"We'll have to fight, we'll have to survive. And DTS will help us."
- Abirami Theatre's Mr Ramanathan 14/12/01

Go Digital!
The DTS Mega Exhibition
Dec 13-14

The best of DTS technology and equipment got a showing at a two-day exhibition in Chennai. Attended by theatre owners, film industry representatives and others interested in digital theatre sound, the "GO DIGITAL" exhibition was held from Dec 13-14.

It was organised by Real Image along with GM Audio Technics Pvt Ltd. A host of film industry personalities attended the exhibition's valedictory function.

Speakers included:

• Mr M Saravanan, AVM Studios
• Mr Suresh, Anandha Pictures Circuit
• Mr Ramanathan, Abirami Theatres
• Mr M Nasser, Actor/director
• Mr Lenin, Film editor
• Mr Venugopal, Manager, Santhi Theatre
• Mr Karunakaran of Anand Theatre

A recurring theme was that the biggest threat to theatres came from television. Theatres have to improve the movie-going experience to survive. This will mean upgrading all systems and services.

"We'll have to fight, we'll have to survive. And DTS will help us," said Abirami Theatre's Mr Ramanathan.

Talking of the incredible possibilities of digital sound, Editor Lenin said: "DTS can make dreams come true." Things you could once only imagine are made easy with DTS sound.

Real Image showed demos with Indian and International movies to highlight the effectiveness of the DTS Sound format. GM Audio Technics displayed a range of Power Amplifiers, Stage Speakers, Surround Speakers, Analog Processors and other peripherals. It was an ideal opportunity for theater owners to understand, experience, appreciate and own DTS Sound Systems.

DTS, widely recognised as the most flexible digital audio technology available today, offers several options for exhibitors; from the DTS-6AD Cinema Processor, which provides superior digital and analog sound playback, to the recently introduced DTS-ECP Expandable Cinema Processor, which offers a world-class solution for theatres on the road to digital sound.

There are over 12,400 cinema screens in the country of which around 9,000 are permanent establishments. India being the second largest producer of films the theatre industry will continue to do well provided it gears up and upgrades cinema halls with the latest technology available.

Currently many theatres are revamping their facilities to give the audiences the best in terms of picture, sound and ambience. DTS is an effective weapon in the drive to recover lost audiences.

The high fidelity of DTS sound and excellent sound reproduction of a much richer quality than ordinary sound systems, make it a powerful format.

DTS is the dominant Digital Sound format in India with 661 theatres, compared to 103 screens of the nearest competitor. It has a sizable presence everywhere in India and has of course taken the south by storm.

Andhra Pradesh has an amazing 191 DTS theatres, followed by Tamil Nadu with 109. The exhibition was aimed at further strengthening the DTS presence in the South.

The growth of DTS in India has been as rapid. From no theatres in Jan 1996 to over 661 theatres in December 2001, it's an average growth of over 115 theatres a year. The number of DTS films made in India also continues to grow rapidly. There were six DTS films made in 1996, the first year of DTS in India. Today the number stands at 313, this includes the various language versions.

New film releases for 2001 featuring DTS included Friends, 12B, Dumm Dumm Dumm, Little John, Deena, Vanchinathan, Star, Poovellam Un Vasam, Alavanthan, Narasimma, Prematho Ra, Kushi, Narasimha Naidu, Sri Manjunatha, Thank you Subbarao, Nuvu Nenu and Student No.1 among others.

DTS is represented in India by Real Image Media Technologies Pvt Ltd. The DTS Systems supplied by Real Image offer the phenomenal advantage of genuine, licensed equipment from Digital Theater Systems, USA, manufacturers of the highest quality, most reliable and affordable theatrical digital sound system available in the world. Every unit is tested and certified to withstand high humidity and dust levels and to perform optimally despite the wide range of power fluctuations in India. The units purchased come with a one-year guarantee, that will give trouble-free performance for much longer than that.

G. M. Audiotechnics, the co-presenters of the exhibition, is a sister concern of G. M. Electrical Works, the manufacturers of Cinema Rectifiers and Transformers. They have been a part of the cinema industry for over 5 decades.

G.M. Audio installed the first Analog Stereo Processor at Devi Theater in 1986 and later the first DTS System in Woodlands Theater, Chennai.

G. M. Audio, with the support of Real Image has become one of the leading installers of DTS systems throughout India. All the equipment for DTS including Power Amplifiers, Stage Speakers, Surround Speakers and Analog Processors are sourced from internationally reputed manufacturers to suit specific applications.