Take Over Tuesday: From LaserDisc to Dolby Vision: The Home Cinema Evolution with Jon Thompson
From Bright Side Home Theater by dj@brightsidehometheater.com
May 5, 2026 · 2h 20m · Episode 533
About this episode
The episode features a deep dive into the evolution of home cinema with Jon Thompson, discussing various formats, aspect ratios, and the importance of calibration.
It’s Take Over Tuesday where you the listener run the podcast. And this week’s episode is featuring Jon Thompson! Scope vs. Height: Aspect Ratios, Artistic Intent, and the Lost Art of Presentation In this episode, DJ sits down again with Jon for a deep dive into the evolution of home cinema—from LaserDisc and early Dolby/DTS battles to modern-day Dolby Vision, IMAX framing, and why calibration still rules everything. They unpack the real differences between AC-3 and DTS on LaserDisc and DVD, how director commentaries were born from spare audio channels, and why some restorations feel “different” (hello, Twister and Master and Commander). They also get into the weeds on aspect ratios, four-way masking, and whether constant height or constant width better serves artistic intent, plus how analog “fuzziness” still seduces audiophiles in a digital world. They share behind-the-scenes war stories from mixing rooms and projection booths: how theatrical mixes became “near-field” home mixes, why THX processing existed, what truly separates a reference room from an expensive disappointment, and how tools like Trinnov and rigorous daily calibration keep rooms honest. They talk…
People in this episode
Host: DJ
Guest: Jon Thompson
Topics covered
- home cinema evolution
- aspect ratios
- Dolby Vision
- LaserDisc
- audio formats
- theatrical presentation
- calibration
Keywords
- home cinema
- LaserDisc
- Dolby Vision
- aspect ratios
- calibration
- audio formats
- theatrical presentation
- DTS
- THX processing
- mixing rooms
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Twister, Master and Commander, Project Hail Mary
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