New Technology Could Make Movie Theater Experience More Life-Like

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — With more and more entertainment options available, movie theaters are having to do more to get people in the seats. The industry is going high tech to enhance the experience.

Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco is experimenting with technologies that will enhance both the audio and visual experience. Examples include hiding speaker locations to enhance the illusion of a movie feeling real. Using new software to produce purer levels of color, and focusing on "object based sound" as well.

"What used to be a light bulb in a film projector or digital projector is now an array of laser light sources that combine a whole bunch of laser pointers together to create light on the screen," a Dolby representative says.

Dolby is also finding new ways to test what parts of the brain are stimulated and how in an attempt to make things more life-like.

Despite all the new technology, Hollywood is preparing for what could be its biggest summer slump yet. The L.A. Times reports industry insiders predict ticket sales will drop five to ten percent this summer from last.