THX

George Lucas stated, "Sound is 50 percent of the motion picture experience. If you don't have a good sound system, you cut the experience dramatically." Its this expectation that developed into THX. Essentially, THX auditoriums reproduce sound as intended by the film maker.
Some auditoriums suffer from projector noise, loud air conditioning systems, and audio distortion. Moviegoers experience varying sound quality even within the same theater due to multiple auditoriums. With the variety of theater locations, no objective measure of overall quality existed.
George Lucas identified the need and established a solution. Implemented in 1982 with the release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, THX TAP (Theatre Alignment Program) certifies the sound quality of an auditorium. Criteria focus on delivering a broad spectrum of crystal clear sound to all areas within the auditorium. This quality control system eliminates virtually all the challenges to accurate sound reproduction.

quiet background noise

Reduced background noise prevents distraction especially during quiet scenes. It protects you from hearing the movie in the next auditorium as well as the air conditioner above you.

superior theater acoustics

Some auditoriums were never destined to be great at sound reproduction. Certain theater chains take shortcuts in the design and construction of a site. Difficulties can occur becuase of space limitations caused by building too many auditoriums, architectural oversight, or utilizing an existing building. This provides great savings to the movie exhibitor at the expense of the moviegoer. Rest assured that these auditoriums will never be THX certified without serious structural improvements.

periodically retest certified theaters

THX TAP visits the theater periodically for recertification. This ensures that the auditorium retains a consistently high level of performance. Certified theaters can use the THX logo and THX: The Audience is Listening movie trailer.

THX auditoriums surpass established minimum high fidelity performance specifications. Theaters use authorized sound processors, amplifiers, and speakers to pass the performance standards set by THX TAP. Each component must exceed specific criteria to be added to the approved list. Also, every certified auditorium uses the THX electronic crossover leased exclusively by Lucasfilm.
Regardless of the audio quality on a motion picture soundtrack, its still within a THX auditorium. A poorly mastered audio track would still sound terrible but you would be able to discern every flaw with perfect clarity.
Special effects send a THX auditorium to a higher level. Combine the performance specifications with a digitally mastered soundtrack and understand the true meaning of audio expression.