Cinema audio processing system

1. In a multi viewer environment where multiple viewers simultaneously experience an audio-visual production with the visual production occurring on a display surface, a method of increasing the perceived reality of the audio stream of the production, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) locating a plurality of at least three speakers along a periphery of the viewing audience; and

(b) panning an audio stream between the series of speakers so as to provide for the sense of an audio sound moving in a front to rear or rear to front direction along the periphery of the viewing audience,

wherein step (b) further comprises the step of panning the same audio stream to a set of at least three speakers along the periphery whilst simultaneously delaying the audio stream transmitted to each speaker by an amount that varies along with the panning gain.

2. In a multi viewer environment where multiple viewers simultaneously experience an audio-visual production with the visual production occurring on a display surface, a method of increasing the perceived reality of the audio stream of the production, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) panning an audio stream between at least three speakers so as to provide for the sense of an audio sound moving in a front to rear or rear to front direction along the periphery of the viewing audience, and

(b) whilst panning the audio stream, delaying the output of one of the speakers relative to another speaker.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the relative delay between the outputs from at least two of the speakers varies along with the panning gain.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein said audio stream includes a channel containing spatial information, including one of panning gain and delay, for a component of said audio stream to be panned.

5. A system for increasing the perceived reality of an audio stream in a multi viewer environment where multiple viewers simultaneously experience an audio-visual production, with the visual production occurring on a display surface, the system comprising:

a series of at least three speakers located along a periphery of the viewing audience; and

panning means for panning a sound trajectory between the speakers so as to simulate the effect of a sound trajectory along the periphery of the audience,

wherein said panning means further comprises delay means for delaying the output of at least one speaker relative to another.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said delay means varies the delay of said speaker output by an amount that varies with the panning gain.