Center Channel Speakers In A Movie Theater?

I used to be in charge of product for Cinema for JBL. Its the same speaker in the center as the left and the right-and that's how we did it at the Academy of Motion Pictures as well.

In a correct film mix, dialogue is the ONLY thing supposed to come from the center speaker. However, I hear from my scoring mixer friends that there are a few [film] mixes out there with non dialogue showing up in the Center. I think its harder to give motion or position since center and left (or right) aren't so far apart.

In IMAX they use a lot more channels than typical film as they use a vertical component of audio to imply an up and down motion (most film only uses left to right).

Someday maybe we'll have 12.1- level one LCR front and LCR surround and level two LCR front and LCR back. Give me a few more overhead and they can do 360 steering!

BTW, center channel in 5.1 music mixes are another story. All bets are off, you can do anything you want.

Mitch4t, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING BY POKING AROUND WHERE YOU HAD NO BUSINESS POKING to begin with?!!! - LOL!
If you ask me, you got what you had coming!...lol!..LOL!:)
Hey come on. Look at it this way...if someone told you to jump off a bridge, whould you do it? That's all I'm sayin..

I've jumped off a few in my lifetime.....

Avogorund, don't you know, there's only a little white haired man pulling levers back there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZR64EF3OpA

Ok, someone please answer the following queation: Where are the speakers in a commercial cinema theater typically located in relation to the audience(besides the consideration that there are usually more of them in the sides and rears, typically), and how does that differ from how speakers are typically layed out in a home theater setup?