posted on Thursday, 20th May 2021 by Steve May
As part of BAFTA’s extensive renovation of its London headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, the industry body has partnered with Dolby, refitting its iconic Princess Anne Theatre with the latest immersive technologies. It’s also renaming its event space The Ray Dolby Room.
BAFTA’s 227-seat screening room will feature Dolby Vision projection and Dolby Atmos sound when it officially reopens in 2022.
The Dolby Vision dual laser projection system uses state-of-the-art optics and image processing to deliver vivid visuals, and a high dynamic range contrast ratio that exceeds that of any other projection technology on the market today.
Dolby Atmos will provide life-like audio that flows throughout The Princess Anne Theatre so every person enjoys a truly immersive and unforgettable cinematic experience, no matter where they are in the auditorium.
In addition to The Princess Anne Theatre, the principal event space at BAFTA’s HQ is to be be named The Ray Dolby Room, after the founder of Dolby Laboratories. The first floor room will celebrate Ray Dolby’s innovative contributions to the film and television industry, as it plays host to BAFTA’s year-round programme of events.
“It’s wonderful to celebrate Ray’s contribution to the entertainment industry, and we are thrilled that his legacy will be recognised at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly”, said Ray Dolby’s son David Dolby. “BAFTA is the home of film, games and television in the UK, and we are proud to support the redevelopment of 195 Piccadilly both financially and with Dolby’s technology so visitors to the building can enjoy the best audio-visual experience and see the magic on the screen come to life as the creators intended. Supporting BAFTA is a fitting tribute to Ray’s innovation in sound technology and the founding of Dolby Laboratories, both of which have had a tremendous impact on the creative industries.”
Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: “We are so grateful to the Dolby family and the Dolby company for their respective generous contributions to the redevelopment of 195 Piccadilly. This is a vital investment in the creative future of film, games and television that will enable us to deliver a greater variety of new talent initiatives, learning events and activity and increase access to our industries. We are thrilled to honour Ray Dolby’s legacy with the naming of the Ray Dolby Room. This is a very fitting tribute as it was in this room in 1997 that Ray Dolby received an award on behalf of Dolby Laboratories, to mark the company’s outstanding technical achievement in film sound.”
Ray Dolby founded Dolby Laboratories in London in 1965, and invented the Dolby System, an analogue audio encoding system that improved the quality of recorded sound. Dolby moved the company to San Francisco in 1976 where its headquarters have since remained.
Inside CI Editor Steve May is a freelance technology specialist who also writes for T3, TechRadar, Home Cinema Choice, Trusted Reviews and The Luxe Review.
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