MultiChoice recently completed the installation of its state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos-enabled production suite, housed at its broadcast centre in Randburg.
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology that goes beyond the ordinary listening experience to deliver unparalleled clarity and depth. The new production suite unlocks business benefits for MultiChoice, as movies and series can be packaged for international broadcasters that require Atmos-ready content. It also unlocks a world of creativity for the creation of future content on the company’s OTT platforms.
“In line with our strategy to be Africa’s leading storyteller, our media technology team continues to ensure our production values increase and can compete with the best in the world. We are also incredibly proud of the diversity of our teams, the lead engineers on this project were women. Gender equality continues to be a primary focus as we know that diversity drives improved results,” said Yolisa Phahle, CEO for General Entertainment and Connected Video at MultiChoice Group.
Dolby Atmos gives viewers a moving sound experience, allowing them to feel like they are part of a scene. This is achieved by creating a full 360-degree moving sound around the room. Dolby Atmos is versatile and can be played back virtually on any speaker configuration, while greater precision of audio objects placement can be achieved each time the number of speakers is incremented.
“The Dolby Atmos studio is aligned with the objective to become Africa’s most loved storyteller. It has been an exciting process to be a part of building this studio as we continuously look to innovate and enhance the customer experience,” explained Tammy Gcaza, Post Production Manager at MultiChoice.
The deployment of this tech is the first of many to come at MultiChoice, with the upcoming tech refreshes of its Audio Final Mix suites also earmarked to be Atmos deployments.
“For MultiChoice, this was the first Dolby Atmos-enabled production suite we had to build. Most of the technology and equipment in this studio were new to us, so we had to read up on just about everything, but it was very interesting,” explained Kabelo Lebajoa, Media Technology Engineer at MultiChoice.
“Thanks to the Dolby Atmos production suite, we are able to enhance our content and stand out in terms of value creation for both our international distributors and our viewers. It truly is a ‘wow’ user experience,” added Palesa Selepe, Media Technology Engineer at MultiChoice.
”It is such an incredible pleasure to work with these leading ladies because they embody everything we strive to do, to bring our customers the best in entertainment,” notes Gcaza.
