List of film sound systems

The following is a list of film sound systems.

Explanation

  • The year shown may represent a patent or other developmental milestone rather than the first use in public.
  • Technologically identical systems may have been promoted under different trade names by different commercial entities.

Sound systems

Year Name Type Discrete channels Output channels
200212-Track Digital Sound[1] Digital 12
20152-Track Digital Sound (REMBS) Digital 2
19533 Channel Stereo[2][3] 3 L, C, R
19534-Track Stereo[4] Magnetic 4 L, R, C, S (<12kHz)
19556-Track Stereo Magnetic 6 L, Lc, C, Rc, R, S
1934Afifa Ton-Kopie
1950AGA Sound System
1909Animatophone[5] 1 C
2010Auro 11.1[6] 6 12
1928Aurofone
2015AuroMax
1943B.A.F. Sound System
1907Biophone[7] Phonograph 1 C
1938Blue Seal Noiseless Recording[8]
1929Bristolphone
2001Broadway Surround
1909Cameraphone[5] 1 C
1921Case Optical 1 C
1990Cinema Digital Sound Digital 5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE (<114 Hz)
1974Chace Surround
1905Chronophone[9][10] Phonograph 1 C
1910Chronomegaphone Phonograph 1 C
1907Cinematophone[5][11] Phonograph 1 C
1904 Cinephone Powers[5][12] 1 C
1904Cinephone Lubin[5][12] 1 C
1952Cinerama 7-Track Magnetic 7 L, Lc, C, Rc, R, SBL, SBR;

L, Lc, C, Rc, R, SL+SR, SBL+SBR

1911Cinephonograph[5] 1 C
1949Cinesound[13][14]
1904Cinophone
2010Datasat Digital Sound[15]
1923De Forest Phonofilm[5][16] Optical 1 C
2002Digitrac Digital Audio System
1975Dolby Stereo Optical 2 L, C, R, S
2012Dolby Atmos[17] Digital 128
1992Dolby Digital Digital 5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE
1999Dolby Digital EX Digital 5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, Sbl, Sbr, LFE
1987Dolby Stereo SR Optical 2 L, C, R, S
2009Dolby Surround 7.1 Digital 7.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, Sbl, Sbr, LFE
1993DTS Digital 5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE
1996DTS 70 mm Digital 6 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, Sbl, Sbr, LFE
2001DTS-8
1999DTS-ES Digital 6 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, Sbl, Sbr, LFE
1994DTS-Stereo
2015DTS:X[18] Digital 13
1996DX Stereo
1940Fantasound Optical 3 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, Sbl, Sbr
1929Filmtone
1998Full Range Recording System
1920Gaumontphone
1898Hollmann–Eaves
1973IMAX 6-Track[19] Digital 6
2014IMAX 12-Track Digital 12
1933International Recording Engineers System
1992Iwerks Digital Audio
1894Kinetophone (Dickson) Phonograph 1 C
1888Kinetophone (Edison)[5] Phonograph 1 C
1958Kinopanorama 9-Track
1913Kinoplasticon[5][20]
1956Klangfilm Magnetocord
1954Klangfilm-Stereocord
1990LC-Concept Digital Sound[21] Digital 5.1 L, C, R, Ls, Rs, LFE
1969Li-Westrex System
1979Kintek Stereo
1938Magnaphone Western Electric
1962Magnetocord
1988Matrix Surround
1904Mono Optical 1 C
1925Movietone[22] Optical 1 C (<8500Hz)
1938Optiphone
1964Ortiphone
1907Oskar Messter
1949Perspecta Stereo[23] Optical 1 L, C, R
1933Phillips Sound
1900Phono-Bio-Taleaux[5] 1 C
1900Phono-Cinema-Theatre[5] 1 C
1921Phono-Kinema[5] 1 C
1922Phonofilm Optical 1 C
1921Photokinema Phonograph 1 C
1925Photophone (RCA)[5] Optical 1 C
1914Polyscope[5] Phonograph 1 C
1936Pulvári System
1970Quadrophonic
1975Quintaphonic
1993Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS)[24] Digital 8 L, Lc, C, Rc, R, Ls, Rs, LFE
1974Sensurround Optical, Magnetic 1, 4, 6 C, LFE;

L, R, C, S (<12kHz), LFE;

L, Lc, C, Rc, R, Ls, Rs, LFE

1992Servotron Stereo
1985Sonics
1996Sonics-DDP[25]
1994Sonix
1928Sonora-Bristolphone
1977Sound 360°
1992Sound Trax Surround Stereo
1995Soundelux
1965Spectra-Stereo
1949Stereo variable-area[26] Optical 2 L, R
1978Super Space Sound
1929Synchrotone
1939Synthetic
1932Systemi A. Shorin
1940Système Cottet
1933Tagephone
1983THX Ltd.
2005TMH Labs 10.2 Channel Sound Digital 12 L, Lh, Lc, C, Rc, Rh, R, Ls, Bs, Rs, LLFE, RLFE
1928Tobis (Tonbild Syndicat)
1922Tri-Ergon Sound System 68 mm[5] Optical 1 C
1984Ultra Stereo[27] Optical 2 L, C, R, S
1938Variray Blue Seal Recording
1935Visatone
1980Vistasonic
1925Vitagraph
1926Vitaphone[5] Phonograph 1 C (<4300Hz)
1911Vivaphone
1921Western Electric[28] Optical 1 C
1925Westrex (Fox & Western Electric)[29] Optical, Magnetic 1 C
1938Wicmar and Blue Seal Noiseless Recording
1980 Megasound Magnetic 6 L, C, R, Ls (>450Hz), Rs (>450Hz), LFE (<250 Hz)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sound Systems 12-Track Digital Sound. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  2. ↑ Sound Systems 3 Channel Stereo. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  3. ↑ "3 Channel Stereo". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  4. ↑ Sound Systems 4-Track Stereo. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Silent Era : Information". www.silentera.com. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  6. ↑ "Movies mixed in Barco's 3D sound". Barco. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "Biophone". Silent Era. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  8. ↑ "Swing! (1938)". AFI Catalog. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  9. ↑ "Silent Era : Information". www.silentera.com. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  10. ↑ "Chronophone". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  11. ↑ "Cinematophone". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  12. 1 2 "Cinephone". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  13. ↑ Sound Systems Cinesound. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  14. ↑ "Cinesound". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  15. ↑ Sound Systems Datasat Digital Sound. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  16. ↑ "De Forest Phonofilm". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  17. ↑ "Theatrical Releases in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos". www.dolby.com. Dolby Laboratories. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  18. ↑ "DTS:X Cinematic Releases | DTS". dts.com.
  19. ↑ Sound Systems IMAX 6-Track Mag. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  20. ↑ "Kinoplasticon". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2026-05-03.
  21. ↑ Sound Systems LC Concept Digital Sound. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  22. ↑ Sound Systems Movietone. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  23. ↑ Sound Systems Perspecta Stereo. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  24. ↑ Sound Systems Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS). Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  25. ↑ Sound Systems Sonics-DDP. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  26. ↑ Sound Systems Stereo. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  27. ↑ Sound Systems Ultra Stereo. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  28. ↑ Sound Systems Western Electric. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.
  29. ↑ Sound Systems Westrex Recording System. Retrieved 2026-04-28 – via shotonwhat.com.

Resources

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.