News - 05/30/1999 KC Star
The digital drive-in! Great sound under the sky
Boulevard Drive-In in KCK leads the way with new sound system
by Robert W. Butler
The Kansas City Star
May 30th, 1999
Digital sound? At a drive-in? It sounds a little goofy, drive-ins being at heart a retro movie going experience. But the folks at the Boulevard Drive-In in Kansas City Kansas, recently became the first in the world to install digital sound. So last weekend your critic packed up the missus and hopped in the old Olds for an evening of cinema under the stars, something the Butlers hadn't experienced since the heady days of newly wedded bliss nearly a quarter-century ago. The customers still do lots of stuff only marginally connected with watching movies. They talk, smoke, march to the concession stand and back. The kids still run around, and one guy kept us entertained with pyrotechnic displays as he attempted to ignite the charcoal in the hibachi he had set up outside his car door. If you run into a man with no eyebrows, that's him.
But other traditions have gone by the wayside. From what I could see, the drive-in no longer is in demand as a lovers' lane. No doubt the sexual revolution caught up with and raced past drive-ins years ago. Nor is the evening punctuated by the plink of empty beer cans hitting the gravel. Either folks aren't partaking as they once did or they're saving the aluminum for recycling.
But I digress. We're talking about digital sound, and you'll know something's up the minute you pull into the Boulevard. That's because vintage rock 'n' roll is playing over the digital system - and it sounds great.All those tinny old speakers on poles have been replaced by high-tech models that deliver crystal-clear sound. The acoustics at most rock concerts aren't this good. That's only the beginning. By tuning your car's FM radio to a specified frequency, you get the film's soundtrack in digital stereo. True, there's no rear speaker effect like in an indoor theater, but the left/right sound spread is spacious and distinct, and the dialogue, music and sound effects are perfectly balanced. You can hear everything, with no hiss or hum. And the low-frequency noises - rumbles, bangs and explosions - can rattle your teeth.
Of course, the sound in your car depends upon the quality of its radio and speakers. But if you really want to try something different, take along a personal radio, slap on the headphones and groove out in your own little insulated movie world.