FilmDistrict

If you don’t like the sounds in scary movies but sometimes get dragged along to the theater anyway, you’re not going to be a big fan of the latest technology from Dolby Laboratories.

The company announced a new sound system Monday called Dolby Atmos, which can move sounds around a theater in an entirely new and realistic way. Rather than pushing the sound out from the left and right side of the theater, as happens in movies today, the new Atmos system will also deliver sound from above in a theater and will be able to swirl sound around in any direction.

During a demonstration at Dolby’s San Francisco headquarters, Stuart Bowling, senior technical marketing manager for Dolby Laboratories, said the Atmos system was one of the most advanced technical jumps the company had made in 20 years and would create an entirely new viewing experience for theatergoers.

“You can imagine watching a scary movie, and it’s a scene when someone is hiding in a basement and there are footsteps on the floorboards above,” Mr. Bowling said. “The Atmos system will actually play that audio from above people in the theater.”

The new sound system is incredibly realistic. During one demonstration, audio clips of a thunderstorm were so realistic — with the sound of the rain pummeling down from above — I thought I might need a real umbrella.

In a press release issued by the company, Kevin Yeaman, president and chief executive officer of Dolby Laboratories, said, “Dolby Atmos is our most significant innovation in years and represents the future for entertainment sound in cinema.”

Dolby said the new system would use 64 speaker feeds and would begin rolling out to select theaters later this year.

Dolby hopes to eventually push the new theater experience to homes with large-screen televisions and sound systems.