Cobb Theatres Installs Barco Auro 11.1 Sound Systems and Now Offers Moviegoers the Most True-to-Life Sound Available

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March, 22 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cobb Theatres, known for being a leader in providing its guests with the ultimate movie going experiences, has partnered with Barco and has installed Auro 11.1, the next-generation in sound technology, at Cobb Village 12 Cinemas in Leesburg, VA, and at their Lakeside 18 & IMAX® location in Lakeland, FL. Moviegoers will experience this new immersive layered sound technology while screening the upcoming DreamWorks films The Croods starting on Friday March 22 and Turbo set to release July 2013.

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Three layers of sound
Developed by Auro Technologies and powered by Barco, the Auro 11.1 sound format is designed along three layers of sound (Surround, Height, and Overhead), rather than the single layer used in the conventional 5.1 sound format or two layers in other 'object-based' formats. Thanks to its 11.1 configuration, the technology not only enables sound mixers to move objects around in space but it also allows them to reproduce the immersive aspects of a film soundtrack in a way that is more compatible with their current workflow. The Auro 11.1 sound technology provides the best acoustic experience at the most commercially viable price point in the market, and it does so without the need to create object-based soundtracks that are designed to be optimized for the consumer market.

"We are always striving to enhance the movie going experience for our customers," said Jeremy Welman chief operating officer, Cobb Theatres. "The 11.1 channel sound versus the 7.1 channels, currently used at these two theatres, brought the entire audio and visual presentation to the next level. We are excited to be bringing  Auro 11.1 to these two test markets before rolling out to the entire circuit"

About Cobb Theatres

Cobb Theatres, based in Birmingham, AL., is a progressive motion picture exhibitor operating 253 screens at 21 locations throughout the Southeastern United States. We are committed to being the leader in providing the ultimate entertainment experience, while maintaining a rich heritage of family values and integrity. Consistently surpassing our guests' expectations is a natural outgrowth of our dedication to empowering team members to deliver excellence in guest service. CineBistro, the premiere cinema and dinner-in-a-movie concept, created by Cobb Theatres is currently being developed around the country and have seven locations operating in Tampa FL, Miami FL, Vail CO, Hampton VA and Richmond VA and Atlanta, GA.

For more information on Cobb Theatres or CineBistro, visit www.cobbtheatres.com  or www.cobbcinebistro.com

About Barco 

Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with about 3,900 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 1.156 billion euro in 2012.

About Auro Technologies

Auro Technologies (www.auro-3d.com; www.auro-technologies.com) is a spin-off of the Galaxy Studios Group and owner of the Auro-3D® Technology Suite. The Auro-3D® system has been designed by Wilfried Van Baelen, founder of Galaxy Studios, which is renowned worldwide for its state-of-the-art leadership in audio innovation for music and film sound. The Auro-3D® suite offers ground-breaking, easy-to-use and unprecedented levels of sound reproduction capabilities to the professional, automotive, broadcast and consumer electronics (such as gaming, smart phones, multimedia PC, notebooks, tablets, audio players, digital TV, media libraries and packaged media) markets.

SOURCE Cobb Theatres