Odeon Luxe London Leicester Square

joeswin on April 4, 2019 at 3:31 am

I have just seen an article on the Royal Albert Hall and wondered if perhaps the OLS status as the ‘premiere’ cinema it was in past decades has diminished slightly since refurbishment.

Now that the RAH has been equipped with a new £2m speaker system, it looks like it will be a more impressive place for the bigger premieres that the OLS was once first choice for, and for which it perhaps doesn’t have that unique ‘wow’ factor it once had.(Being more or less a black box like most other places)

Article on RAH: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/royal-albert-hall-acoustics-renovation

CF100 on March 9, 2019 at 5:49 pm

Revisiting the OLS this week, this time positioned in row “D” of the stalls instead of the front row of the Royal Circle.

I will focus less on the decorative aspects of the refurbishment, important as they are, and more on the seating position and audio/visual quality aspects of the presentation.

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Incidentally, as of about a week ago, there was no sign of building work (e.g. the service yard to Charing Cross Road) and so it seems reasonable to assume that all work is now complete.

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The proscenium end of the auditorium, that is to say the new walls and particularly reprofiled/lowered ceiling, actually looks fine from the front stalls, not being juxtaposed against the 1930s plasterwork above the circle balcony.

It seemed to me that the recliners were not identical to those in the Royal Circle—being narrower, not reclining as far back, and with less generous row spacing; looking at the licensing plans, they appear to confirm this. These seats are, of course, still very comfortable indeed.

From the stalls, the uniformity on screen was not as good as in the Royal Circle, with hotspotting in the centre and some falloff to the edges. However, thanks to the reclining seats, the raised screen position was no problem* and from this location, it appeared to be a reasonable size—although having more frequently sat in the front stalls than the circle, it was more obvious to me that it had clearly “shrunk.”

(*“ideally” one should be positioned somewhat above the bottom of the screen; although, personally, I quite like having the screen “towering” above as if “larger than life.”)

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From the rear stalls, as the screen has been moved up, it is still the case that the top of the screen can only be seen from the last row; As previously mentioned, the bottom of the new screen location is only just visibile from the front row of the Royal Circle. Additionally, the raised screen position means that it is not notably tilted up, as it was; and it also obviates, at stalls level, the problem of the bottom of the screen being blocked by a person seated in the next row, particularly if the seat in which one is situated is reclined, and the one in front is not. Although the stalls rake has been improved, it is certainly not as steep as “stadium”-style seating.

It thus seems reasonable to assume that the reduced screen size was chosen for sightlines; in fact, from the stalls, I would guess these are better than the IMAX across Leicester Square, where, despite its stadia being reasonably steep, a tall person in front can block the bottom of the screen. (IMAX’s 1983 SMPTE Journal paper, incidentally, says that this could occur with their auditorium geometry but suggests that it is not overly problematic since nothing important should appear towards the bottom of the screen.)

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See previous post on the wood veneer finished wall panelling; briefly, there are lots of small holes or slots in it and acoustic absorption behind.

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The audio in this seating location was very good; if I had to be picky, it wasn’t quite as bright as I’d have liked, and there seemed to be some peakiness in the upper midrange, as well as some metallic colouration to the high frequencies. Playback seemed to be at around reference level and, although I had previously considered it to be slightly stressed under peak levels, it seemed effortless on this occasion. Subbass is very extended, albeit a bit “one note” in character, but it could certainly shake seats and pound the chest.

The Dolby Cinema trailer really showed off what the system could do, and, based on this, not only is this a first rate Atmos installation which benefits immeasurably from the auditorium’s size, giving a massive sense of scale and space, but pans around the auditorium showed very effective “pinpoint” rear/overhead imaging. Having previously discussed the IMAX 12 channel system, with its additional two sides and four overheads, it would certainly seem to be the case that Atmos is superior in respect of both diffuse surround and precise imaging. In particular, the IMAX system over in the Cineworld Leicester Square (Empire Theatre) struggles to place sounds directly behind the listener.

Additionally, despite altogether different speakers being used for the rears compared to the fronts, with yet another product being used to “fill” the back of the stalls, the whole system was remarkably seamless in terms of timbre matching.

It would seem that the work that went into designing and tuning the system has paid off.

The added capabilities of Atmos become somewhat by-the-by, however, as the sound mixes of movies just do not seem to take full advantage of the system’s capabilities and so outside of “whizz-bang” system promotion trailers, the difference is marginal. I should also add that, in my view, “multi-dimension” surround is somewhat overboard; the screen is where the action is, and the rears really need mostly to provide a sense of almost subconscious envelopment rather than sounds panning all over the auditorium. Our hearing system evolved to be most sensitive to the direction of sounds in front of us; we would simply turn our head around in case of being approached (potentially by a threat!)

It seemed that the HVAC system was slightly audible during the feature, although much quieter it was pre-refurbishment.

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Comments otherwise on projection as before, although, as the performance was 2D rather than 3D, Dolby’s claims of achieving extremely low black levels became more obviously questionable. In the Dolby Cinema “Universe” trailer that was played, there is a section in which the voiceover says “THIS IS BLACK.”

I’m sorry to say that it was very dark grey, and not comparable to the “extreme” black levels achieved by high quality consumer OLED displays on the market. Based on the OLS installation, whether Dolby Cinema subjectively beats IMAX with Laser in terms of black level is difficult for me to say, and it could be that the inverse is true; however, I am confident that it is definitely not dramatically better.

As mentioned in a previous post, IMO, IMAX with Laser GT dual projection, alongside IMAX’s DMR processing, remains the best cinema digital projection system. It looks smoother and more “film-like,” in a positive way, whilst being absolutely steady and detailed, than any other.

I should also add, the slight barrel distortion to the bottom of the screen (“smiley face”) was noticeable, but in addition, I also noticed that overall there was some slight off-centre distortion to the screen—but none of this was objectionable during the main feature (only graphics within adverts or titles in the main feature to notice it.)

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One issue is that the “scale” of the sound is disproportionate to the picture, in terms of space, dynamic range and low frequency impact—but—then again—would an underspecified system be an improvement?

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JBL ceiling speakers are installed in the men’s toilets in the former rear stalls. Incidentally, they (same decor as the circle toilets) are a great deal better than the cramped toilets previously situated behind the right splay wall.

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Not sure if the “white” decorative lighting in the coves/around the “flying ladies” was set to a warmer colour temperature. It seemed less cold than my recollection, but not as per the orange “flame white” shown in the Twitter photo previously linked to by joeswin. But, no matter what the colour temperature, the decorative lighting is not what it could be.

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The front stalls thus make for a very attractive place to see a film. They are in an excellent sweet spot for the audio. It’s too bad that the screen is smaller than it was—albeit the move forward compensates—and that the screen is raised up a bit (personally, I don’t mind this) and the illumination uniformity achieved in this location is less impressive. But otherwise, first class picture and sound is on offer, comfortable seating, and the feeling of being surrounded by the auditorium of a spacious super-cinema. Added to which, the seat pricing in this location, by West End standards, is often quite competitive—and the OLS seems to be very much busier than it was pre-refurbishment.

FanaticalAboutOdeon on March 9, 2019 at 4:37 am

CF100, I agree entirely. A more objective and detailed article was what I was expecting from C.T. of all publications. It was, in effect, far more “promotional” than “analytical” and as if the information from Odeon Cinemas was simply being passed on to readers which ought not to be the case with such a valued industry magazine.

With my “lighting man” hat on, I had been trying to discover the source of the coloured lighting which appeared at the screen end in the photo’s which accompanied the article. One picture showed a deep violet glow on the stage, splay walls and front few rows of seating while the other showed a rich emerald green. What shadows were seen on the mountings awaiting the flying nymphs suggested the light was not coming from either above or further back away from the stage. The answer came when an Odeon contact told me that the coloured bulbs in the frosted glass panels of the Compton organ had been replaced with a high spec. LED installation. Bingo! The coloured glows only appear when the organ is in its highest position with its base level with the stage.

CF100 on March 4, 2019 at 5:43 am

Joeswin: Thank you for the link, that looks like exactly the colour I had previously suggested—“Flame White.” As the white on the screen is clearly a much cooler temperature, it’s quite plausible that the photo does show that the colour or colour temperature can be changed. (Could be RGBWW with two different colour temperature white LEDs.)

Example of “Flame White” LED strip.

CF100 on March 3, 2019 at 8:09 am

Eomac (fit-out systems including stretched fabric and wood) now have a page with photos of the refurbished OLS.

Included are two photos of a former “Studios” auditorium. It can be seen that there is not enough space for the new seats to recline, and, the rake is rather shallow. In the latter case, the poor slightlines have been noted on online customer review sites.

With the confirmation of Eomac’s involvement with the OLS refurbishment, this means that all three of the currently operating main Leicester Square cinemas have their products installed.

FanaticalAboutOdeon on March 2, 2019 at 3:31 pm

Lionel: Yes, today’s screen is smaller than its predecessor which was 47' wide in ‘Scope and 70mm. The present screen also sits higher above the stage which makes the front row of the stalls less attractive despite the reclining facility.

CF100 on March 2, 2019 at 1:52 pm

Many thanks FanaticalAboutOdeon.

Alas, this issue does not yet appear to be available on their website! :–(

I’m surprised that they have kept the NEC NC3240 digital projector.

Lionel: Before today’s upsized “PLF” screens, it was a reasonable size; but it has long been unquestionably small in relation to the depth of the auditorium.

I am amazed that it has been “shrunk” to ~44ft. wide (whether measured by chord or arc.) Odeon have announced the second UK Dolby Cinema location in Leeds—19m wide (~62ft.)

Still, in selecting the première auditorium among those in Leicester Square, there can be no doubt in my mind that the Cineworld (argh… Empire!) LSQ IMAX provides a bigger, “correctly” positioned screen with (somewhat) superior picture quality, whilst a good seat in the Royal Circle is a far better option for comfort and is in a full “super cinema”—not to mention the substantially more cogenial ancillary facilities.

Now, if only there wasn’t the need to choose…

FanaticalAboutOdeon on March 2, 2019 at 7:15 am

Technical details for Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, Screen One – Dolby Cinema.

Screen/Projection: Scope width – 13.35, Flat width – 11.60, Scope height – 5.59, Height – 6.28, Throw – 36.02, C/S Ratio – 2.39, F Ratio – 1.85, Screen surface – Perlux 2.2 gain with screen shakers, curved 668mm deep, 3D system – Dolby Vision, Laser Clr Sep, Projector – Dolby Vision Dual Laser/NC3240/Vic8 70mm., Server – IMB+NAS/Showvault.

Audio/Speakers: Stage Speakers – SLS 20 Stack linearray & 4 Stack CS215 x5, Stage subs. – CS218XL x16, Front four side + ceiling surround – SLS Line Arrays: Sides: 6x2 Module, Ceiling: 8 Modules, Other ceiling: MA480s, Rear circle filler – Proscella, Ceiling sub bass management – CS218XL-4x2, AD/HOH facility – Dolby Fidelio, Amps. – QSC, Sound processor – CP850/Qsys Core 510C x2/ CP650 x1.

Information source: Cinema Technology, vol 32 No 1 03/19.

FanaticalAboutOdeon on February 18, 2019 at 3:06 am

The footlights concealed beneath the ramp which lifted the carpet termination just short of the tabs/screen at the 1962 Empire were simply a number of Strand Electric’s basic footlight/batten sections arranged in a gentle arc which followed the curvature of the screen/tabs. This was, of course, long before the Coda 4 series replaced the traditional footlight/batten fittings. Although nowadays footlights are extremely rare, up until the ‘sixties the vast majority of British theatres and cinemas had them and used them to great effect. In cinemas where the Holophane lighting control system was installed, Strand’s systems were almost invariably recommended and the lamps could be either 60, 75 or 100 watt pearl Edison screw bulbs (clear versions tended to result in “hot spots” or “patches” on the illuminated surface, despite Strand’s rippled mirror glass reflectors set as a collar around the lampholder in each compartment. I don’t think the Empire’s footlights were ever changed but I can see how the Coda 4 compartments resemble them – apart from being longitudinally convex whereas traditionally, footlights were flat-fronted.

The Empire’s cove lighting came all the way down to floor level and the tubes were set behind clear Perspex. If one stood facing into a cove, the four tubes were, of course, visible and even when one or more tubes were lit, the fourth completely colourless tube was clearly visible. I only ever saw one or more of the coloured tubes being used and wondered if a white alternative was perhaps intended for occasions when the Empire might have been used for conferences, meetings etc.

You’re right about my cinema’s LED units, the amber element is a tad too yellow for my liking but at a low level it does indeed add warmth when used with red especially or to make a lime green. The white is even more useful for producing countless degrees of pastel colours. I don’t use the UV with any of the other colours but, on its own, it works well when the tabs close briefly prior to opening on the main feature and is an effective alternative to primary blue at such times. Children, especially, nearer the screen love to see their white clothes/accessories glowing violet when the UV is up.

FanaticalAboutOdeon on February 17, 2019 at 6:16 am

CF100, now bereft of technical “contacts” at OLS, I’m unable to give any further information on the cove lighting source/s but I’m pretty certain the system does not rely on the primary RGB colours – the white we see is too pure a white whereas the illusory “white” a concentration of all primaries would have produced would have been a “dirty” white which, at close quarters, would have inevitably included sparks of red, green, blue, magenta, cyan and amber. More likely, to my mind, is cold cathode lighting strips perhaps best exemplified by its use in the coves of the 1962 Empire Leicester Square. Four strips were concealed within each of the Empire’s coves, all secondary colours – yellow, deep pink, pale/bright blue and white. The effect was truly spectacular especially when different colours were used in different coves and the contrasts could make the colours appear more intense. The deep pink could even appear true red in certain combinations. Interestingly, the tungsten footlights and dips used to illuminate the Empire’s curtains were filtered using colour gels which most closely matched the cove lighting so the overall effect tended to look satisfyingly coordinated.

The items on the “new” OLS (Odeon’s CEO speaking from within the unfinished auditorium) released to the news media, clearly show the coves above the balcony lit a pale shade of blue with, oops, small sections towards the rear showing pink! These were not graphics and show up the same on various photographs taken during the works and looking from the stage end towards the rear.

There is no harm in downlighters acting as both house lights when fully up and safety lighting when dimmed to something less than 25%, especially in much smaller cinemas. In the Odeon this has worked well for many years but, focussed as such lighting is on seats and carpets it only constituted one element of the “house” lighting. Concealed lighting added the more charming and atmospheric elements.

Over the Odeon’s eighty one years, the auditorium lighting has been achieved by tungsten, tungsten halogen, fibre-optic, suspected cold cathode and even neon sources.

The “lounge” cinema at my home has motorised, silver satin screen tabs, 11' diagonal screen, JVC projector using high pressure mercury lamp. Sound is Wharfedale Cube screen speakers supported by Yamaha sound distribution/subwoofer unit and lighting is provided by nine 75 watt profile spots on three colour circuits using Lea gels (primary red, pink and bright blue) supplemented by two, wide angle LED stage lighting units utilising red, green, blue, white, amber and UV elements. All lighting is controlled by slider dimmers and the combo’s are limitless. Effects projectors using steel or dichroic glass gobos are sometimes used to project various images onto the screen or tabs. I find it very ironic that so much of my “little Odeon” was inspired by what I saw at OLS yet today I
believe the theatrical presentation I offer could teach Oscar’s flagship a few things – ought it not to be the other way round?

CF100 on February 16, 2019 at 3:47 pm

LARGE_screen_format: Thank you very much, I have tried my very best to document as many aspects as I can. :–)

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One year in the making and you weren’t blown away. Hmmm…

In relation to the visual aspects of Dolby Cinema, indeed—for all of Dolby’s horn tooting, and glowing “press” coverage—on this occasion it was hard to see how it is particularly, if at all, superior to a top quality “generic” PLF installation. Certainly the picture did not seem to benefit from enhanced features that IMAX offer (the “DMR” processing, the “image enhancer,” and so on) as well as some of IMAX’s other proprietary or exclusively licensed technologies and R&D development.

AFAIK IMAX still have exclusivity for theatrical presentations in taller 1.90:1 or 1.43:1 formats (where relevant) over being restricted to “scope” versions, whether vanilla DCPs or Dolby Cinema versions?

So, IMAX have not been comprehensively overtaken. Regardless of whether “Alita: Battle Angel” took full advantage of the capabilities of Dolby Vision, there are just too many fixed aspects of the system for that to be the case.

The IMAX with Laser dual-projection “GT” system would appear, for now, to continue to be the absolute “Rolls Royce” of theatrical digital projection systems.

davepring on February 16, 2019 at 9:00 am

Terry you are spot on. AMC have sucked the glamour out of the auditorium.The lighting is abysmal and it is devoid of much character. I was not impressed!