Digital Cinema Issues & Opportunities from Red to Blu - Report Excerpt

digdia  helps companies find growth opportunities, create winning strategies and business plans in the digital entertainment value chain. Services include strategic consulting and market analysis with an understanding of the industry value chain and technologies.   Visit digdia.com for other reports.  Consulting inquiries: info@digdia.com Digital Cinema – Issues & Opportunities from Red to Blu  July 2008

 

Contents

1  Introduction ............................................................................................  1

2  Digital Cinema Overview  ..........................................................................  2

3  Production Issues  ....................................................................................  8

3.1  The Camera ..................................................................................... 8

3.1.1  Sensor issues ............................................................................ 8

3.1.1.1  Size .................................................................................. 8

3.1.1.2  De-mosaic ........................................................................  10

3.1.1.3  Exposure ..........................................................................  11

3.1.1.4  Resolution  .........................................................................  12

3.1.2  Color .......................................................................................  14

3.1.2.1  4:4:4 ...............................................................................  14

3.1.2.2  Depth  ...............................................................................  15

3.1.3  Frame Rate ..............................................................................  16

3.1.4  File Format ...............................................................................  17

3.1.5  Buy or Rent ..............................................................................  17

3.2  Storage ..........................................................................................  18

3.2.1  Writes Rates .............................................................................  18

3.2.2  Flash .......................................................................................  18

3.2.3  Transfer Rates ..........................................................................  20

3.3  Color Dailies .................................................................................. 22

3.3.1  Display ....................................................................................  22

3.3.2  Look Management .....................................................................  22

3.4  Art ................................................................................................. 24

3.5  Extras ............................................................................................ 25

4  Postproduction ......................................................................................  26

4.1  Scanning  ........................................................................................ 26

4.2  Editing ........................................................................................... 29

4.3  CGI/VFX ........................................................................................ 31

4.4  Digital Intermediate ...................................................................... 39

4.5  3D LUT ........................................................................................... 42

4.6  Storage Systems  ............................................................................ 43

4.7  Render Farms ................................................................................ 45

4.8  DSM and Archive  ............................................................................ 47

4.9  Postproduction Houses .................................................................. 48

4.9.1  StEM .......................................................................................  48

5  Distribution ...........................................................................................  49

5.1  Still in Postproduction ................................................................... 49

5.1.1  DCDM ......................................................................................  49

5.1.2  DCP  .........................................................................................  50

5.1.3  Vendors ...................................................................................  52

5.1.4  Bit Rates ..................................................................................  55

5.2  Metadata and MXF ......................................................................... 56

5.3  Transportation ...............................................................................  58

5.3.1  HDD ........................................................................................  58

5.3.2  Satellite ...................................................................................  59

5.3.3  Other ......................................................................................  62

6  Exhibition ..............................................................................................  63

6.1  U.S. Theaters ................................................................................. 63

6.2  Virtual Print Fee............................................................................. 68

6.2.1  VPF Issues ...............................................................................  69

6.3  Digital Screen Rollout .................................................................... 72

6.3.1  U.S. Digital Screens ...................................................................  72

6.3.2  International Digital Screens .......................................................  82

6.4  Security ......................................................................................... 86

6.4.1  Secure Media Block  ....................................................................  86

6.4.2  KDM ........................................................................................  88

6.4.3  Piracy ......................................................................................  90

6.5  Digital Cinema Server .................................................................... 93

6.5.1.1  Single Screen Servers  .........................................................  93

6.6  Projectors ....................................................................................  104

6.6.1  2K Projectors .......................................................................... 105

6.6.2  4K Projectors .......................................................................... 109

2K/4K Projector Summary ................................................................... 112

6.6.3  Alternative Content & Preshow .................................................. 114

6.6.3.1  Alternate Content  ............................................................. 114

6.6.3.2  Pre-Show  ........................................................................ 115

6.6.3.3  Projectors ....................................................................... 116

6.7  Lamps ..........................................................................................  118

6.7.1  Xenon  .................................................................................... 118

6.7.2  Laser  ..................................................................................... 120

6.7.3  Cooling & Electrical .................................................................. 121

6.8  Audio ........................................................................................... 122

6.9  POS  .............................................................................................. 125

6.10 Theater Management ................................................................... 127

7  Stereoscopic 3-D .................................................................................  131

7.1  Production ................................................................................... 135

7.1.1  Planning the shot .................................................................... 135

7.1.2  Toe in – Toe  out ...................................................................... 138

7.1.3  Depth Budget ......................................................................... 140

7.1.4  Exaggerated Depth .................................................................. 140

7.1.5  Camera Convergence ............................................................... 141

7.1.6  False Perspective Problem ........................................................ 142

7.1.7  Breaking the Frame ................................................................. 143

7.1.8  Cameras ................................................................................ 145

7.1.8.1  Issues ............................................................................ 149

7.2  Postproduction ............................................................................ 151

7.2.1  Animation and CGI  .................................................................. 151

7.2.2  Editing and Digital Intermediate ................................................ 152

7.2.3  Dimensionalization .................................................................. 154

7.2.4  Captioning  .............................................................................. 155

7.2.5  File Formats ........................................................................... 156

7.3  Exhibition .................................................................................... 157

7.3.1  Triple Flash ............................................................................ 157

7.3.2  3D Projection Technologies ....................................................... 158

7.3.3  Image Brightness .................................................................... 164

7.3.4  3D Server .............................................................................. 166

7.3.5  The Screen and Dead Seats ...................................................... 167

7.3.6  Home viewing ......................................................................... 168

8  Video ...................................................................................................  169

8.1  Windows  ...................................................................................... 169

8.2  Blu-ray Issues ............................................................................. 173

8.3  Premium TV ................................................................................. 175

8.4  Games ......................................................................................... 176

8.5  Misc. ............................................................................................ 177

9  Appendix .............................................................................................  179

9.1  Glossary  ....................................................................................... 179

9.2  SMPTE Standards Index  ............................................................... 182

9.4  Organizations .............................................................................. 183

9.5  Books  ........................................................................................... 184

9.6  Publications .................................................................................  184

9.7  Conferences  ................................................................................. 185

Figures 

Figure 1 - Digital Cinema Ecosystem Overview ................................................... 2

Figure 2 – Production & Postproduction workflow ................................................ 6

Figure 3 - Distribution and Theater Workflow ..................................................... 7

Figure 4 - Bayer Pattern  .................................................................................  10

Figure 5 – Striped CCD pattern and suggested alternative  ...................................  11

Figure 6 - CMOS Sensor exposure transfer curve ...............................................  11

Figure 7 - Foveon approach ............................................................................  13

Figure 8 - Anamorphic CinemaScope  ................................................................  13

Figure 9 - Shrinking CinemaScope ...................................................................  14

Figure 10 - Color Subsampling ........................................................................  14

Figure 11 - CIE chromaticity diagram showing visible, Rec 709 (black), DLP Cinema

projector (white), and DCI XYZ encoding spaces ..........................................  15

Figure 12 - 12 bits exponential (4,096 levels) equals 14 bits linear  .......................  16

Figure 13 - Flash memory examples ................................................................  19

Figure 14 - S.Two DFR  Field Recorder .............................................................  20

Figure 15 - Materials that Digital doesn't like  .....................................................  24

Figure 16 - Filmlight's Northlight scanner  ..........................................................  26

Figure 17 - Thomson Grass Valley Spirit 4K Scanner ..........................................  27

Figure 18 - Apple Final Cut Pro  ........................................................................  30

Figure 19 - ILM Models are everywhere ............................................................  34

Figure 20 - ILM CGI control ............................................................................  34

Figure 21 – Render Farm at ILM ......................................................................  35

Figure 22 - Part of ILM's Disk Farm  ..................................................................  35

Figure 23 - Christie digital projector in ILM's theater ..........................................  36

Figure 24 - ILM Theater control rack ................................................................  36

Figure 25 - Da Vinci 2K Plus Digital Intermediate ...............................................  39

Figure 26  - FilmLight Baselight Digital Intermediate system ...............................  39

Figure 27 – Color transformation from XYZ colorimetric data to RGB as used by a

DLP projector using a LUT  .........................................................................  42

Figure 28 - renderBOXX 10200 .......................................................................  45

Figure 29 - Digital Cinema Package (DCP) ........................................................  50

Figure 30 - Dolby Secure Content Creator  .........................................................  53

Figure 31 - Addonics USIB to USB cable ...........................................................  58

Figure 32 – Removable HDD used to transfer movie to Dolby server  .....................  59

Figure 33 – iVDR removable disk cartridge  ........................................................  59

Figure 34 – U.S. Screen Count, Site Count, Average Screens/Site ........................  64

Figure 35 - Ticket sales drop exponentially over time .........................................  65

Figure 36 - Total screens in company vs. theater rank (1)  ...................................  66

Figure 37 - Total screens in company vs. theater rank (2)  ...................................  66

Figure 38 – 1997 – 2007 U.S./Canada Per Capita Number of Admissions, Inflation

Adjusted Box Office Take, Ticket Price – Relative to 1997 ..............................  67

Figure 39 - Virtual Print Fee - activity & money flow ...........................................  69

Figure 40 - AccessIT digital screens (2006 to start of 2008) ................................  72

Figure 41 - U.S. Digital Screen count by Chain (2006, 2008) ...............................  76

Figure 42 - Projected U.S. Digital Screen Installations ........................................  80

Figure 43 - Projected Cumulative U.S. Digital Screens ........................................  80

Figure 44 – Secure “Media Block” block diagram  ................................................  87

Figure 45 - Camcorder Piracy  ..........................................................................  90

Figure 46 – Worldwide Pirated Movie Timeline ...................................................  91

Figure 47 - Trying to thwart camcorder with IR .................................................  92

Figure 48 – Doremi DCP-2000 Digital Cinema Server .........................................  93

Figure 49 – Dolby Digital Cinema products  ........................................................  94

Figure 50 - Dolby screenshot of playlist control .................................................  95

Figure 51 – QuVIS Cinema Player ....................................................................  96

Figure 52 – GDC Tech Digital Film Server .........................................................  97

Figure 53 - Sony Media Block  ..........................................................................  98

Figure 54 - Qube servers and control panel  .......................................................  99

Figure 55 - Kodak Content Player .................................................................. 100

Figure 56 - DTS Digital Cinema FilmStore  ....................................................... 100

Figure 57 - NEC Server ................................................................................ 101

Figure 58 - XDC CineStore Solo G3 ................................................................ 101

Figure 59 - XDC touchscreen ........................................................................ 101

Figure 60 - Electrosonic Player ...................................................................... 102

Figure 61 - DVC Player ................................................................................ 102

Figure 62 – Digital Cinema Servers  ................................................................ 103

Figure 63 - Christie Anamorphic 1.26X Lens  .................................................... 104

Figure 64 - Barco DP-3000 ........................................................................... 105

Figure 65 - Cinemeccacina CMC3 D2 .............................................................. 106

Figure 66 - Christie CP2000-SB ..................................................................... 107

Figure 67 - Christie CP2000M  ........................................................................ 107

Figure 68 - NEC NC2500S ............................................................................ 108

Figure 69 - DPI Lightning ............................................................................. 108

Figure 70 – Layout of Sony’s SXRD (LCoS) display (not in proportion) ................ 109

Figure 71 – Sony CineAlta SRXR220 .............................................................. 110

Figure 72 - JVC SH4K .................................................................................. 111

Figure 73 - A solution to having both film and digital in the same booth .............. 113

Figure 74- Panasonic PT-DW10000U .............................................................. 117

Figure 75 – LTI Philips LTIX 6000-DC Xenon Digital Lamp ................................. 118

Figure 76 - Laser color gamut ....................................................................... 120

Figure 77 – Speaker layout for an “advanced theater” ...................................... 122

Figure 78 - Klipsch Horn Speakers ................................................................. 123

Figure 79 - Dolby CP650 .............................................................................. 124

Figure 80 – Par Tech Ticket touchscreen POS, Radiant Systems Ticket Kiosk,

CineStar Pocket PC POS terminal ............................................................. 126

Figure 81 - AccessIT Playout status screenshot ............................................... 127

Figure 82 - AccessIT Content Management status screenshot ............................ 128

Figure 83 - AccessIT show timing screenshot .................................................. 129

Figure 84 - Number of digital 3D movies released per year ............................... 133

Figure 85 - Sampling of 3D movies and Number of 3D screens they were released to

vs. Time  ............................................................................................... 133

Figure 86 - Depth Script  ............................................................................... 136

Figure 87 - Transitioned Depth  ...................................................................... 137

Figure 88 - Eye's Parallax ............................................................................. 138

Figure 89 - Parallax relative to the screen  ....................................................... 139

Figure 90 - Depth Budget ............................................................................. 140

Figure 91 – Keystoning ................................................................................ 141

Figure 92 - Camera convergence and where infinity appears in theater ............... 142

Figure 93 - False Perspective ........................................................................ 143

Figure 94 – What Left and Right Eye see ........................................................ 143

Figure 95 - Cropping the 3D image ................................................................ 144

Figure 96 - 3D camera used for Creature from the Black Lagoon ........................ 145

Figure 97 - DepthQ 3D Camera Rig  ................................................................ 145

Figure 98 - 21st Century 3D cameras  ............................................................. 146

Figure 99 - NHK Technical Services camera .................................................... 146

Figure 100 - 3D camera with adjustable intraocular ......................................... 147

Figure 101 - Pace HD Fusion  ......................................................................... 147

Figure 102 - 3ality TS2 camera ..................................................................... 148

Figure 103 - Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini ......................................................... 148

Figure 104 - Iconix HD-RH1  .......................................................................... 149

Figure 105 - Quantel Pablo 3D station ............................................................ 152

Figure 106 - Filmlight's Baselight DI station operating on a 3D clip  ..................... 153

Figure 107 - Dimensionalizing requires creating hidden images  .......................... 155

Figure 108 - Triple Flash .............................................................................. 157

Figure 109 – Z Screen polarizer and Christie projector  ...................................... 158

Figure 110 - An alternative polarization system ............................................... 159

Figure 111 - Polarized glasses  ....................................................................... 159

Figure 112 - Active glasses  ........................................................................... 160

Figure 113 - Color Shifting ........................................................................... 161

Figure 114  - Dolby glasses .......................................................................... 161

Figure 115 - Inside of the projector where filter wheel goes .............................. 162

Figure 116 - RealD XL System improves brightness  .......................................... 164

Figure 117 - Stacked Projectors .................................................................... 165

Figure 118 - 3D Alignment Frame  .................................................................. 165

Figure 119 - Screen gain .............................................................................. 167

Figure 120 - Dead seats ............................................................................... 168

Figure 121 - Release Windows ...................................................................... 169

Figure 122 - Average Theater to DVD Window vs. Domestic Theater Gross .......... 170

Figure 123 - Theatrical to DVD Window from 2000 to 2008 ............................... 171

Figure 124 – Percent of Box Office Take by Week After Release ......................... 172

Figure 125 - Kaleidescape with storage modules shown .................................... 173

Figure 126 - Interactive TV Family Tree  .......................................................... 174

Figure 127 - Timeline of Studio agreements with Premium TV ........................... 175

 

Tables

Table 1 - Digital Cameras (Resolution, Sensor)  ................................................... 9

Table 2 - Film Scanners .................................................................................  28

Table 3 - Non-Linear Editors ...........................................................................  29

Table 4 - CGI/VFX Plug-ins and Tools (part 1) ...................................................  32

Table 5 - CGI/VFX Plug-ins and Tools (part 2) ...................................................  33

Table 6 - CGI/VFX Studios  ..............................................................................  37

Table 7 - Digital Intermediate Systems ............................................................  41

Table 8 - Storage Systems for Postproduction ...................................................  44

Table 9 - Render Farm Queue software ............................................................  46

Table 10 – DCDM/DCP Packaging Software/Systems/Services .............................  52

Table 11 - Open software tools .......................................................................  54

Table 12 - MXF Tools .....................................................................................  57

Table 13- Companies related to Satellite delivery  ...............................................  61

Table 14 - Top 20 U.S. Theater chains, ranked by number of screens ...................  63

Table 15 - Digital screens deployed and % Digital by Company (1) ......................  76

Table 16 - Digital screens deployed and % Digital by Company (2) ......................  77

Table 17 - Top 20 U.S. Chains by total  screen count, Number of Digital Screens

they've installed and % Digital ..................................................................  79

Table 18 – WW Digital Screens & Percent Digital (2005, 2006, 2008) ...................  85

Table 19 - KDM Management Products .............................................................  89

Table 20 - Forensic Watermarking Products ......................................................  92

Table 21 - 2K and 4K Projectors .................................................................... 112

Table 22 - Pre-Show Networks ...................................................................... 115

Table 23 - Pre-show & Alternative Content Projectors ....................................... 117

Table 24 - Short Arc Xenon Lamps................................................................. 119

Table 25 - Laser Light Sources ...................................................................... 121

Table 26 - Audio Processors  .......................................................................... 124

Table 27 - POS Software, Kiosks and Systems  ................................................. 125

Table 28 - Theater Management Systems ....................................................... 130

Table 29 - Some Digital Stereoscopic 3D Titles ................................................ 132

Table 30 - 3D Cameras and Production  ........................................................... 150

Table 31 - 3D Editing and Digital Intermediate ................................................ 154

Table 32 - Stereoscopic 3D theater systems  .................................................... 162

Table 33 - 3D Technologies Comparison ......................................................... 163

Table 34 - Miscellaneous Vendors .................................................................. 178

 

1 Introduction

This report looks at the issues and opportunities in the Digital Cinema value chain.  “Red to Blu” is a wink at two ends of this chain.  “Red” refers to a “4K” camera that has many cinematographers buzzing, while “Blu” refers to Blu-ray. The Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) first published version 1.0 of their recommended specifications in mid-2005.  These specifications gave the industry a target for how movies should be packaged in digital form and how they should be delivered to and exhibited in the theaters.  Because DCI  1.0 had the backing of all of the major studios, the specification kick started the move to Digital Cinema.   Since then the specification has gone through a couple of revisions and it is now at version 1.2, published in March of 2008.   These revisions consist mostly of a compiling of the hundreds of errata  created to address inconsistencies and clarifications.  The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has also transformed the DCI specifications into a set of  ngineering specifications. The number of “digital screens” in mid-2008 exceeded 6,300 worldwide.  Most of these screens were a result of one company, AccessIT, that helped to promote a system consisting of a fairly limited set of equipment and a financing model called a Virtual Print Fee (VPF) that made it more affordable for theaters to install.   By limiting the type of equipment they installed, AccessIT was able to avoid some of the open issues that the DCI specification hadn’t adequately addressed. The VPF put most of the expense of installing digital projection and server systems on the distributor.  The distributor, after all, benefited the most because it is much less expensive to deliver a movie digitally than to make a physical film print and deliver it.

 

So, to the casual observer, the world of Digital Cinema might look like everything has settled down and the time for new opportunities in better products, solutions and services has passed. Not so.  After the initial burst of activity that the DCI specification helped to start, the industry found itself needing to shift into “second gear”.  Security, interoperability, business model refinements and management issues were among the areas that needed to be addressed.  And, to the surprise of many, stereoscopic movies and live performances have emerged as money makers. Further, “Digital Cinema” has expanded in definition well beyond that addressed by the DCI specifications.  Theater owners, represented by the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), identified many other issues that needed to be addressed.  Their Digital Cinema Requirements, version 2.0 also came out in March of 2008.  And, even these requirements don’t cover some of the areas that companies are finding opportunities in.   Digital Cinema – Issues & Opportunities from Red to Blu  July 2008

 

2  Digital Cinema Overview

This section gives a quick overview of Digital Cinema.  Later sections will look at

each area in more depth to uncover some trends, issues and opportunities. 

 

 Figure 1 - Digital Cinema Ecosystem Overview

 

Figure 1 gives a very high level view of the Digital Cinema ecosystem.  Some of the elements of each major area are shown to the right of the blocks, while a few of the key technical standards that have recently emerged are shown to the left. •  Pre-Production, which is not a focus of this report, is when the movie is written, financed and planned.  Financing is, of course, a major milestone of any movie.  Things don’t really get started until a movie is greenlighted.  Digital Cinema becomes a factor when the producers try to estimate costs.  In general the use of digital techniques is more affordable than traditional techniques, but Digital Cinema also opens up the possibility for many new expenses that add cost to the traditional production.  For example, many producers now are thinking about producing in stereoscopic 3D because they think they will be able to make more money.  On the other hand, stereoscopic 3D also costs more to make.

 

 

•  Production is when the “filming” (a term that tends to be used, even if film is not used) is done.  Cinematographers are increasingly turning to digital cameras.  In the process, everyone  (even costume designers) has to learn the strengths and weaknesses of going digital; and, they are always comparing results to film.  

 

One big advantage of going digital is a fairly quick turn-around time for the “dailies”.  A process that used to involve rushing film development and processing now is replaced with instant feedback played on monitors.   Color is also digital, and where the  cinematographer’s color choices were once burned into film, they now risk being lost in a sea of bits.  As such, the ASC1 has come up with a Color decision List (ASC CDL) that provides colorists in Postproduction with information on what the Director of Photographer (DP) wanted when the shot was taken.

 

•  Postproduction, or often simply “post”, is where the editing is done.  If the movie was shot on film it must first be scanned into digital form in a step that is sometimes called  telecine.  While most movies are in 2K (1,080 x 2,048) and some are in 4K (2,048 x 4,096), film is sometimes scanned to 6K (or more) to get a better master.  Further, 35mm film’s aspect ratio is different, so for example, a 2K scan is actually 1,556 x 2,048. Editing is done using a non-linear editor which usually works on a lower resolution proxy to speed up the process.  An Edit Decision List (EDL) results, which is used later to cut the full resolution file.   Another major step is the Digital Intermediate (DI), a process of color grading and highlighting every element of every frame of the movie.  The colorist may start with the ASC CDL as a baseline.   Visual Effects (VFX) are created and rendered.  Different elements of the image (live action, VFX, CGI) are composited together.  Soundtrack, sound effects (SFX) and subtitles are also worked on and combined into a final mix.   If the movie is in stereoscopic 3D, the editor must also “depth grade” the scenes to make sure the viewer won’t get a headache when watching it.

Everything is then “conformed” into  a high quality Digital Source Master (DSM), the equivalent of the “cut negative” in film days.  The DSM does not conform to any particular standard and it can consist of terabytes of data.   The DSM is then used to create a Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM), which is a more manageable file that conforms to the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) inspired SMPTE 21DC2 standard.  The DCDM is the equivalent of the “answer print” in film days.

 

•  Distribution begins with packaging the DCDM into a form that can go out to the theaters.  If the theater is using film, the movie is scanned to traditional film, cut to size to fit onto several reels, placed in canisters and shipped to the theater.  

                                          

1 American Society of Cinematographers

2 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers 21DC is the current name for the original DC28

standards group. Digital Cinema – Issues & Opportunities from Red to Blu  July 2008

 

If the theater is digital the DCDM is put into a Digital Cinema Package (DCP).  The DCP is a compressed version of the movie (still can be 200 Gigabytes), along with lots of metadata to describe how the movie should be shown.  The DCP is usually delivered to the theater using a hard disk drive (HDD) or via satellite.  

 

A Key Delivery Message (KDM) is also generated and delivered separately to the theater via e-mail, USB, or CD.  The KDM allows the theater to unlock the encrypted DCP.  The distributor is also involved in advertising and merchandising activities.

 

•  Exhibition is the done in a theater.  If film is used, the projectionist splices the reels together into one big continuous film and placed on a platter which feeds the projector.   If the screen is digital (many multiplexes have some digital and some film screens) the DCP is loaded into a secure digital cinema server and the KDM file is input to decrypt the movie.  The KDM is keyed to specific equipment

and show conditions, so KDM management is important.   A Show Play List (SPL) is assembled that contains all of  the elements of a show, such as previews, advertisements and the movie. A multiplex theater may have a hierarchical server system that stores files in a central server and then transfers these files to specific playout servers attached to the projectors in the specified screens.   Every link between every element is  encrypted and secured.  Even the image and audio are secured with watermarking that can trace pirated movies down to the specific theater, screen and time of original showing. For stereoscopic 3D movies the glasses need to be handed out and the projector is setup appropriately.   The theater may also have a Theater Management System (TMS) that

coordinates and manages show times,  electronic signage, Point of Sales (POS) and other elements of running the theater.  Sometimes elements of the TMS are monitored or controlled by a central corporate center.  

 

The National Association of Theater  Owners (NATO) has released their recommendations on how many of the elements in exhibition should work.

 

•  Video has become an important element of the movie industry because it provides a sizeable portion of the profits.  After a specified “window” movies usually are released first to special venues such as the military and airlines.  DVDs are next, where small retailers get them first and large discount retailers get them a few days later.  Then, usually (historically) about 45 days later, the movie might be released to electronic form, such as a movie download service and Video on Demand (VOD).  After this window the movie finds itself on premium television channels, and is eventually found on free

channels (and eventually recycled to the premium channels).   One of the emerging elements in video is interactivity.  Interactivity is most commonly found on Blu-ray (HD DVD, too, but this format is now defunct).  Interactivity will also start to show up in cable, satellite and Internet Protocol television (IPTV) services.  A common thread amongst many of these interactive services is a Java-based standard called GEM, which stands for Globally Executable MHP.  MHP is the Multimedia Home Platform, and is part of a worldwide standard called Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB).  In the U.S.

the GEM standard is part of “tru2way”, which will be used in digital cable.  GEM is also what Blu-ray Disk Java (BD-J) is based on. The following charts (next two pages) show more detailed workflow diagrams, though they still simplify many elements.   There are many details that this overview obviously doesn’t mention, and as they say, the devil is in the details.  The following sections will take a closer look and uncover how these details are handled and where opportunities may exist for handling them better.