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I have just bought a 35MM test reel for Sensuround, with Battlestar Galactica as the film being tested, but what I found interesting is that there are not one but three "channels" apparently, but these are referred to as "horns" for the seperate front and back channels, as well as a seperate test for the dialogue. I always thought that it was just a big subwoofer in the back of the theater.
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There is an interesting article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensurround. Here is the overview:
Sensurround is the brand name for a process developed by Cerwin-Vega in conjunction with Universal Studios to enhance the audio experience during film screenings, specifically for the 1974 film Earthquake. The process was intended for subsequent use and was adopted for four more films, Midway (1976), Rollercoaster (1977), the theatrical version of Saga of a Star World (1978), the Battlestar Galactica pilot, as well as the compilation film Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (1979). Sensurround worked by adding extended-range bass for sound effects. The low-frequency sounds were more felt than heard, providing a vivid complement to onscreen depictions of earth tremors, bomber formations, and amusement park rides. The overall trend toward "multiplex" cinema structures presented challenges that made Sensurround impractical as a permanent feature of cinema.[1]
Sensurround helped bring wider recognition to established loudspeaker manufacturer Cerwin-Vega,[2] and aided in establishing a strong reputation for new audio amplifier company BGW Systems. The increased awareness of extended low-frequency sound reproduction that Sensurround brought to film audiences was a factor in the increase in subwoofer sales and in the rise in the number of subwoofer designs in the late 1970s and 1980s. -
It's too bad that on Blu-ray, they didn't have a "recreation" of Sensuround as an audio option for the original pilot film of Battlestar Galactica or for the other theatrical release, "Mission Galactica". Trivia note: they made a theatrical release of the ice planet two parter, for overseas theaters, and even a theatrical of the dreadful Galactica 1980, (and an even more dreadful 2x400 of that and I know, I had it!)Comment
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The two Sensurround cinemas I saw films (Battlestar Galactica & Mission Galatica at the Empire Leicester Sq and Rollercoaster at the Elephant & Castle ABC) at had a long black box about the width of the screen at the front and two cubes, one either side, at the rear of the seating.
The UK DVD release of Battlestar does have an English 1.1 Dolby track, though the picture is terrible, non anamophic with the picture letter-boxed.Comment
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