My first “beyond 5.1″ experience was in January 2000 at the Alexis Park Hotel in Las Vegas. My colleague from the USC Immersive Audio Lab, Tomlinson Holman, was in the small room next door explaining why more channels are needed. This was followed by a demonstration of the world’s first 10.2 system to a few members of the press.
The world of sound had come a long way from the introduction of the first stereo LP in 1957. But in fact, with 10.2 we were moving back in time. It was in the late 30s that researchers at Bell Labs had looked into the question of how many loudspeakers are needed to reproduce a seamless, realistic sound scene. The answer at the time was discouraging: it turned out to be an infinite number–not exactly a high SAF (spouse approval factor) idea. Two channel stereo, however, was the only way to deliver sound to the consumer and it was limited by the LP groove that had two sides. Certainly better than mono, it didn’t come close to delivering an immersive experience.