Screenshot of Cinedigm's Theatre Command Center
Timed to coincide with this year’s Cinema Expo conference being held in Amsterdam through Thursday two well known integrators have released enhanced versions of their theatre management systems (TMS). North American deployment entity Cinedigm has included centralized management features in their Theatre Command Center TMS and Norway’s Unique Digital is making the next version of their RosettaBridge software available.
A TMS is software that enables a multiplex to manage all of their digital cinema servers, projectors, content, security keys and logs within a given theatre, all from a central location. It is often attached to a library management server where d-cinema content is stored.
Theatre Command Center
Cinedigm was one of the first companies to develop a working TMS which they named Theatre Command Center. Their initial version was integrated with Christie projectors and Doremi servers. It’s key features were:
- Management of all content including MPEG, JPEG, trailers, preshow and alternative content.
- Ingest of content via any delivery method including USB, satellite and fiber optic wire.
- Remote operation of servers and projectors.
- Automated scheduling of playlists that allowed for the transfer of content to the correct screen.
- Integration with some point-of-sale systems as well as Cinedigms head office software.
- Web access allowed users to log in from any computer connected to the Internet.
- Real-time monitoring of d-cinema systems with system status alerts and notifications.
- System log management.
- Multi-language support.
Some of this functionality, such as content management and ingest, would be considered basic requirements for any TMS, no matter the manufacturer. Most of those who have been using the software that I’ve spoken with have had positive things to say about the software. The only consistent criticism I’ve heard is about the systems graphical user interface (GUI). I’m not familiar enough with Cinedigm’s TMS to add my own thoughts.
Originally Cinedigm’s TMS was developed for exhibitors who signed up with them to deploy d-cinema equipment. Last year, the company decided to make the system available for sale to any theatre owner who wished to use it, whether they were using Cinedigm as an integrator or not. This was a model that other deployment groups such as Arts Alliance Media and Unique Digital had already adopted.
Based on the press release announcing the release of Theatre Command Center-Enterprise (or Enterprise as it has been dubbed) it is hard to tell what some of the new features and benefits of the software are. From what I can tell, it’s a TMS for TMS’s. Meaning, if you are an exhibitor with multiple theatre venues, Enterprise provides a view into the TMS’s located at all your sites. Such functionality would enable the consolidation of real-time data flowing back to a head office.
Cinedigm says that the system was developed (on a Microsoft Windows platform) to integrate with its Theatre Command Center in an effort to centralize scheduling and content management tasks. From the release:
Real-time events and statuses from all networked digital theatres are captured in a robust central Enterprise database for unprecedented operating control and business intelligence. Enterprise also centralizes preshow scheduling and content management functions to eliminate repetitive theatre tasks, improve consistency and control and reduce specialized resource costs and weekly setup time. Enterprise will also streamline and automate the calculation and reconciliation of virtual print fees.
Don’t underestimate the last point about keeping track of VPFs. It’s one thing to keep the books for a VPF when you have a handful of screens, but it can be rather complicated when you convert entire multiplexes and have to maintain proper accounting for equipment across dozens if not hundreds of screens.
RosettaBridge
In fact, this was a feature included by Unique Digital early on when they were developing their version of a TMS, RosettaBridge. The company released version 1.5 of their software late last week.
The systems original set of features included:
- Management of all content including MPEG, JPEG, trailers, preshow and alternative content.
- Automatic ingest of content by USB, FTP, CD/DVD, network drives and fiber optic wire.
- Playlist creation that allows for inclusion of content not present at the theatre yet.
- Automated KDM management including alerts for keys set to expire.
- Remote operation of servers and projectors.
- Integration with d-cinema equipment from all major vendors.
- Web access from any computer connected to the Internet.
- Automated scheduling of playlists and content transfer.
- Real-time monitoring of d-cinema systems with system status alerts and notifications.
- Log management for any device connected to the TMS.
- Integration with a scalable library server.
I have been given a demonstration of RosettaBridge and what stood out was the system’s slick GUI. Uniques TMS can be run from a touch screen with simple drag-and-drop functionality. It was pretty easy to get a quick visual overview of system health and state, as well as available and expired content with a Christmas trees worth of flashing icons. Like certain pieces of software for the Mac, it just looked pretty. Speaking of which, since the software is written in Java, it can be run on any platform, Mac or PC.
Screenshot of Unique Digital's RosettaBridge
I can’t vouch for how well Unique’s TMS works as I haven’t spoken with anyone whose used it for any length of time. The company is presently busy installing it in multiplexes all over Norway which they are presently converting to digital. When they’re done their TMS will be managing about 350 screens. As mentioned previously, Unique is making the software available for purchase to all theatre owners, regardless of integrator.
There was only a single paragraph in Unique’s press release about any new functionality included in the latest version of RosettaBridge:
Key new features include the ability to schedule multiple content ingests via the Content Management Transfer Module (CMTM) and integration with the latest GDC and Dolby software versions via their web based API’s. In addition the new version includes a film booking management system that ensures changes made in either the server or TMS are continuously synchronized across the network.
And just in case there was any doubt as to the timing of these announcements in relation to Cinema Expo, one only needs to read what Jim Miller, President of Cinedigm Software, had to say about Enterprise:
]]>“Enterprise moves us very close to our goals of 15 minute weekly scheduling and virtually hands-free theatre operations, while dramatically increasing circuit-wide awareness, efficiency and control. We are currently working with a major UK business partner who has already installed over 40 TCC screens to bring Enterprise to Ireland and Europe, and are in discussions with several others.”
Last week Cinedigm announced a partnership with Sensio that will allow them to bring the FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament being held in South Africa this month to theatres all over the world. What’s more, the matches will be shown live and in 3D.
The press release sent around to promote the partnership was was pretty standard, but there was one sentence that raised a question for me:
“To kick things off, the companies will use Sensio’s technology and Cinedigm’s theatre technology design to bring select matches from this year’s FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament in Live 3D to hundreds of theatres around the world.”
My curiosity wasn’t necessarily stirred over which of the matches would be shown, because the release goes on to mention they’ll start with the quarterfinals. Instead, I was left wondering what “Sensio’s technology” actually was and how Cinedigm, a leading North American digital cinema integrator, would utilize it to project a live broadcast of a World Cup Soccer game in 3D. The rest of the press release only served to make me even more inquisitive, especially upon reading:
“…Cinedigm’s extensive experience in bringing live 3D sporting events to U.S. theatres through Sensio 3D format and CineLive technology.”
I was aware that Cinedigm had done a good job broadcasting live 3D events into theatres previously, and even attended some of the events, such as the 2009 NBA All-Star Saturday Night and the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four. I knew that the company had created the CineLive Network specifically for this purpose. However I thought it was about time to actually understand what this Sensio technology actually was and why it was being referred to as a 3D format.
A quick visit to Sensio’s website provided me with little more than the company’s history and mission which made it clear that their focus is on 3D technology. The professional 3D cinema section of the website only lists two different products:
- SFX Pro Cinema - 3D live encoder/decoder for digital cinema and live events
- CineLive - Cinedigm’s exclusive product which allows live 3D and 2D content broadcasting into digital cinemas
So now I knew that Sensio had something to do with encoding and decoding live 3D content. But specifics were hard to come by. With enough clicking around on the website I came across Sensio’s media kit which contained the same verbiage sent to me by Cinedigm’s PR firm, HL Group, when I inquired about the company and its technology:
Sensio develops and markets stereoscopic 3D digital compression, decompression and display formatting technologies. Its solutions are deployed on a global scale by content creators, game developers, broadcasters, specialty channels, and digital cinemas. . . It’s flagship technology, Sensio 3D, allows the high-quality distribution of 3D content through conventional existing 2D broadcast networks and playback on any 3D display device, including plasma TVs, LED/LCD, HDTVs, PC and glass free 3D displays, as well as home theater and digital cinema projectors.
Finally I had my answer. Sensio must be enabling Cinedigm to receive and decode 3D content that arrives through their satellite network. Presumably the content is being compressed at the live event in a proprietary manner that allows it to be transmitted over a standard broadcast network. What Cinedigm must bring to the relationship is cinema technology experience as well as strong relationships with theatre owners.
So, now that you’re up to speed on how Cinedigm will bring live FIFA World Cup matches in 3D to movie theatres, do you plan on attending one of the broadcasts?
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With the demand for digital 3D films at an all time high, Technicolor has decided to jump into the fray with what they are calling an affordable, alternative solution that has stirred up intense debate. The leading motion picture service company is introducing the Technicolor 3D Solution, which will allow exhibitors to use their existing 35mm film projectors to project 3D releases without upgrading to more costly digital cinema equipment. And there’s the rub; rather than using digital content Technicolor’s solution is film based.
Even though the technology relies on celluloid, rather than bits and bytes, Ahmad Ouri, Technicolor’s Head of Strategy, Technology & Marketing, on Wednesday assured roughly 400 members of the industry that the technology was not old or steeped in the past. Sitting on a panel titled 3D’s Impact On Digital Deployment at the 3D Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles, Ouri explained, “It’s actually new technology that we’re introducing that’s perhaps based on an older concept. A lot of people have experienced 3D on film historically. We’re introducing a system that is basically an over/under film based solution that’s two-perf based on a format that Technicolor brought to market decades ago called Techniscope.”
Techniscope was first introduced in 1963 and used by the likes of spaghetti-western filmmaker Sergio Leone in an effort to find more economical ways to shoot. By halving the size of each film frame less film stock could be used, though the image quality was less than that of the four-perf (or four sprocket hole) format. Technicolor 3D Solution uses a special split lens that can be mounted to a conventional 35mm projector which then assembles the left eye and right eye images as the film runs through the projector. The system requires the same type of silver screen and circular polarized glasses employed by digital 3D systems such as MasterImage and RealD. Technicolor already distributes glasses for both of these companies and will begin to distribute their own branded, polarized glasses.
Technicolor has already shown the system to the studios and most of the North American exhibitors, not to mention a few filmmakers and members of the press. Last month, Technicolor worked with Warner Bros. and AMC Entertainment to run a two week trial of the solution at a multiplex in Burbank during the release of “The Final Destination”. Exit polls performed by research firm OTX showed the “quality” and “satisfaction” scores of Technicolor 3D Solution to be the same as the digital 3D version playing in the same theatre. According to Technicolor, their system actually ranked slightly higher.
Technicolor is hoping their solution will help exhibitors quickly ramp up the number of 3D screens at their disposal to play such films as James Cameron’s 3D opus “Avatar”, one of the most highly anticipated releases in the last few years. There are at least 10 3D films being released in 2009 with 12 scheduled for 2010 as of now. More are likely to be added. Unfortunately, thanks to the high price of digital cinema equipment and the global financial meltdown only 2,500 screens in North America (out of a possible 40,000) are capable of playing 3D movies. Many big blockbuster releases open on more than 3,000 screens which has forced studios to distribute 2D versions of 3D titles. However, 3D versions earn more than twice the box office than 2D versions of the same release, in part because theatre owners charge a premium ticket price for 3D movies. Thus, expanding the 3D install base has been a major priority for both distributors and exhibitors.
In the press release announcing the product Frederic Rose, Chairman and CEO of Thomson/Technicolor said:
“In today’s economic environment, it’s a harsh reality that not every exhibitor has access to the funding required to install digital 3D projection systems. It was the desire to make 3D accessible to the masses that resulted in Technicolor creating a 3D solution to fill the gap between celluloid and digital cinema.”
Other industry executives on Wednesday’s panel didn’t exactly see Technicolor’s solution in a similar light. “I think that any money invested in technology that’s not digital is something that’s not good for the industry in general and for where we are taking the industry,” said RealD’s President of Worldwide Cinema, Joseph Peixoto. “Exhibitors, if they had money to invest in interim solutions I think that they should contribute that to the digital rollout that’s upon us. I think everyone should not be distracted.”
“We agree that digital is and the digital transition is going to happen,” Ouri argued. “Frankly we’ve been supporting it longer than anybody on this panel. We spent more money on digital cinema starting with Disney in 1999. We continue to do so and we have a majority of market share for mastering and distribution. This is not meant to compete or replace the digital rollout or delay it. It is meant to address the screens that otherwise would run what could be a 3D film on a 2D film screen today. It’s grading the 2D film screens to be able to show 3D to more consumers in a way that’s affordable and available today.”
Chuck Goldwater, President of Cinedigm’s Media Services Group believes that exhibitors should be spending all of their pennies on digital cinema, rather than on what he sees as an interim solution. “You know you can only squeeze so much efficiency out of that. It’s like putting fuel additive in an old clunker when there’s new, more fuel efficient cars,” he said. “Exhibitors who want to make an investment instead of making an investment in their older film projectors can channel that investment into the first step for them of a digital conversation which is clearly the long term and exponential leap into the future.”
Ouri held his ground and even provided some cursory financial modeling for attendees of the conference. “The silver screen is an investment that is not a throw away, so it is a step toward digital,” he explained. “The payback, we estimate, is just one feature run. So they get one Disney movie and they payback all their costs. So we believe that’s efficient, not inefficient.”
“For those screens that for two to five years are not going to see digital the question is do we leave the consumers just experiencing 2D or do we give them an alternative?” he asked “It might be a distraction, but there is money left on the table by the studios and the exhibitors and frankly it’s not an insignificant number of dollars.”
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A little bird told us that the Hollywood studios are starting to take note of the impact instant 140-character-or-less reviews can have on the box office prospects of a newly released films. Well, actually, it’s a Washington Post articles that examines what impact if any Twitter had on the mixed fortunes of film like Brüno and G.I. Joe. From the article:
“I think Twitter can’t be stopped,” says Stephen Bruno, the Weinstein Co.’s senior director of marketing. “Now you have to see it as an addition to the campaign of any movie. People want real-time news, and suddenly a studio can give it to them in a first-person way.”
Eamonn Bowles, president of Magnolia Pictures, says studios are worrying about a time when “people will be Twittering during the opening credits — and leaving when they don’t like them.” But he also warns, “The next step [for the Twitter Effect] is for studio marketing to manipulate it.”
While Twitter is no doubt having some impact, Boxofficemojo.com’s president injects a note of realism into the debate at the end of the article:
“Revolutionize moviegoing? No,” he said. “But all the tiny little bits together [Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and others] can add up to something meaningful.”
A sample of Tweets of Quantin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds from today:
Akilah_Zomg Inglourious Basterds was fantastic! Love love love love, go see it!
Thenatt Inglourious Basterds FANTASTIC!!! Go watch it!!! I clapped!! I never clap LMFAO….
RobertDonohue Inglourious Basterds. Not what I expected. Still very good. I must say I enjoyed District 9 more. I wish there were more basterds scenes.
aprilismissing So Inglourious Basterds is the best movie I’ve seen in quite a long time. Def. catching it again this weekend.
taylorisgreat inglourious basterds totally scalps district 9. read em n weep.
So it seems that early Twitts are greater fans of QT than critics.
The announcement on Celluloid Junkie that Texas Instruments is developing 4K projector solutions is causing waves throughout the industry. The story was picked up by both THR.com (DLP making the jump to 4K) and Variety (TI leaping into 4K fray), which despite their headline both acknowledge that TI was effectively forced into this situation by the Sony tie up with Regal and AMC.Perhaps the best other coverage came from Eric Taub in the New York Times:
TI has always said that 2K is good enough, with tests showing that consumers can’t see the difference.
TI has been against 4K, until they were for it. On Thursday, the company announced that it would now market 4K technology, which will be incorporated into their next-generation projector technology to be manufactured by a variety of partners.
The company will continue to sell 2K projectors to the majority of its customers, according to Nancy Fares, business manager for TI’s DLP Cinema Products Group.
Ms. Fares said that this is not a case of TI trying to play catchup to Sony, which recently announced a number of large contracts to install its 4K projectors in AMC, Muvico, and Regal Entertainment cinemas. Texas Instruments has been working on 4K technology for two years, she said.
And when TI said that most consumers can’t see the difference between a 2K and 4K image, the company is sticking to its guns.
Their 4K technology will only be installed in about 20 percent of its customers’ theaters, the “brightest and biggest” with screens 70 feet and larger in size.
TI has meanwhile put out a press release providing details:
Texas Instruments will deliver the enhanced DLP Cinema 4K chip to its licensees, Barco, Christie Digital and NEC, which will extend the breadth of products to exhibitors to over 12 projector models. All projectors with the next generation DLP Cinema electronics platform, regardless of the resolution, will have the leading attributes for which DLP Cinema products are known, including precise DCI compliant colors, superior contrast ratios and light output necessary to illuminate the largest auditoriums. The solutions provide the capability to light up theatre screens as big as 100 feet and 3D screens as big as 75 feet, which has been a challenge for competing technologies.
It then includes a quote from Cinemark’s CEO calling DLP Cinema the exhibitor’s “exclusive platform of choice for 4K deployments.” It also confirms that “the next generation DLP Cinema electronics platform combines the three boards needed to produce images into a single board,” making it cheaper for its licensees, not to mention also making ‘DCI-compliant’.
Christie is the first of those three licensees to have put out a press release about its plans for the 4K chip:
Christie, the world leader in digital cinema projection, is pleased to introduce the new Christie Solaria(TM) series digital cinema projectors, based on Texas Instruments’ (TI) industry-preferred and proven DLP Cinema(R) technology. The five new products in the series offer a wide range of resolution and brightness levels for exhibitors who require projection from the smallest to the largest screens. The new product line includes the Christie CP2210, Christie CP2220 and the Christie CP2230 - all available at 2K and 4K-ready; as well as Christie’s premium 4K projectors for screens up to 100 feet: the Christie CP4220 and the Christie CP4230, delivering an unprecedented 30,000 lumens of brightness.
But Barco went one better by announcing that they have tied up exclusively with Cinemark to roll out 4K projectors for “the world’s second largest motion pictures exhibitor.” From the press release:
As part of this agreement, Cinemark is also partnering with the DLP Cinema® product group from Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN) and media server provider Doremi to secure the industry’s best-in-class and brightest digital cinema solution. This group of partners, representing more than 100 years in combined cinema expertise, will employ the full spectrum of Barco’s upcoming new family of enhanced DLP Cinema next generation 4K projectors.
Cinemark plans to deploy digital cinema as part of the DCIP initiative. More than 3,000 digital projectors are to be installed in nearly 300 theater sites throughout the US, which include Cinemark’s Century, Cine Arts and Tinseltown brands. Every theater will show the industry’s biggest and brightest images, projected from Barco DLP powered projectors and driven by Doremi’s 4K integrated media block. The agreement also includes plans for Cinemark’s international locations in Latin America, which would bring the overall deployment to more than 4,600 screens.
It’s getting difficult to keep up with this flurry of announcements. It seems the 4K dam has broken.
The biggest question right now is what effect this will have on existing 2K deployment plans - while the smaller question is what Sony’s response will be. As a chip maker TI will be well familiar with the apocryphal story of Osborne Computer Corporation (OCC) and the infamous Osborne Effect:
The Osborne effect is exhibited when a company’s premature revelation of information about future products results in customers not purchasing (or delaying purchases of) the current offering. Its origin is a purported suicidal marketing mistake made by the Osborne Computer Corporation in the 1980s when its announcement of a successor to its Osborne 1 system led to a sharp reduction in sales, and the delay of the successor system created a revenue vacuum from which the company did not recover. This statement is a common myth.
The Osborne Effect may be a myth, but it still sends shivers down the spines of tech marketers. We won’t know for sure until the discussion gets underway at this week’s European Cinema Summit in Brussels and next week’s Cinema Expo in Amsterdam what the impact of TI’s ‘jump’ will be.
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TI is developing but has not commercialized a 4K DLP Cinema system and is pushing for a big exhibitor—perhaps DCIP partner Cinemark–to come onboard, Celluloid Junkie sources report.
Nancy Fares, business manager for DLP Cinema Products Group, was contacted for comment. She only responded: “We have always said our technology is capable of going higher to a resolution of 4K and even higher. It’s about what the market needs and wants.”
AMC and Regal—DCIP’s two additional participants–have demonstrated interest in the resolution, as both recently announced deals to deploy Sony 4K digital cinema projectors.
Some insiders opine that a 4K announcement from TI might lead AMC and Regal to review their Sony deals. Considering the stakes, other insiders question why TI would not have already made the alleged development public.
DLP Cinema projectors are installed in an estimated 6,000 sites in North America, compared with Sony’s estimated 400. But Regal represents a total of 6,775 screens in the US and AMC encompasses 4,628, giving Sony the potential to overtake DLP Cinema with these installations.
Meanwhile, any announcement by TI of a move into 4K may potentially slow further 2K deployments. One insider pointed out that many exhibitors remember the shift from 1.3K to 2K, with 1.3K projectors have to be written off. It has also been suggested that while DCI specifications approve of both 2K and 4K projection, there might be a fear of a competitive disadvantage of 2K, particularly as major Regal and AMC have already committed to 4K.
“The Digital Dilemma”—a 2007 report from AMPAS’ SciTech Council that examines the challenges of archiving and accessing digital motion picture materials—was the subject of the SMPTE’s Hollywood Section May meeting, held at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theatre in Hollywood.
The report concludes that there is no long-term strategy for archiving and preserving digital assets that doesn’t require large capital investment.
Andy Maltz, director of the SciTech Council, reported that in 2008 the worldwide box office reached $20 billion, but he estimated that only 0.0015% of that amount was spent on addressing this dilemma. He emphasized that much more needs to be done.
During the evening, Maltz presented an overview of the report and an update on its impact since its release. He generated applause and laughter from an audience that has been inundated with 3D format talk when—in outlining the discussion objectives—he quipped “there will be nothing about stereoscopic movies tonight.”
Actually, he wasn’t entirely correct. He addressed AMPAS’ need to preserve digital content, citing as an example the increasing number of 3D titles that originate from and are/will be released in the digital realm. He also cited the ASC/DCI Standard Evaluation Material (Stem) and all Oscar-nominated films, which are archived by the Academy.
“Current technologies and practices are inadequate,” he said. “Periodically you will need to copy the digital media. Storage technology and operating technology will become obsolete.”
As to current investment, the report suggested that it costs $1,059 to preserve one film archival master for one year. In contrast, it estimated that annual cost of preserving a 4K digital master to be $12,514.
The SciTech Council is now working on what it calls a Digital Motion Picture Archival Framework, which would include the development and standardization of a file format, directed research, education and a follow up report on “The Digital Dilemma” for indie filmmakers and executives at public archives.
A very worthwhile read, “The Digital Dilemma” report can be downloaded from the AMPAS web site (here).
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RealD expanded its product line today with the launch of RealD LP (Linear Polarizing Z Screen), which the company describes as a mobile, single-projector, passive 3D system.
RealD recommends the system for conference rooms, R&D centers, museum exhibits, mobile education centers, virtual rides and other entertainment attractions.
According to the RealD announcement: The RealD LP is an externally mounted peripheral for a single 3D-enabled DLP projector, with electronic controls integrated inside the device. When 3D content is fed to the projector in full-resolution, frame-sequential format, the RealD LP allows content to be seen in 3D by polarizing right- and left-eye images. Viewers would require RealD eyewear custom built for the LP.
Supporting screens up to 17 feet wide, the RealD LP is designed to work with 3D-enabled projectors such as NEC NC800, Christie Mirage HD, and Lightspeed Design HD DepthQ, along with a silver screen from Harkness, MDI or Stewart.
The system is now available for lease through the company’s professional division.
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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.
Once the drive arrives at theatres, it is inserted into DFE’s Network Port, a specially designed network attached device with two slots that the SmartPac drives easily slide into. Should a theatre not be equipped with a network, then a portable unit DFE has named BackPac can be carried to each server and transfer content via USB.
What’s interesting is DFE’s business model; they plan on giving the Network Port and BackPac away to exhibitors and only charging those that wish to distribute content per hard drive. (I was asked not to publish DFE’s pricing, though I can tell you, based on what I’ve heard about current d-cinema duplication prices, it is incredibly reasonable.) They have built special servers that can duplicate eight drives per unit. Up to 255 drives can be duplicated at once in just under real time. As each drive is duplicated DFE’s software performs three bit-for-bit verifications to ensure all the data has been transferred properly.
Over the past year DFE has been working mostly with alternative content distributors and out of the more than 1,000 drives they’ve shipped out, only one has failed. In the video interview accompanying this post, DFE’s COO, G. Jeffrey Hopkins, goes into much more detail about the company’s technology and shows off a few of the products. If you are attending ShoWest then you can visit DFE at booth #1913.
It seems as if DFE may have built a better mousetrap here, but we’d like to know what you think of their system. Is it a feasible solution for distributing digital cinema content? What pros or cons do you see in their products or business model? Please enter your own thoughts in the comments section below so that the distribution and exhibition community can engage in a constructive discussion.
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Example of box office figures delivered via Webalo
While it may not be the Hollywood-way, I’m always glad to hear about a longtime friends’ success. That’s one way of saying I need to offer a full disclosure for this post. You see, Rob Edenzon has been an acquaintance for ten years now, since joining the board of directors at FilmStew, a web startup I helped found before the dot com bubble burst. Now Rob is the vice president of sales at Webalo, a technology company that helps format and deliver software applications and enterprise business data to mobile devices.
For some time now Rob has been telling me about Webalo’s contract with specific television networks to deliver detailed overnight Nielsen rating spreadsheets to their employee’s Blackberries, while at the same time expressing a desire to offer box office grosses to studio executives on their own mobile gadgets. Well, his wishes came true on Wedensday as Webalo announced a deal with Lionsgate to deliver “live” box office figures to the smartphones of the studio’s top executives. What’s interesting to me is that the box office figures are coming not from aggregators such as Nielsen EDI or Rentrak, but instead from Lionsgate’s own internal SAP systems. Though, on second thought, the press release (warning: PDF) announcing the agreement didn’t say whether the box office figures were flash grosses or audited reports and if they are the former, then I wouldn’t be shocked if they were coming from an aggregator.
It must not have been hard to convince Lionsgate to try out the technology. Webalo’s offering is pretty much a turnkey solution with a web interface that enables IT managers to quickly reformat reports for mobile phones (mostly Blackberries) on the fly. Thus, I assume, given then current economic climate, that Lionsgate didn’t have to spend a lot of up front money to integrate the technology into their systems. Instead they are probably just paying the per user license fee that Webalo charges to most customers.
The per user licensing schema may be preventing Lionsgate from rolling out the technology company-wide. The studio is initially limiting the rollout to key employee groups and if all goes well may offer it to employees throughout the organization. In the obligatory press release quote, Leo Collins, Lionsgate’s chief information officer (doesn’t that sound so official), seemed rather excited about the new technology:
“We take great pride in our position as the leading next generation studio. Key to our strategy is to aggressively embrace new media and technology, and to continuously seek innovative models both in terms of our content delivery and in our business infrastructure.”
Did Mr. Collins just coin the term “next generation studio”, or has it been used before by someone outside of Lionsgate? Oh. . . and what exactly is the definition of a next generation studio? In any case, the Webalo announcement comes on the heels of Lionsgate announcing they would be reducing their 2009 production slate in response to spate of recent box office disappointments and the worldwide recession. Hopefully, when it comes to the studio’s upcoming releass, the new service will allow Lionsgate exec’s to receive better box office news while on the go.
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