Theatre for the senses

If you thought Kevin Heverin, director of sales at THX, US and Ranjit Thakur, MRH Digital Systems Pvt Ltd, are doing the rounds of the Delhi multiplexes like PVR and DT to watch films, think again.

Heverin has just flown in from Mumbai with his India representative to woo the multiplex and theatre chains to sign on THX, the cinema certification and quality assurance service from the US.

Ranjit Thakur, director of MRH Digital, the Mumbai-based company that deals in professional audio-video equipment (for theatres), believes that there is immense scope for THX certification services.

He expects at least 200 cinema screens to come up in the country every year for the next few years. "We hope at least 10 per cent of these will utilise our services," he says. Thakur says that the company is targeting only the top 8 to 10 cities where the multiplex culture is catching on.

Worldwide, there are 2,000 THX theatres certified for excellence in presentation technology. "The certification means that a consumer is promised a product that has been evaluated and tested to meet the highest standards for picture and sound quality," says Heverin.

THX offers its services right from the beginning of constructing a theatre. It involves conceptualising the theatre with the architect, designing and construction, audio and video equipment selection, installation, testing the equipment and finally endorsing it as a THX theatre.

To be sure, MRH has been associated with THX for the last two years, "but we are strengthening our alliance now", claims Thakur. He says that in the last couple of years, the company managed to get business only from three theatres "" two in Mumbai and one in Pune.

"This was also because it costs a bomb to fly in people from THX, US, to implement the projects," says Thakur.

However, to offer competitive rates and grab more business, MRH is now training its people at THX's US office. The quality assurance seal from THX will now cost a company between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4

lakh which is 40 per cent cheaper than what it was earlier, claims Thakur.

"We are also looking at MRH to represent us in the region, that is, West Asia and other neighbouring markets," says Heverin.

THX also plans to explore other lines of businesses for certification. Three weeks back, it launched THX-certified home theatre in the US market.

"We are targeting the high-end American homes which have scope for dedicated space for home theatres," says Heverin.

The plan is to introduce a similar service in India. Meanwhile, it has already launched its certification service for film editing and mixing studios in the Indian market.

Will Indian cinema theatres and film editing studios go for THX standards? "It is a challenge. But then in the US, people travel an extra 15 miles to view films in THX theatres to enjoy the audio and video quality," says Heverin.