UPDATE: A Celluloid Junkie source has confirmed that Regal has chosen Sony 4K digital cinema technology for its theater circuit, which consists of 6,793 screens in 551 theaters (that figure includes Imax screens and screens that already offer digital projection). The news comes just a few months after AMC Entertainment decided to install Sony 4K projection systems across its theater circuit, which represents a total of 4,628 screens at 309 theaters in five countries. Combined, the deals have the potential to make Sony the market leader in North America once the installations are complete–although there is no word yet on a rollout schedule. Both Regal and AMC are members of DCIP.
Earlier today I heard a rumor that Regal Entertainment had chosen to install Sony’s 4K digital cinema technology circuit-wide. Even as I was confirming the rumor, news of the decision was spreading throughout the industry like wildfire. In fact, Digital Cinema Report sent an email out to its subscribers that stated:
Regal Cinemas has selected Sony 4K digital cinema technology for all of its theatres. Two sources confirmed the news today. Following on the heels of AMC’s decision to work with Sony this marks Sony’s second major success story in recent weeks.
If this news turns out to be true it could quite possibly make Sony the market leader in digital cinema projection. At least it would once all of the projectors were installed, which could take years. There is no word on a rollout schedule or when the first units will be installed.
One reason Regal may be going with Sony is that they can provide financing for any planned rollout. Both AMC Entertainment and Regal are part of Digital Cinema Implementation Partners’ integration efforts, though DCIP has yet to announce any success they have had in raising funds for their rollout. We’ll provide updates as details become available.
New York-based e-cinema pioneer (though they hate the term - ‘e-cinema’, that is, not ‘pioneer’) Emerging Pictures has selected CDNetworks to “provide the low-cost delivery of large HD-file downloads for its “100% green” data delivery platform.” The move is in tune with the company’s aim of not just being digital but also ‘green’ pioneers. From the press release:
Emerging Pictures uses its data-delivery platform with high-speed data lines to deliver HD-quality films to high-definition projection systems. CDNetworks provides the network infrastructure and the file delivery technology to economically deliver the large HD-file downloads, in both 720p and 1080p. The files are sent in one-of-three high-quality, yet compact, HD-file formats - MPEG2 HD, VC-1 HD, and .264 HD. Leased broadband lines deliver the files directly to servers, located at the theaters, where the files are rendered and delivered to high-quality HD-cinema projectors. Emerging’s approach is totally carbon neutral, using no petroleum-based 35mm film prints, no carbon-consumed shipping of heavy 35mm film canisters, and the most eco-friendly and economical film delivery platform available.
Emerging Pictures considered using satellite technology for their file-download system, but found CDNetworks’ digital large-file-download solution to be much more cost-effective. Data-network delivery also compares very favorably to the cost of cloning, shipping, and retrieving hard drives and makes venue operation far easier than traditional or satellite-file-download systems.
Emerging Pictures has an impressive track record to-date of both alternative content events and specialized and independent films. They are not shy to trumpet it:
Emerging Cinemas is the partner of choice for specialty-film distributors who need a cost-effective, carbon-neutral means of sending HD-quality files to communities in search of high- quality cinema programs. Emerging has secured North American digital cinema distribution rights to the prestigious La Scala Operas, Salzburg Festival, Glyndebourne Operas, and Bolshoi Ballet company performances. Pop Music artists presented include Bruce Springsteen, The Who, and The Smashing Pumpkins. The company also distributes top-end art house films from leading US and International cinema companies and films from governmental film agencies.
So hats off to our friends at EmPix for not just thinking about technology but also about the environment, particularly in these tough economical times when much better of companies are worrying more about their bottom line than about the carbon footprint. They offer a lesson to the Big ‘D’ Cinema industry in corporate responsibility.
The popcorn has been swept away, the 3D movie banners folded, the quiet talk about how cinema is holding up in the recession has faded - ShoWest 2009 is over.
While VNU will continue to host the Las Vegas-set cinema trade show and exhibition for one more year before NATO is rumoured to take the show back (and move it to Ceasar’ Palace) in 2011, there was something of an End Credits roll feel to the confab. The number of attendees was down, the studios were (with two exceptions) largely absent, the parties scaled back and nowhere was there any open celebration of the fact that this year’s box office easily looks set to cross $10bn.
So who did well in this year’s conference? Digital Cinema? Old hat. 3D? Sure, “Monsters vs. Aliens” did well, but that was to be expected. Instead it would seem that ShoWest 2009 will go down as the year that Sony and its 4K SXRD technology took its decisive step into the limelight. No, it was not a case of audiences waking up and suddenly finding 2K resolution inadequate and demanding 4K, as Sony still hasn’t figured out how to create a pixel-fetish driven demand amongst cinema goers (free hint: don’t call it ‘4K’ - call it an ‘8 megapixel projector’ versus DLP’s ‘2 megapixel’ - sure, it’s not correct, but since when did that stand in the way of aggressive marketing?).
No, it was three interlinked announcement that helped crown Sony Electronics (not SPE - Sony Pictures Entertainment) the unofficial King of the ShoWest hill. Read More »
DTS Digital Cinema has been going through a bumpy ride in the past year, but appears to be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. One year ago DTS Inc. spun off its two non-licence division. DTS Digital Images reverted to being Lowry Digital under the new ownership of Reliance/Adlabs. DTS Digital Cinema had a question mark over it until it was eventually acquired by the United Kingdom’s Beaufort International Group. Almost immediately the company closed down its server manufacturing arm and people in the industry started speculating - as we are prone to do - whether the company would survive. [Full disclosure: the co-editor of Celluloid Junkie, J. Sperling Reich works for DTS DC, but we take care not to mix paying day jobs with non-paying blogging, so he kept a stoic silence about how the company was doing any time we talked.]
DTS Digital Cinema has now staged something of a small comeback through a smart deal with Real Image Media Technologies, the Indian makers of the Qube server. Here are the key bits from the press release:
DTS Digital Cinema and Qube Cinema have announced a co-branding strategic alliance to develop and market numerous digital cinema products including a digital cinema server, a theatre management system, an enhanced digital cinema mastering solution and other allied products. The alliance will bring together the best of both companies’ strengths to form a strong commercial and technology presence in the digital cinema marketplace. Qube will bring to the relationship, their experience of having developed cutting edge digital cinema products such as the Qube XP-D digital cinema server, QubeMaster Pro encoding suite and the QubeCast media delivery system. Besides providing sales and marketing presence and expertise in many regions around the world, DTS Digital Cinema will lend the partnership experience in developing motion picture technology, such as 5.1 digital surround sound, as well as the content management software knowledge that helped develop their Theatre Management System, Satellite Delivery System and Digital Booking System. Together the two companies will develop numerous digital cinema products, starting with the DTS Digital Cinema DC-20 powered by Qube, a digital cinema server that meets DCI specifications and will be on display at ShoWest 2009. Read More »
Unless you’ve been living on another planet, or simply working in an industry other than exhibition, it would be hard not to know what GDC Technology has been up to lately. After all, they’re not shy about telling you all their latest deals, most recent installations and newly released product features. The digital cinema server manufacturer has published seven press releases this last week alone. Just in case you’ve been too busy planning for ShoWest to pay attention, let’s do a quick review of GDC’s announcements from the past nine days.
Though the Singapore based company has been making digital cinema servers for more than 10 years and has the largest install base after Doremi, GDC has historically found it difficult to gain traction in North America. It seems that is changing for the better. On Thursday, GDC announced a deal with Sonic Equipment Company, a Kansas-based cinema equipment vendor, to resell and support the company’s digital cinema server. Sonic has been in business more than three decades and provides support for 400 screens in 8 states. A majority of Sonic’s clients are independent theatre owners and most, if not all, are in the Midwest. The company has made a name for itself by focusing on digital cinema integration for smaller chains and not only providing equipment sales, but also helping out with maintenance and even financing.
Sonic is certainly living up to its reputation of being an aggressive dealer when it comes to digital cinema, as immediately upon closing their deal they sold the first GDC servers to ever be installed in the United States. There was no information about how many units were sold, though they are being installed in 8 different theatres in Kansas, Kentucky and Missouri. Read More »
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Starting with this entry we’re going to try something a little different and from time-to-time begin posting video interviews and demos of some of the technology and companies we come across. You may enter comments directly in each video by clicking on the plus (+) sign in the progress bar.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to visit an interesting company that has been flying under the radar in the digital cinema space. I had never heard of DFE Technologies when I ran into Talla Garestani, DFE’s a project coordinator, while standing in line at the Apple Store in Woodland Hills. What she told me about DFE peaked my interest enough to want to find out more about them.
For the past several years DFE has been perfecting a hard drive duplication and distribution system for digital cinema. While some digital content is delivered to movie theatres via satellite, most of digital prints make their way onto screens via hard drive. There has been numerous reports about such hard drives arriving at their destination and not working properly. DFE believes their system could provide the solution to this problem.
DFE’s Digital Cinema System consists of several products starting with the SmartPac, a hot swappable SATA hard drive encased in a durable aluminum shell. Unlike most of the drives being shipped to theatres today, which were only meant to be removed from servers should they fail, DFE’s drive was designed specifically for traveling. The company has been shipping them out to theatres using a hard case with a form fitting foam insert. Read More »
The UK’s largest exhibitor Odeon (formed through the merger with UCI) has selected Real Image’s Qube server and projectors from NEC to extend the company’s digital cinema and (particularly) digital 3D reach.
From the Qube press release:
Odeon and UCI Cinemas Choose Qube Servers Qube XP-D servers chosen in 111 screen 3D digital cinema rollout in Europe
Qube XP-D 
Digital Cinema Server
The Qube XP-D digital cinema server has been chosen by ODEON and UCI Cinemas – Europe’s largest cinema operators – to be a part of their current 111 screen digitization plan across Europe.
Already playing Disney’s “Bolt” in digital 3D in Portugal for several weeks, Qube has recently commenced commercial digital 3D screenings across the UK with “My Bloody Valentine”.
The digitization plan of ODEON and UCI Cinemas is in response to the significant number of digital 3D productions scheduled for release from 2009, ensuring that the audiences across Europe can enjoy the latest films in state-of-the-art cinema technology.
Read More »
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Who said recessions can’t be good for something? After spending the last two years lugging countless 4K projectors around the world to show them off to exhibitors Sony now finds itself with an inventory of B-stock units they would like to unload. Last week the manufacturer sent out an email to industry executives and equipment vendors announcing a a 50% off promotion on its SXRD 4K projectors. According to the email all of the units that are up for grabs are completely refurbished and carry the same warranty and service options available on A-stock units.
So if you find yourself with a spare USD $34,000 and have a movie theatre you have always wanted to convert to digital, you can pick up Sony’s low-end SRX-R105. The top of the line model, the SRX-S110 projects 10,000 lumen and is going for a mere USD $51,000. Heck at those prices you may as well pick one up for your home so you can enjoy the upcoming Academy Awards telecast in all its 4K glory!
Read More »
As if the recent quarterly earnings reports from Warner Bros, Walt Disney and News Corp were not proof enough that the entertainment industry is far from recession proof, news is out that Dolby Laboratories will be closing down its UK manufacturing operation. Some 60 people will lose their jobs from the shuttering of their UK manufacturing base. From BBC news website:
The company, which provides products for the cinema industry, is closing the manufacturing arm of its UK operation in Wootton Bassett in April.
It blamed “changing market conditions” for its decision to close the site which employs 170 people.
Dolby says other business activities at the site will be not be affected.
This is a bitter blow for a company that started in the UK and whose British operation still sees itself as the carrier of founder Ray Dolby’s torch, even when the man himself moved back to the UK and most of the company’s activities is out of San Francisco these days. But it would not be true Brit grit if they did not put a brave face on the decision and declared in their recent earning’s statement: “Having concluded a comprehensive consultation process with our UK employees, the proposal to close our UK manufacturing operation at Wootton Bassett and consolidate manufacturing operations at a single facility has been accepted.”
Read More »
Mentioned in passing in the Hollywood Reporter’s round-up of Day 1 of CineAsia, the big news appears to have been the Chinese digital cinema network powered by Barco (projectors) and GDC (servers) from 7,00 to 2,000. In a questionably headlined article (’CineAsia hosts digital revolution‘ - what, no ‘CineAsia - Digital Great Leap Forward’ or ‘Death to Counter-revolutionary 35mm prints!’??) the most interesting piece of news is buried down in the sixth paragraph:
Later, China Film Digital Cinema Circuit Co. said it has extended a deal with Barco and Singapore-based GDC Technology to bring more digital screens to China. Beijing-based China Film Digital has already installed 400 of a planned 700-screen rollout, but it said it will raise the total number of digital screens to about 2,000, CineAsia founder Bob Sunshine said.
Earlier in the article the focus was that having shot themselves in the foot by moving the trade show from Bangkok to Beijing, CineAsia has re-discovered its mojo since the Sunshines moved it to Asian gambling capital Macau. GDC had been trumpeting 1,000 DSR servers installed world-wide, though the inclusion of territories like India, Germany and the Netherlands means that they must be counting e-cinema servers as well for the likes of Mukta-Adlabs (currently disused) and CinemaNet Europe (definitely not DCI compliant). Also that day Dolby showed of their digital 3D solution and 20th Century Fox no doubt beat the digital cinema drum loud and clear.
On Wednesday the talk will be about real estate, concessions, and more digital 3D with a no-surprise appearance of Jeffrey Katzenberg of Dreamworks Animation. Mr Katzenberg is a big believer in the potential of digital 3D and will leave no corner of the Earth un-traveled to in order for that gospel to be spread.
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