Mike - I've been in a Canadian cinema using your tongue in cheek circular screen. The huge interior of the dome tent was the screen, the projector - fitted with an enormous fisheye lens was positioned at the centre of the sphere and the audience stood anywhere they liked on the transparent viewing platform.
The picture extended 'below the horizon', you could see where you were going, what you were passing, where you'd been and what was overhead. Phenomenal.
But to the VHSc camcorder. Having a mono sound recording facility doesn't in any way make for better bass response, and to equate digital with tinny is odd. Everything audio broadcast on TV has been digital since the introduction of Nicam many years ago, and it sounds fine to all the audio engineers.
tom.
[Editor - the replies to this posting concentrated on the issue of sound and so I have moved them to the thread called FILM SOUND. By all means continue to discuss screens here.]