I must admit going to see ‘White House Down’ last year here was fun, although it took me awhile to adjust to eating a hamburger in almost complete darkness – now THAT was a challenge. I see that Cobb Village now has all it’s auditoriums to playback 7.1 features, wonder how and what Regal has up it’s sleeves to entice folk to go to it’s Dulles Town Center theaters come this Fall.
so I finally caught a movie on the IMAX-D screen: ‘Stalingrad’ in 3D. Still miffed that for the first screening of the day, there is no matinee pricing for the IMAX screenings: $19 … “ouch!” Sound was colossal , and the image was great … but. The screen is no where as tall as either the IMAX-D or ETX screen over at Tysons. Even the ‘Xtreme’ screens over at Cinemark Fairfax Corner have a considerable height advantage.
got some more info via facebook from the theater – Eastman ‘25’ projector for 16mm playback. Kinoton FP-20 for 35mm projection in the second auditorium. The NEC projector is not 3D capable. No word on if a 7.1 movie could be played back as such though.
can the NEC do 3D projection? obviously there are five speakers (plus subwoofer) for 70mm features, but can they playback newer 7.1 discrete mixed films?
White Flint maybe losing it’s theaters, but actually the IPic theaters over at Mid Pike Plaza is now up and listed on their website: https://www.ipictheaters.com/ipic-locations.aspx no actual date, but it’s coming…
as of the 6th of December – all the auditoriums have reserved seating.
both ‘Frozen’ and ‘Thor: The Dark World’ exhibited no ghosting, double imaging. I think the projectionist has perfected the merging of the two projectors finally.
‘Frozen’s Dolby Atmos absolutely shined – third best Atmos mix of the year, after 'Oblivion’ and ‘Gravity’
did a double feature this morning saw ‘Titans of the Ice Age’ and ‘Jerusalem 3D’ – the latter was just spectacular. Oh and for the record, the screen is 66 feet tall / 90 feet wide
as part of Regal’s nationwide upgrading it’s projector’s to High Frame Rate films (i.e, specifically ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’) auditorium 15 can playback features as such.
I agree thebrat – the aural experience of ‘Gravity’ was just literally out of this world [yeah, kind of the corny there – huh?] Actually I think the three Atmos systems was a Regal website misinformation – the manager I talked with last time I was there said the RPX screen is the only Atmos equipped screen.
saw the 1953 ‘3D’ movie “Inferno” tonight on the new 3D system in auditorium #1 – and it looked fantastic. The Dolby 3D system’s glasses fit perfectly over my own glasses, unlike the REAL-D glasses that don’t. The 3D was very impressive and there was enough light to convey the dimensionality – whoever created the DCP made it look like the movie was shot last week. On the downside the audio was very strident and even sitting close to the screen, some of it bordered on intelligable, for a THX screen – the audio is all over the place; movie to movie.
I know the audio announcement before the feature mentions the dimensions of the screen – but I’m having a senior moment – what is it? 90ft by ___? Of the three Smithsonian IMAX screens this is my favorite. The screen seems the largest, the seats are more comfortable, the interior decor more chic (at least in my opinion). Unfortunately due to the government shutdown this Friday’s opening of ‘Titans of the Ice Age 3D’ has been postponed.
three? really? wow! I saw ‘Pacific Rim’ on the RPX screen (2D) in Atmos and it sounded pretty good – the volume isn’t as LOUD or annoying as it is over at Tysons.
can anyone confirm for me that a) ‘Starchasers: The Legend of Orin’ and b) it was presented in anaglyph 3D played here – I vaguely remember it as such.
what a surprise yesterday afternoon to see ‘The Last Unicorn’ not only in DCP (on screen 2) but to get to meet author/screenwriter Peter S. Beagle in person. The presentation while advertised as a 35mm print turned out to be an actual DCP – the Park Circus logo was the immediate indication the literal second it displayed on screen. The colors looked fantastic, slight cel imperfections were retained and not scrubbed, DNR’d to death in typical Disney Home Video fashion (i.e, the current ‘The Sword and the Stone’ bluray is a primer on how the DNR transfer can destroy the original film look and create a flawed ‘video’ presentation). The 5.1 mix was equally impressive, notably in it’s wide dynamic range. It also came in great play when ever Schmendrick used his magical power, sound would swirl into the surrounds.
well in terms of the mixes of Hyde Park this is what blu-ray.com’s review says about the mix:
“Hyde Park on Hudson features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that is fairly modest in its sonic ambitions and therefore doesn’t offer much “wow” factor in terms of tremendous immersion or surround activity. Dialogue is almost uniformly anchored in the front channels, leaving the surrounds to capture some well done ambient environmental effects and the charming minimalist score. There are occasional moments of sonic activity, notably when Roosevelt marauds through the countryside in his specially equipped roadster, and, late in the film, when the King and Queen attend a picnic that has Native American performers as well as a gaggle of guests. Those moments are really nicely alive and utilize the surrounds quite smartly. Fidelity is excellent though dynamic range is relatively limited.”
and ‘Anna Karenina’
“Anna Karenina’s stirring DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track throws open the theater doors and embraces every nuance of the film’s sound design, from its windswept fields to its spacious ballrooms, crowded train stations, hushed drawing rooms and beyond. Rear speaker activity is all at once subtle and engaging, using directional magic and cross-channel seamlessness to great effect. The resulting soundfield is satisfying and expansive, drawing the listener onto Wright’s very literal stage and giving them the freedom to stroll from scene to scene. LFE output, meanwhile, grants gravitas and presence as needed, lending its weight to chugging trains, thundering horses and other low-end elements. All the while, dialogue is clear, intelligible and perfectly prioritized, dynamics are rewarding and Dario Marianelli’s Oscar-nominated score surges and relents with poise and power. All told, Anna Karenina sounds as magnificent as it looks, and arguably even better.”
~
it’d be strange that the 35mm prints of these films would be inferior and have less sound elements. I noticed that the 35mm prints of ‘Les Miserables’ had really subdued surround sound, but the 7.1 mixed DCP was dramatically different and better.
I know that in the heyday of 35mm Dolby Digital sound, you could tell when the surrounds weren’t turned on, if the trailer wasn’t in surround you could bet the feature wouldn’t be either. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’d go out to an employee during the trailers and say – the surrounds aren’t on – ugh, how frustrating. Secondly, you could also tell when you were listening not to the digital track when the reel change would occur, if there was an audible tick, it was the analogue track. Digital LPCM audio is less faulty. Although over at the Angelika I’ve noticed twice two flaws, one where one trailer was encoded with so high, I had to cover my ears. Last week during the trailers before ‘Blue Jasmine’ the audio was distorted and sounded like the front left channel was frizzing out, thankfully someone got up and told someone and the audio got fixed.
Did anyone catch the debut of the new DLP system with ‘Samsara’ this weekend? I wasn’t able to make it to the Saturday or today’s screening. Thursday’s screening was off of a bluray since the completion wasn’t in time for that presentation. How’d it look? How’d it sound ??
There seems to be a constant problem with the ETX screen (alignment of the two projectors). Actually I thought the Atmos mix of ‘Man of Steel’ was pretty dynamic and intense – notably when Zod’s helmet malfunctions, the whole auditorium was a buzz with sound emitting from every nook and cranny of the soundfield – it was the ‘wow’ moment of the Atmos mix. I personally find that the volume level seem to mask any attempt to convey and pinpoint over the head sound effects from the ceiling speakers.
Saw ‘The Wolverine’ on the ETX screen – no problems thankfully, in fact, the very prevailent out of focus flaws I’ve had encountered at past screenings weren’t present. The Atmos mix was hit and miss, good effective use of the surrounds, but the front screen sound seemed subdued and not that well utilized. ‘Iron Man 3’ in Atmos seemed pretty pedestrian, ‘Wolverine’s was slightly better but not by that much.
has anyone heard of the actual dimensions of the ETX screen? No one at the managers desk seems to want to divulge this info or even know what is it – the generic ‘it’s three stories high’ answer seems like a cop out answer. Other screens advertise their specility screen dimensions here though it just makes AMC seem elitist.
I must admit going to see ‘White House Down’ last year here was fun, although it took me awhile to adjust to eating a hamburger in almost complete darkness – now THAT was a challenge. I see that Cobb Village now has all it’s auditoriums to playback 7.1 features, wonder how and what Regal has up it’s sleeves to entice folk to go to it’s Dulles Town Center theaters come this Fall.
so I finally caught a movie on the IMAX-D screen: ‘Stalingrad’ in 3D. Still miffed that for the first screening of the day, there is no matinee pricing for the IMAX screenings: $19 … “ouch!” Sound was colossal , and the image was great … but. The screen is no where as tall as either the IMAX-D or ETX screen over at Tysons. Even the ‘Xtreme’ screens over at Cinemark Fairfax Corner have a considerable height advantage.
got some more info via facebook from the theater – Eastman ‘25’ projector for 16mm playback. Kinoton FP-20 for 35mm projection in the second auditorium. The NEC projector is not 3D capable. No word on if a 7.1 movie could be played back as such though.
can the NEC do 3D projection? obviously there are five speakers (plus subwoofer) for 70mm features, but can they playback newer 7.1 discrete mixed films?
so the Music Box can show 35mm, 70mm and DCP on the main screen – right? what type of projector do they have?
White Flint maybe losing it’s theaters, but actually the IPic theaters over at Mid Pike Plaza is now up and listed on their website: https://www.ipictheaters.com/ipic-locations.aspx no actual date, but it’s coming…
there was a movie theater here? I honestly don’t remember seeing anything here, but did see movies now and then up the Pike at the Congressional 5.
as of the 6th of December – all the auditoriums have reserved seating.
both ‘Frozen’ and ‘Thor: The Dark World’ exhibited no ghosting, double imaging. I think the projectionist has perfected the merging of the two projectors finally.
‘Frozen’s Dolby Atmos absolutely shined – third best Atmos mix of the year, after 'Oblivion’ and ‘Gravity’
did a double feature this morning saw ‘Titans of the Ice Age’ and ‘Jerusalem 3D’ – the latter was just spectacular. Oh and for the record, the screen is 66 feet tall / 90 feet wide
screen 10 has been upgrade to playback ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ in ‘High Frame Rate’ as of Dec. 13, 2013
as part of Regal’s nationwide upgrading it’s projector’s to High Frame Rate films (i.e, specifically ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’) auditorium 15 can playback features as such.
I agree thebrat – the aural experience of ‘Gravity’ was just literally out of this world [yeah, kind of the corny there – huh?] Actually I think the three Atmos systems was a Regal website misinformation – the manager I talked with last time I was there said the RPX screen is the only Atmos equipped screen.
[sigh] no Atmos or ‘high frame rate’ on the BTX screen for ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’
saw the 1953 ‘3D’ movie “Inferno” tonight on the new 3D system in auditorium #1 – and it looked fantastic. The Dolby 3D system’s glasses fit perfectly over my own glasses, unlike the REAL-D glasses that don’t. The 3D was very impressive and there was enough light to convey the dimensionality – whoever created the DCP made it look like the movie was shot last week. On the downside the audio was very strident and even sitting close to the screen, some of it bordered on intelligable, for a THX screen – the audio is all over the place; movie to movie.
reopened on October 10 with a 35mm screening of ‘Hairspray’ with director John Waters in attendance.
I know the audio announcement before the feature mentions the dimensions of the screen – but I’m having a senior moment – what is it? 90ft by ___? Of the three Smithsonian IMAX screens this is my favorite. The screen seems the largest, the seats are more comfortable, the interior decor more chic (at least in my opinion). Unfortunately due to the government shutdown this Friday’s opening of ‘Titans of the Ice Age 3D’ has been postponed.
three? really? wow! I saw ‘Pacific Rim’ on the RPX screen (2D) in Atmos and it sounded pretty good – the volume isn’t as LOUD or annoying as it is over at Tysons.
can anyone confirm for me that a) ‘Starchasers: The Legend of Orin’ and b) it was presented in anaglyph 3D played here – I vaguely remember it as such.
what a surprise yesterday afternoon to see ‘The Last Unicorn’ not only in DCP (on screen 2) but to get to meet author/screenwriter Peter S. Beagle in person. The presentation while advertised as a 35mm print turned out to be an actual DCP – the Park Circus logo was the immediate indication the literal second it displayed on screen. The colors looked fantastic, slight cel imperfections were retained and not scrubbed, DNR’d to death in typical Disney Home Video fashion (i.e, the current ‘The Sword and the Stone’ bluray is a primer on how the DNR transfer can destroy the original film look and create a flawed ‘video’ presentation). The 5.1 mix was equally impressive, notably in it’s wide dynamic range. It also came in great play when ever Schmendrick used his magical power, sound would swirl into the surrounds.
one more reason why Walmart is a corporate bastard.
well in terms of the mixes of Hyde Park this is what blu-ray.com’s review says about the mix:
“Hyde Park on Hudson features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that is fairly modest in its sonic ambitions and therefore doesn’t offer much “wow” factor in terms of tremendous immersion or surround activity. Dialogue is almost uniformly anchored in the front channels, leaving the surrounds to capture some well done ambient environmental effects and the charming minimalist score. There are occasional moments of sonic activity, notably when Roosevelt marauds through the countryside in his specially equipped roadster, and, late in the film, when the King and Queen attend a picnic that has Native American performers as well as a gaggle of guests. Those moments are really nicely alive and utilize the surrounds quite smartly. Fidelity is excellent though dynamic range is relatively limited.”
and ‘Anna Karenina’
“Anna Karenina’s stirring DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track throws open the theater doors and embraces every nuance of the film’s sound design, from its windswept fields to its spacious ballrooms, crowded train stations, hushed drawing rooms and beyond. Rear speaker activity is all at once subtle and engaging, using directional magic and cross-channel seamlessness to great effect. The resulting soundfield is satisfying and expansive, drawing the listener onto Wright’s very literal stage and giving them the freedom to stroll from scene to scene. LFE output, meanwhile, grants gravitas and presence as needed, lending its weight to chugging trains, thundering horses and other low-end elements. All the while, dialogue is clear, intelligible and perfectly prioritized, dynamics are rewarding and Dario Marianelli’s Oscar-nominated score surges and relents with poise and power. All told, Anna Karenina sounds as magnificent as it looks, and arguably even better.”
~
it’d be strange that the 35mm prints of these films would be inferior and have less sound elements. I noticed that the 35mm prints of ‘Les Miserables’ had really subdued surround sound, but the 7.1 mixed DCP was dramatically different and better.
I know that in the heyday of 35mm Dolby Digital sound, you could tell when the surrounds weren’t turned on, if the trailer wasn’t in surround you could bet the feature wouldn’t be either. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’d go out to an employee during the trailers and say – the surrounds aren’t on – ugh, how frustrating. Secondly, you could also tell when you were listening not to the digital track when the reel change would occur, if there was an audible tick, it was the analogue track. Digital LPCM audio is less faulty. Although over at the Angelika I’ve noticed twice two flaws, one where one trailer was encoded with so high, I had to cover my ears. Last week during the trailers before ‘Blue Jasmine’ the audio was distorted and sounded like the front left channel was frizzing out, thankfully someone got up and told someone and the audio got fixed.
so wait, I’m confused – are not the other two auditoriums STILL not upgraded? Was that why ‘Samsara’ was not on auditorium #1’s screen?
@ sguttag: is the audio upgraded to playback 7.1 audio on all three screens?
Did anyone catch the debut of the new DLP system with ‘Samsara’ this weekend? I wasn’t able to make it to the Saturday or today’s screening. Thursday’s screening was off of a bluray since the completion wasn’t in time for that presentation. How’d it look? How’d it sound ??
There seems to be a constant problem with the ETX screen (alignment of the two projectors). Actually I thought the Atmos mix of ‘Man of Steel’ was pretty dynamic and intense – notably when Zod’s helmet malfunctions, the whole auditorium was a buzz with sound emitting from every nook and cranny of the soundfield – it was the ‘wow’ moment of the Atmos mix. I personally find that the volume level seem to mask any attempt to convey and pinpoint over the head sound effects from the ceiling speakers.
Saw ‘The Wolverine’ on the ETX screen – no problems thankfully, in fact, the very prevailent out of focus flaws I’ve had encountered at past screenings weren’t present. The Atmos mix was hit and miss, good effective use of the surrounds, but the front screen sound seemed subdued and not that well utilized. ‘Iron Man 3’ in Atmos seemed pretty pedestrian, ‘Wolverine’s was slightly better but not by that much.
has anyone heard of the actual dimensions of the ETX screen? No one at the managers desk seems to want to divulge this info or even know what is it – the generic ‘it’s three stories high’ answer seems like a cop out answer. Other screens advertise their specility screen dimensions here though it just makes AMC seem elitist.