Avid Pro Tools S6 mixing
console with 24 faders and two Pro Tools HDX systems. In addition to a wide
array of plug-ins, the stage offers ancillary gear from Black Magic, Pegasus,
Brainstorm and other manufacturers.

At 600 square feet, the stage is designed to replicate the
dimensions and acoustics of a typical home theater environment. It employs a
custom-built Delicate Audio truss system for mounting nearfield speakers. That
allows the speaker array to be quickly reconfigured to conform to the
specifications of individual sound formats.

“Flexibility is essential,” explained Sony Pictures Digital
Chief Engineer Nathan Oishi. “We designed the room to seamlessly and fully
support both Dolby Atmos and Auro formats, while building in enough routing,
monitoring, and speaker flexibility to accommodate future immersive formats.
 Streaming and VR deliverables are upon us, and we will need to stay
nimble enough quickly adapt to new specifications.”

About
Dolby Atmos  

Dolby
Atmos delivers moving audio—sound that can be precisely placed and moved
anywhere in three-dimensional space, including overhead. It brings
entertainment alive all around the audience in a powerfully immersive and
emotive experience. To date, more than 100 Blu-ray titles featuring Dolby Atmos
have been released or announced, including more than 20 HD and UHD titles from
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. To learn more about Dolby Atmos, visit dolby.com/Atmos.

About Auro Technologies

Auro Technologies is a spin-off of the
privately owned Galaxy Studios Group, renowned worldwide for its
state-of-the-art leadership in audio innovation for music and sound for film. After 150
years of evolution in sound recording and reproduction, Wilfried Van Baelen
(CEO Auro Technologies and Galaxy Studios) revolutionized sound by bringing
“Immersive Sound” (sound in 3D) as an end-to-end solution for all markets with
his Auro-3D® format. The addition of the missing and final dimension in sound
(height) combined with Auro-3D’s® groundbreaking
technologies provides a natural immersive sound experience unlike anything
you’ve heard before, creating a totally new emotional level of entertainment in
music, movies, games, events, etc. The Auro-3D® technology suite offers easy-to-use and unprecedented levels
of sound reproduction capabilities to the broadcast, digital cinema, home
cinema, mobile, gaming, and automotive markets. To learn more about Auro
Technologies or Auro-3D, please visit www.auro-technologies.com.

About Sony
Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony
Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global
operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution;
television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks;
digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and
development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For
additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com