Christie chooses Chris Connett, a Dolby background, to lead Vive Audio

Christie's new man, who led the launch of the Atmos immersive audio platform, now takes on the challenge of developing the immersive cinema market with Christie's revolutionary Ribbon technology.

Christie has appointed Chris Connett as Director of Market Development at Vive Audio (EMEA). Connett's experience in the sector, backed by his sixteen years at Dolby, where he developed a wide range of tasks from test engineering or advice and assistance in applications, to Director of Cinematographic Products Sales for the EMEA area, was what pushed Christie to seek the services of this professional.

Christie's new man, who led the launch of Atmos, Dolby's innovative sound platform, says he is delighted to join our company and take on the challenge of developing the immersive cinema market with Christie's revolutionary Ribbon technology , at a time when film exhibition is preparing for major improvements in the field of sound.

Graduated in electronics and with technical experience prior to joining the sales sector, he has witnessed the gigantic changes experienced by technology and cinema in the last sixteen years. “When I started visiting movie theaters, often to resolve processor-related issues, all the sound was 35mm film, that is, an optical format, not digital,” Connett said.

“Today, both exhibitors and audiences are much more aware of sound quality, and even more so with large format movie screens (PLF), which has led filmmakers and post-production houses to explore the sound possibilities offered by immersive formats,” he adds.

“Christie's years of close relationship with Dolby, which now extends to Atmos, means he is very familiar with their products. I find the approach taken by Christie with its ribbon speaker and parabolic line array audio solution, which combines the best hi-fi technology with the line array principles of live sound, fascinating. Additionally, Vive Audio appears just as moviegoers demand ever greater sonic realism. In any case, the Vive Audio range is still in its infancy and there are even more exciting improvements and developments in the pipeline,” says the new Vive Audio Market Development Director (EMEA).

Chris Connett will work under Richard Nye, Christie's Director of Film Sales for EMEA, who when speaking about the new signing states that “with the consolidation of immersive sound platforms, Chris's appointment underlines our commitment to disseminate Live Audio throughout EMEA. “We feel fortunate to have someone with so much experience in this field.”

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