Auro 11.1

Auro 11.1 logo

Auro 11.1 is one of the cinematic speaker layouts of the Auro-3D format, invented in 2005 by Wilfried Van Baelen (CEO Auro Technologies, CEO Galaxy Studios). The Auro 11.1 cinema audio format is supported by Barco, a global visualization technology and digital cinema projection company.

Working

Comparison of 5.1 (left) and Auro 11.1 (right)

The Auro 11.1 cinema sound format adds two additional layers of sound to the existing 5.1 surround sound layer. The Auro 11.1 format incorporates a height and overhead channel which allow for sound with sound waves coming from every direction. In this way, Auro 11.1 aims to create a realistic and natural immersive audio experience.^[1]

The audio format creates immersive 3D sound by using a three-dimensional (x,y,z) 11.1 channel/speaker layout. The Auro 11.1 system is designed along three layers of sound (ear-level, height, and overhead). Based on the existing 5.1 surround sound configuration, the technology adds a height and top layer. With this audio format, natural sound comes from all around and above the listener. "The closer to natural sound, the more immersive the impact" quoted Wilfried Van Baelen in 2006 (AES convention Paris & San Francisco, where he launched the Auro-3D format with the "Auro 9.1" system).

The first Auro 11.1 system was installed in May 2010 in Galaxy Studios. Auro 11.1 was launched at the spatial audio conference (AES) in October 2010 in Tokyo and in July 2011, Skywalker Sound installed their first Auro 11.1 system. In November 2011, the technology was first installed in a cinema theater at the Wangfujing Cineplex in Chengdu, China. In December 2014, 550 installations were committed and installed in theaters worldwide. The first movie mixed in Auro 11.1 was Lucasfilm's Red Tails, released in January 2012. On 1 November 2012, DreamWorks Animation announced that it would release 15 of its upcoming movies in the Auro 11.1 format.

Products

The Auro 11.1 technological suite contains all the necessary tools to create content in immersive sound. The Auro codec offers bandwidth reduction by creative mixing and unmixing of multiple channels while remaining in the uncompressed PCM domain. Auro 11.1 is backwards compatible with surround 5.1 and 7.1.^[2]

The Auro 11.1 decoder

The Auro 11.1 decoder is a 100% firmware based solution that is compatible with the most commonly used media block technologies on the market today. It is currently available for the Doremi-branded cinema servers and IMBs. Once loaded onto the media block, the Auro 11.1 decoder is only activated when an 11.1 codestream is present on the audio tracks of a Digital Cinema Package (DCP). If this is the case, the media block will automatically route the appropriate channels to the correct Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) outputs and send them to the AP243D audio processor. If a given DCP does not contain the 11.1 metadata, the media block will simply play back the standard 5.1 tracks.

AP243D audio processor

Co-developed by industry leaders in cinema audio processing technology, the AP243D audio processor makes it possible to seamlessly switch from normal 5.1 playback to the 11.1 format, either automatically or at the push of a button. Due to the channel count and critical time alignment functions required for the calibrated playback of Auro 11.1, all existing eight-channel processors are not compatible with the Auro format. The AP243D supports all existing interfaces required for a modern digital cinema B-chain, including 16 channels of AES inputs, non-sync and a variety of alternative content sources including HDMI and S/PDIF.

Movie releases in Auro 11.1

Sources:^[3][4]

References

• http://www.barco.com/auro11-1
• http://www.auro-technologies.com
• http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-11-01/dreamworks-animation-adopts-barco-3-d-sound-for-next-15-movies
• http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2012/11/02/dreamworks-animation-barco-3d-sound.html?page=all
• http://www.psneurope.com/main-content/full/auro-3d-how-does-it-work
• http://collider.com/red-tails-auro-3d-11-1-surround-sound/
• http://broadcastengineering.com/audio/lucasfilm-selects-auro-3d-111-cinema-audio-format
• http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118061588/
• http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-barco-385113
• http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-rise-of-the-guardians-376720
• http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/86264.html
• http://www.moviecrow.com/News/3463/jilla-to-release-in-auro-111
• http://www.metromasti.com/kollywood/news/Kochadaiiyaan-Kochadaiyaan-release-date-Tamil-New-year-April-14/35174
• http://www.babacinemas.com
• http://auro-3d.ru/

External links

• Auro 11.1 webpage
• Auro Technologies webpage