Acoustic Design Factors for Wide-Screen Theaters

The specific capacity of 125 cu ft/spectator recommended for 35mm film theaters seating up to 900 persons has to be increased by almost 300% for 70mm film theaters that have larger screens and aspect ratios of projected picture. The audience- participation-inviting effects of Cinerama, Todd-AO, Ultrapanavision, etc., require not only outsize screens, but utilization of central seating areas, to avoid optical distortion as well as delayed sound reflections. Extreme lateral seating in an auditorium makes correct sound-source localization difficult (getting the sound source to come from directly behind the picture image), which has led to the adoption of continental seating arrangements in new theaters: the space along the sidewalls is used for aisles. Other improvements are discussed, such as a 5-in rise per seat row spaced 40 in. back-to-back, and the application of sound absorbent treatment on the lower portions of the sidewalls to prevent delayed reflections.

Print ISSN

0361-4573

Published

1968-09

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J16728