Cars, Phones & Cinemas: Dolby’s India Play
Insights into Dolby’s India strategy
In Episode 13 of The Media Room, media journalist and author Vanita Kohli-Khandekar talks to John Couling, Senior Vice President at Dolby Laboratories, about the future of cinema, the rise of immersive storytelling, and why India is central to Dolby’s global growth plans. From the opening of the first Dolby Cinema in Pune to the company’s deepening relationships with Indian creators like S.S. Rajamouli, Couling explains how Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision are changing both how films are made and how they’re experienced. He also unpacks the renewed appetite for premium moviegoing post-pandemic, the surprising boom in in-car entertainment in markets like China and India, and why mobile devices are emerging as cinematic tools in their own right. The episode explores Dolby’s R&D priorities, its response to comparisons with IMAX, and how storytelling is evolving across platforms—from smartphones to theatre screens. Tune in for insights into Dolby’s India strategy.
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TRANSCRIPT
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar (Host): Hello and welcome to the Media Room. This week, the first Dolby Cinema in India opened in City Pride in Kharadi in Pune. Dolby Cinema is a combination of a couple of technologies, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, the whole idea is to have a better viewing experience on cinema and it's opening with F1, the new Brad Pitt movie.
There are about 300 Dolby Cinemas across the world and that's way less than the number of IMAX screens there are in the world which is 1800. But it's a technology that many filmmakers, Christopher Nolan for example, swear by. There are diehard fans of it.
Earlier this year in fact, S.S. Rajamouli who's another fan of Dolby Cinema opened a new pre-production facility, the first Dolby pre-production facility at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad. So, there's a lot of this work happening at the technology end in filmmaking and in film exhibitions. Dolby's whole thing is not just an entertainment, it works at creating a better audio-visual experience across formats, you know.
So, the cinema screen, the small screen, mobiles, cars, it works across the board. Dolby is a $1.3 billion business based out of San Francisco. There are about 8,500 Dolby screens across the world, a thousand in India but a lot of films which release in the Dolby Atmos format.
Just a few days before the opening of the first of the six Dolby Cinemas in India, I had a chat with John Kohling who is the Senior Vice President, Dolby Laboratories. I spoke to him on the technology, on the future of cinema and the Indian market.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Hi, John. Welcome to the Media Room. Wonderful to have you here from San Francisco with us. Really nice.
And congratulations on the opening of the first Dolby Cinema in India.
John Couling: Thank you very much. It's a market we've been in for a long time with cinema. Cinema matters to India and it's great to be part of it with Dolby Cinema.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: And how is it just right? Just some sense of what this involves for my viewers.
John Couling: Well, so what's important first of all is you have to be able to make the movies that everyone wants to see in that market in the Dolby Cinema technology, which means Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. So we've had a really great experience with Dolby Atmos in India. Actually, about half of the movies in Dolby Atmos are made in India.
So we've really got going there early on the picture side, the Dolby Vision side. Only recently we built the capabilities to make those kinds of quality pictures in India. And so Annapurna Studios is the first place we did that.
And now we've got that whole pipeline. We can make movies with this experience. And that, of course, means it's time to bring it to exhibition as well.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: You know, there are a lot of filmmakers who swear by the Dolby Cinema system and Atmos. And here in India, it was Rajamouli. I think he inaugurated the first Dolby post-production thing.
Christopher Nolan is famously known for. What is it about this thing... And I'm sorry, I'm sure you ask this question again and again.
Dolby is at about 300 screens. IMAX has about 1,800 screens. I know the technologies are different.
But how do you sell the concept when it comes? So there are two parts to this. One is, of course, on the exhibition side.
And one is on the creation side.
John Couling: Yes. So for creators, what we find is they have a story they want to tell, a vision in their mind of something that they want to create. And that's true for every type of creator.
And the wonderful thing about creators is whatever you give to them to help, they've always got another idea. So as a source of innovation, it's truly never ending. I've never met a creator who said, I'm done.
I'm out of stories. No, never. So what we try to do, and what we do really every day, is give those creators tools and capabilities to make the things in their mind come to life.
And we want to do that in the most powerful, but also cost-effective and intuitive way. It's got to be easy for them to do, but it's also got to realise what they imagine. And we find that when you can do that with a creator, you bring them on board.
You know, they have something that they want to show, and if you can help them do that, you are absolutely delivering value to them. Then, of course, the question is, you know, how do you play that back? How do you experience it?
And what those creators want is they want everyone to see their work. They don't just do it for themselves, they do it for everyone else. And so we want to create as many Dolby Cinemas in the world as we can, because we believe everyone should be able to get that very best experience.
And what we deliver is the very best experience. It's the best sound. It's the best picture.
Our partners in the exhibition build these rooms that are beautiful and are set up for the best theatrical cinema-going experience. And although we are a little newer to the market than a competitor like IMAX, what we are doing is really bringing that very best experience to life.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: You know, have you had to go to the drawing board and have any of your technologies come out as a result of what creators asked for? I mean, is there a live example you could share with us?
John Couling: Yeah, I mean, a lot of the time our ideas are created by the creator. When we created Dolby Atmos, one of the things we did is we worked with the team that had done a little bit of the sound for the very first Avatar movie. And we worked with them for a week on only two minutes of that movie.
And they were reimagining that in a mixing room. And every day we'd put up different speakers. So they'd say, oh, could you give me a control that does this?
And over the course of a week and two weeks, we started to uncover things that really were transformational. We have sound above you, bringing music off the screen into the room. Things that made the experience completely different for the listener, but also for the creator.
And yes, they're driven entirely by that creative vision and them saying, oh, I'd love to be able to do this or that. And then you see them build on that. And so you get a movie like Gravity, for example, one of the first to really exploit Dolby Atmos.
And you're tumbling through space. And it only makes sense when you hear the sounds all around you to give you an orientation. And that happens the same with pictures, with sound, with music.
Those creators really are the driving force for us.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: And I remember seeing a Gravity clip at the Warner Brothers studio tour. They use it as an example of what sound technology can do just to keep this thing's effect in that scene.
John Couling: Yeah, I mean, the scene almost only makes sense when you hear it in that particular way. And we've seen people say the same about pictures. You know, when you watch the Pixar Inside Out movies, you have these two worlds, inside her head and outside in real life.
And if you look, the colours of the two are really different. Inside is more vibrant and these stronger colours that we can reproduce. And the filmmakers saw it as this really great way to tell that story.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: What has streaming done? Actually, I don't want to come to streaming first because we are creative and what it means. You know, I had a long conversation with Namit Malhotra of Double Negative last year and earlier this year.
And with several other people. And one of the whole things was about how much technology is aiding filmmaking or the creative process, but also how much it could do more and could it become the main story? You know, we always have this discussion about how...
I'm sure you're smiling in that way because it's a discussion you probably had with creators before. But, you know, where does it stop being an aid to the story and become the story itself? I know this is not strictly a Dolby question, but just curious because you said...
John Couling: No, it's an interesting question. The way we think about it is that our technologies are things that help bring not just the story to life, but also do it in a way that reaches as many people as possible. We're always trying to balance those two things with technology.
You want to push the boundaries, give almost more colours on the paint palette, right? But at the same time, it only makes sense if you can really get that to billions of people. And today in Dolby Atmos, we have nearly four billion devices in the world with that capability.
So you can bring these experiences truly to billions of people. And so you're always trying to balance that. And I think that's the role the technology plays.
The technology is there to serve the entertainment experience. And that's true if it's a film. That's true if it's a sports game.
That's true if it's a piece of music. We're here to make that experience something that surprises you, something that engages you, something that makes you laugh or cry or gives an emotional reaction that only that story or that experience can do. And that's what we lead with.
Technology facilitates that.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: I remember reading somewhere that initially the Dolby Vision technology was very bandwidth heavy. I don't know if it still is. And that filmmakers struggled to bring the movie to the theatres and that you had to develop some compression technology to take it through.
Are there more examples like that of adaptations that you've had to do to fit screen size as the world changes? The kind of content we consume in the quantum is at another level now.
John Couling: Yes. You're always finding these use cases. And they're either driven by people taking entertainment into more and more places or they're driven by different types of content.
So I'll give a couple of examples. We've just bought Dolby Vision experiences for the car. And so we have three car makers in China who have Dolby Vision in their cars.
It's super exciting. You can watch a movie in the car and it truly is this great experience. But one of the things in the car is you can be driving in the shade, turn a corner, and it's now bright sunlight.
Or you can be in a tunnel and it's dark and then you come out and it's bright. And so the variation in the light around you is crazy, more than you would ever experience in any other type of viewing environment. And so the challenges of reproducing a great visual experience are very different and things that we had to solve that we'd not had to solve when we were putting that in a movie theatre where the lights come down and it's all very controlled.
And so, yes, we're always being tasked with those new challenges. Likewise, on the production side, if you're making a movie, you might have weeks and months. But if you're making a reality TV show, you might not have to get an episode out every single day.
Well, the tools you need as a creator are gonna have to operate in an incredibly different way because one is gonna need a lot of pace that the other one doesn't. And so, again, as the technology evolves and Dolby Vision now is nearly 10 years old, we've evolved it to these new types of use cases, whether it's how you create or how you enjoy it.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: What's the uptick you're seeing for Dolby Cinema? I know you're doing six screens, six properties to start with, but are you seeing... I know it's a question for Sameer probably, but since I'm talking to you, just what's the sense?
John Couling: As you mentioned, Dolby Atmos for us is something that grew very quickly both on the content and the exhibition side. We have over a thousand screens that can play that. So we know that the market is one that does look for the best cinema experience.
So we're excited about not just the screens that we have, but yeah, where this can go in India.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Okay. You know, one of the big things is the film business has been challenged globally ever since the pandemic. And I think more so in Hollywood, probably.
But even in India and many other markets. Your sense of what and what does it... A, your take on what the challenge is and how the industry could get out of its blue funk, so to say.
And also, where does it put companies like Dolby? Because I love the fact that you're investing in this market and even globally, and that there's so much work happening on R&D also at your end. But how do you view this?
I know you have other businesses also. So, how do you view this challenge that the film business is facing?
John Couling: So, yeah. So the film business, definitely. I mean, the pandemic years were really difficult.
I mean, it's well-documented. And in most cases, box office hasn't recovered back to the level that it was back in 2019. Although it is recovering.
I think we see a couple of things happening in the market. People do want to go to the movies. That's very clear.
When there's a movie that people want to see, people go to the movies. And we've seen big blockbuster hits. We've seen really successful movies.
So it does start with great movies that people want to see. The other thing that we believe is that people do want a better experience. If you look at the box office recovery, it has skewed towards these more premium exhibition experiences.
That as people go back, they want to make it something special. They want to make it something that's a little bit different. And so an experience like Dolby Cinema or an exhibitor PLF that includes Dolby Atmos.
These are examples of screens that are performing better than the more regular screens of the past. So we definitely see that transition and that people are seeking that very best experience. And I think that is a way for the industry to continue to grow.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Yeah, exactly. That is something we notice in India also. People are stepping out for the big movies.
I mean, today some friends went to watch F-Fun and they've been raving about it. I know you're releasing F-Fun on the Dolby screen in India, right? If I was to ask you in the business of entertainment and let it encompass everything that you manage or look at, what are the three challenges and the three big trends that you see?
What is it that's going to drive this? And therefore, what is driving Dolby's priority? I mean, I would love to know what you are spending research money on currently, but I don't know if you're allowed to talk about it.
John Couling: You know, there's a lot of different things happening in the market. I would say one of the interesting trends in the broad entertainment space is the strength of entertainment in the car. We see the automotive market really interested in bringing really good entertainment experiences.
In some of the markets around the world where this is sort of leading the way, we're seeing statistics of, you know, a quarter to a third of the time the car is being used. It's actually stationary at home. People are going to their vehicle as if it's another room in their house.
And if it's got the best sound system and the best picture, then maybe it is a great place to, you know, go watch something by yourself, go play a video game, go, you know, take that phone call if the rest of your world is, you know, busy or noisy or whatever it might be. And so we're seeing this real shift in the way that the automobile plays a role in people's lives. And that's, again, very different in different parts of the world, but really exciting for us and certainly an area where we are investing.
I would say another area that I think is really interesting is mobile devices, their capture capability, the camera, the microphones have been good for a long time, but they're really starting to become cinematic. They're really starting to become something that anybody can create with. And that's really exciting for us because what that does is it brings a greater range of creators to the table who can build, you know, these wonderful experiences.
So our technology, you would find it inside, you know, a Motorola device or an Apple device, for example. And we see that growth as those types of devices get in more people's hands, just how exciting that can be. And that's a very different part of entertainment, right?
That's where it's more, you know, individual creators creating the things that make us laugh, smile, cry, whatever it might be.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: You know, you mentioned the car thing. Is it more specific to America or are you seeing it in other parts of the world? I'm just curious about that one.
John Couling: Yeah, actually, probably China is the area that's furthest ahead in particular in EVs and has some of the highest EV usage and some manufacturers that are really pushing the boundaries there. And yeah, some of those statistics come out of areas like that.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Oh, that's interesting. I really found that interesting because, you know, it's like you escape to the car to take a phone call or to get out of kids making a noise at home or something. But to go there just to sit and get entertained is a new one.
John Couling: Yes. Yeah, and as I say, it's very, you know, different culturally. I think, you know, in the US, you mentioned the US, people spend time, you know, they take their kids to soccer practice and, you know, they drop them off and they have to sit and wait while they go get changed or whatever it might be.
And that's the time when people watch something, you know, and again, they're in their car. And so, yes, it's an area, an environment we spend a lot of time in. But it's also an environment that, again, is quite controlled in many ways.
You know, certainly, you know where the speakers are going to be, you know where the screen is going to be, and you can do some pretty remarkable things.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: That's interesting because in America or a whole part of the developed world most people drive themselves. The upper end is especially spoiled because we use a lot of drivers and stuff. So I'm not sure how it will work in the Indian market, but I'm curious about the Mahindra experiment.
I'm really curious about it.
John Couling: Yes, I'm really excited. I mean, the interest we have from the Indian automakers is really strong because I think, you know, music and audio is such a passion point in the Indian market. So I think the fit is really good.
But yeah, it'd be great to see how people use the technology.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Challenges, John, you've been quiet on the challenges, anything, especially I've seen it was in my head, but anything else that strikes you, please feel free to.
John Couling: Yes, I mean, the world is a, you know, ever changing place. There is a lot going on and Dolby being a global company has to track that, react to that and make sure that we are, you know, delivering value to our partners across the world and do that in a way that, you know, actually helps, you know, them and which will ultimately help our business. And, you know, that's just the realities of, I think, being a global company and something you just have to obviously put some thought into.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Okay, two last questions. One is how do you react to comparisons with IMAX and, you know, especially when you're selling the concept? And two are plans for India.
So those were the two last things on my list.
John Couling: You know, we believe we have something really unique in Dolby Cinema with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos. We have this really broad range of content. We have this love of the experience from filmmakers all over the world.
That's what we talk about when we're talking to our exhibitor partners, because that's what they talk about when they're talking to their customers. And, you know, the moviegoer. And so that's what we talk about.
And we feel really proud of the experience and very confident that it really is the best. In terms of plans for India, I think it's about growth. There is so much opportunity.
There's opportunity in a marketplace that really cares about what we do, that cares about entertainment, that cares about the quality of that. As I mentioned before, we see this growth of local manufacturers. There's this wealth of, of content creators who don't just impact the Indian market, but now impact the global market.
You know, they win Oscars and they, you know, have an impact everywhere. It's, it's, it's a place that has a lot of energy and vibrancy. And it's an opportunity for growth.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Super. Have you watched F1? I'm sure you have.
John Couling: I haven't yet, I must admit. I think it's coming up this weekend. So, yes, I'm looking forward to it.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: Great. And I hope you're seeing it on a Dolby Cinema screen.
John Couling: I wouldn't see it on anything else.
Vanita Kohli-Khandekar: You wouldn't see it on anything else. Great. Lovely, John, you have a lovely day.
Thank you so much for talking to me and thank you for your patience.
John Couling: I absolutely appreciate it. Thank you for the questions. Thank you for the time and have a great evening.
