Though some of them were just gimmicks to attract viewers (things like 3D glasses), other ones, such as the wide-screen cinemascope, eventually developed into significant improvements. Another achievement worth mentioning was a four-channel stereo (three front speakers accompanied by a switchable «effects» speaker). Soon after that, 70 mm 6-track film was invented. It had five front channels (left, left/center, center, center/right, right) plus a dedicated effects channel placed in the auditorium. However, mastering these technologies was limited by certain economic factors.
Home audio systems were also evolving greatly. By the 1960s, home «hi-fi» arrangements were all the rage. Stereo sound replaced monaural as a standard. The stereo recordings of a ping – pong ball bouncing between speakers stimulated the rise of today’s consumer surround sound.
In the early 1970s many professionals felt a kind of frustration at the scanty abilities of two speakers leading to research into the consumer surround sound which resulted in an analog four – channel configuration called Quad. It was a progressive idea going ahead of its time. It failed, however, beset by numerous technical (inability of the vinyl medium to carry four discrete signals without strong crosstalk and compromises in frequency response), economic (there were a lot of competing, non-compatible formats) and even aesthetic problems (the public did not completely understand the psychoacoustics of the four-channel sound.)
However, by the late 1970s, the first digital audio sets made an appearance at the market. The film industry was pushing forward its positions, too. Dolby Laboratories started their work at a matrixing system «Dolby Stereo» where three front speakers and an array of rear speakers received information through four channels derived from two stereo channels that were printed optically onto film. Dolby professionals also made an introduction of a separate «boom» subwoofer channel, or so called the «LFE channel» (which stands for Low Frequency Effects). It effectively increased dynamic range (the difference between the softest sound and the loudest sound perceived) in cinematic installations.
By the mid – 1980s, the system 5.1 was supposed to be a standard for 70 mm cinematic releases. It was composed of three full-range front channels (left, center, right), two full-range rear channels, and a subwoofer. In the name «5.1» the». 1» stands for the LFE channel because it carries only approximately one – tenth of the frequency range of the other channels. Researchers considered this as being the minimum number of speakers needed to supply the listener with an enveloping, immersive sound perception, as well as providing a sufficient level of localization (the capability to receive a sound as coming from a definite point in space). The 5.1 is still the most common configuration used for surround sound today.
Essential glossary
• profit – прибыль, выгода
• advance – продвижение, достижение
• gimmick – приём, трюк, уловка
• viewer – зритель
• improvement – улучшение, усовершенствование
• achievement – достижение
• switchable – переключаемый
• dedicated channel – выделенный канал
• be all the rage – достигать крайней степени, предела
• monaural sound – монауральный, относящийся к одному уху, монофонический
• consumer – потребитель
• research – научное исследование
• vinyl medium – виниловый носитель
• crosstalk – перекрёстные помехи, диафония
• frequency response – частотная характеристика
• psychoacoustics – психоакустика
• range – диапазон
• installation – установка, инсталляция
• compose – составлять, компоновать
• approximately – примерно, приблизительно
• immersive – многонаправленный, с одновременным воздействием на человека посредством нескольких каналов восприятия (зрение, слух, осязание, обоняние); иммерсивный, создающий эффект присутствия
• sufficient – удовлетворительный
• the most common – наиболее употребляемый
• capability – способность
7. Scan the article and use the words in brackets to complete the statements.
1) By the early 1950s, the increasing popularity of the television became a… to the movies.
2) By the 1960s, home «hi-fi» schemes were all the rage. Stereo sound took the place of… as a standard.
3) In spite of being a progressive idea going ahead of its time, the usage of… failed, attacked by numerous technical, economic, and even aesthetic problems.
4) The 1970s featured intense development of both audio and…
5) By the mid – 1980s, …, which still remains the most widely used surround sound configuration, became a standard for 70 mm cinematic releases.
(5.1 system, real threat, video technologies, monaural, Quad)
8. Read the text in more detail and answer the questions.
1) What source of public entertainment threatened the cinema in the early 50s?
2) What did the film studios do in what seemed to be a losing battle with television? What technological advances were offered by audio engineers?
3) What sound system was accepted as a standard instead of the old one in the early 1960s?
4)
