Dolby Digital Cinema

Background

Dolby Digital Cinema is the name given to a digital processing technology for cinema projectors introduced in 2005 by Dolby Laboratories. The processor manages the files that are stored inside the projector and is responsible for feeding that information into the projector itself, thus being able to project it onto the screen. Dolby 3D (formerly "Dolby 3D Digital Cinema") is a variation of the same technology, albeit, of course, for 3D projection.

Countdown (November 4, 2005-2019)

Visuals: A countdown leader suddenly appears, counting from the number 10, in a rather modern-looking font. The pictures goes from black and white to orange before the picture distorts and burns when the countdown reaches the number 8. Once number 6 appears, the number then appears in a changing background with the number's color changing with it, both of them changing at every two numbers. First a fiery orange background, then a green one with flowers and plants growing, and then a blue one, where the flowers turn into bubbles that float towards the screen in all corners, except for the center. After number 1, the number disappears as a light shines, but it seems separated by two transparent vertical rectangles on the left and right of the screen. The rectangles then zoom out and gradually turn black as they're revealed to be part of the Dolby symbol, with the "DOLBY" name below it in its font, also black, and "DIGITAL CINEMA" stacked on top of each other in silver, all inside of the silver outline of an also vertical rectangle. As the logo zooms to the top and resides, "BELIEVE YOUR EYES" appears below it in white with a blue glow around it, in the same font as "DIGITAL CINEMA". The logo then glows strongly before fading out immediately afterwards, while "BELIEVE YOUR EYES" stays for a second before also fading out.

Variants:

Two variants were introduced with the launch of the 2007 Dolby logo: one where the DDC logo is modified to feature the current Dolby logo and font at the time, zooming out from between the "O" and "L" in "DOLBY" while "BELIEVE YOUR EYES" remains intact; and one where the standard Dolby logo replaces the Digital Cinema logo, zooms out to the center, and the text below is omitted. The blue glow is still present around the logo.
- A 3D variant exists where the numbers are now in CGI and zoom in slightly before disappearing. The end result modifies depending on the era: Variants with the Dolby 3D Digital Cinema logo, the 2009 Dolby 3D logo and the standard 2007 Dolby logo, all zooming in instead of out, exist. The "BELIEVE YOUR EYES" text is present in the 3D Digital Cinema variant.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: First a countdown sound is heard, before the film burns and during the changing background section, we listen to sounds corresponding to the things going on, while the numbers have a heartbeat sound when each one of them appears, which are more easily listenable wearing headphones or on cinema speakers. When "1" appears, a soft voice makes a sound similar to a gasp. A bass drop comes after that, then "BELIEVE YOUR EYES" appearing has a single note with a hiss. All done by MachineHead.

Audio Variants: For the standard 2007 Dolby logo variant, the audio was revised. A different film projector sound effect is used at the beginning, the numbers are now represented by bass hits, new sound effects such as fireworks are added, and the bass drop comes in earlier with a different phasing sound playing at the end. Also done by MachineHead.

Availability: Seen on all cinemas with Dolby's digital processing systems ever since they were introduced in 2005 with the theatrical release of Chicken Little. Also available online. The original variant was spotted on a Spanish bootleg print of The Simpsons Movie, as the bootleg was recorded on a digital screening of the film. The "3D Digital Cinema" variant debuted on the theatrical release of Beowulf, while the Dolby 3D variant debuted on the theatrical release of Up.