Much to no-one’s surprise, French cinema chain CGR will use Doremi servers for their digital cinema deployment with Arts Alliance Media (AAM). This has less to do with both companies being French (though it doesn’t exactly hurt) than with AAM’s new found love for Doremi after the costly tech divorce from QuVis. More details on the technology providers and plans from the press release:
CGR Cinémas chose Doremi’s DCP-2000 server out of the brands evaluated and selected by AAM. Christie Digital has been chosen to provide digital cinema projectors and French cinema integration and services company Cine Digital Service will provide local installation and support services.
Two hundred screens are scheduled to be completed during the first year of the rollout that is set to begin in the first quarter of 2008. Eight screens will be equipped in December this year, in time for 3D digital cinema screenings during the Christmas holidays. In addition to the players, Doremi Cinema will also provide the Theater Management System (TMS) and the gateway integration with CGR Cinémas POS/Ticketing system developped [sic] by Monnaie Services. The Smartjog secured media delivery network will also be interfaced with the DCP2000 & TMS.
I wonder which other server brands were ‘evaluated and selected by AAM’. So with SmartJog and Cine Digital Services (a partner of Christie) it is an all-French digital love affair, with the exception of Christie and AAM.
There’s no mention of the details of the Theatre Management System (TMS), but another press release from Doremi makes clear that they are incorporating AccessIT‘s Theatre Command Center and library management system that AAM bought and implemented when they dumped QuVis for Doremi and had to replace all their back office softwatre tools in a hurry. So even if AccessIT has so far not expanded their presence overseas, their software is finding its way into servers in all across Europe, which for a company that started out as a software specialist (then known as Hollywood Software) is not a bad move.
QuVis meanwhile need not feel bad for not having been selected for CGR’s deployment as the employee hemorrhaging company has just won a $800,000 US Department of Defence contract. Evil doers sleep a little less soundly in their caves at the news of this, no doubt.
