Global audio specialist Dolby plans to aggressively expand in the South Indian film industry. The company has always been stronger in the Hindi film industry, compared to the southern one. DTS is the market leader in the southern film market and is synonymous with digital sound there.

“Though we have been operating in India for more than 30 years, we started direct operations here only three years ago. It is time to expand to other regions beyond Bollywood, where there are equally good opportunities,” Pankaj Kedia, country manager, Dolby Laboratories India told Financial Chronicle. “Last year we introduced the Dolby Surround 7.1 in India. Four films — Ra One, Dum Maaro Dum, Bodyguard and Rockstar were released in the format. We expect to have at least 15 titles in 7.1 this year, of which some may be South Indian films.”

Dolby 7.1 is a surround sound format that uses eight discrete audio channels to establish four sound zones in a cinema hall. In surround sound, speakers are placed around the hall so that the movie creates a real-life effect on the audience. Audio is mixed in the same format so as to be compatible with the speakers. More than 50 per cent of cinema halls in the country have Dolby surround sound. About 170 are 7.1 ready. Close to 400 theatres will be equipped with the format by the end of this year, Kedia said.

“Audio is the only aspect that gives an edge to cinema halls over other mediums. While films can be seen on devices including laptops, PCs or mobile phones, movie-watching experience in theatres still remains unparalleled. This is because of minimal distraction; the audience is captive. Moreover, filmmakers make movies primarily for cinema goers and they want to enhance the presentation further to draw more crowds to cinema halls,” he added. US-based Dolby specialises in audio noise reduction and encoding/compression.