.'Avatar,' 3D Boost Record-breaking Year for Overseas Box Office

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/avatar-3d-boost-record-breaking-66586

 

8:26 PM 12/29/2010 by Frank Segers

Studio estimates show offshore box office for the six Hollywood majors will total $12.7 billion, up almost 20% from 2009's former record of $10.7 billion.

Wow! What a year.

The past 12 months on the foreign theatrical circuit will go down in the record books as the year of Avatar and of the emergence of 3D as a force of undeniable box-office power.

According to studio preliminary estimates, offshore box office for the six Hollywood majors from all territories outside the U.S. and Canada will total $12.7 billion, a leap of almost 20% from 2009's former record of $10.7 billion.

(On the domestic front, 2010 is on track to match last year's take of $10.6 billion.)

"2010 marks a significant leap in international box office over prior years," said Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, Warner Bros.' president of international distribution.

For one thing, the year marked the first time that as many as three Hollywood majors posted more than $2 billion in foreign box office (and two very nearly nailed down an unprecedented $3 billion). By contrast, two distributors passed the $2 billion mark in 2009 (Fox and Sony), and only one did so in each of the preceding three years (Paramount in 2008, Warners in 2007 and Fox in 2006).

All this was accomplished despite the fact that "admissions have been more or less flat internationally versus 2009," one international executive noted. What made the difference was a more than doubling of the number of 3D titles released abroad at steeper ticket prices, thus yielding a roughly 35% 3D ticket surcharge.

And, topping off the year was a down-to-the-wire race for the year's foreign box-office crown.

Based on preliminary studio projections, Warners capped a strong end-of-year push to reach $2.92 billion in offshore revenue, pulling off a last-minute tie with Fox, which had enjoyed a comfortable lead in the overseas sweepstakes for most of the year.

Warners experienced a 55% jump in foreign box office on the combined wallop of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (generating $610 million), Inception ($531 million), Clash of the Titans in 3D ($330 million), Sherlock Holmes ($315 million) and Sex and the City 2 ($193 million).

Thanks to the Avatar juggernaut -- which grossed $2 billion foreign in total (with $1.476 billion coming in 2010) -- Fox flew past $2 billion in record time, by late June. But its other releases were hardly gangbusters. None made the year's Top 10 list, and the studio's second-biggest grosser, Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, finished its foreign run with $186.2 million.

Coming in with foreign box office of $2.302 billion, Disney notched a record year overseas and, the company said, the "fourth-best year ever for any international film distributor." Fueling the action was 3D titles Alice in Wonderland ($690.2 million in offshore box office) and Pixar's Toy Story 3 ($649.2), the top overseas films released in 2010. On a worldwide basis, Toy Story 3 mustered a global take of $1.064 billion.

With offshore revenue of $1.983 billion, Paramount barely missed entering the lofty $2 billion circle, but the year marked the studio's second-biggest ever. DreamWorks Animation fed the distributor two Top 10 titles -- Shrek Forever After in 3D (total foreign gross, $505 million) and How to Train Your Dragon ($277.5 million). In conjunction with Marvel, Paramount also handled Iron Man 2, which drew $311 million overseas.

Sony grossed $1.38 billion offshore, the 11th time the studio has exceeded the $1 billion plateau. Its top hits were Resident Evil: Afterlife, the latest in the sci-fi action franchise ($236 million in offshore box office), which Sony handled along with various local distributors. Salt, starring Angelina Jolie, came in with $175.7 million; The Karate Kid update, Jackie Chan's biggest hit overseas, drew $182.5 million; and the critically applauded The Social Network bagged an estimated $103.4 million, with the film yet to open in Japan.

Universal finished the year at $1.2 billion, equaling the total it grossed in 2009. Its big driver was Despicable Me, the family-oriented 3D animation title that registered $291 million in offshore action and finished as the calendar year's No. 9 foreign box-office hit. While Universal's Robin Hood with Russell Crowe barely broke the $100 million mark in the U.S. and Canada, it attracted a solid $215 million on the foreign circuit.

"2010 was certainly the year when 3D had a major impact on box office, with eight of the top 15 international titles (presented) in 3D," said Andrew Cripps, president of Paramount Pictures International. (According to Fox International figures, there are some 13,000 overseas locations equipped for 3D exhibition as opposed to about 8,000 in the U.S.)

As a result, Cripps said, "International box office averaged 167% of the domestic total across the Top 20 highest-grossing international films of the year."

He added: "A major global hit can now expect well over 60% of its gross to come from international markets."

Selected Hollywood independent distributors also fared well overseas. The two top titles from this sector were Summit International's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which nailed down $392.9 million overseas to rank No. 6 on the foreign Top 10 list, and The Expendables, the retro Sylvester Stallone action vehicle from Millennium-Nu Image that grossed $148 million offshore.

The foreign theatrical universe -- including major studio releases, independently distributed titles and locally handled films -- rose to $20.5 billion in total box office in 2010, estimated Craig Dehmel, Fox International's senior vp sales and strategic planning. In 2009, the total foreign marketplace stood at $19.3 billion.

The Russia market came on particularly strong, increasing its take by an estimated 43% over 2009. For the first time, that market as a whole reached $1 billion in total box office. China also surged -- up 60% -- although the relatively low film rental returns to American distributors continue to diminish the dazzle of the large box-office grosses the market generates.

Not all was smooth sailing in 2010. The enormous success of Avatar -- plus the robust performance of Alice in Wonderland -- wildly skewed results of the January-through-March period. During that quarter, box office nearly doubled in China, and Russia registered a 60% increase, Dehmel said.
"Even the more mature (European) markets were 20% to 35% above 2009," the Fox exec said.

The second quarter went largely in the other direction thanks to the quadrennial World Cup, the world's most-watched sporting event. "Second-quarter results were a lot weaker because everybody bailed out of the World Cup," Dehmel said.

The soccer tournament sharply curtailed theatrical attendance in Europe, Asia, Africa and much of Latin and South America.

Fox discovered this when it released overseas The A-Team, its expensive feature rendition of the 1980s NBC series, in July -- head to head with the World Cup. Designed to provide an action alternative to family-oriented and children's fare largely unaffected by soccer distractions, The A-Team barely broke the $100 million mark offshore (cume was $100.7 million).

The third-quarter box office picked up, but 2010 ended on a down note as the fourth quarter struggled in vain vis-a-vis 2009's final quarter when Avatar was introduced to the foreign theatrical circuit.

Unlike in recent years, U.S. distributors did not reap the benefit of an "exchange rate bonus" resulting from a weak dollar versus major local currencies. The "bonus" results when box office in a strong local currency market is converted to dollars for repatriation to American distributors. The stronger the local currency, the more dollars are repatriated.

For much of this year, a strong U.S. dollar precluded the "exchange rate bonus." By Dec. 24, the dollar had increased in value 9.1% against the Euro, 4.7% against the British pound sterling and 0.5% against the Russian ruble. Japan was the only significant market where the value of the dollar took a hit, down 10.9% against the yen.

"The exchange rate was not a factor this year," Dehmel said.

 

GDC wins digital cinema server contract from Shandong Luxin Cinema

http://www.digitalcinemainfo.com/gdctechnology_12_13_10.php

December 13, 2010

Source: GDC Technology

120 SX-2001A digital servers to be deployed across China by 2011

GDC Technology (“GDC”) announces the signing of a digital cinema server contract with Shandong Luxin Cinema (“Luxin Cinema”), adding a new member to its ever expanding customer base in China. Installation has begun in September and it is expected to be completed by 2011, involving a total of 120 units of GDC SX-2001A digital cinema server. Luxin Cinema has opted to use exclusively GDC servers for its digital conversion and new builds.

Luxin Cinema was founded in Jinan, Shandong Province on June 1, 2007; and subsequently, on September 1 the same year, its first modern cinema in Shandong.

The Provincial Sport Center Cinema, was opened for business. Luxin Cinema has since swiftly emerged as a premier cinema chain operator across China, committed to offering moviegoers the best cinematic experience in the comforts of a modern cinema equipped with the latest digital cinema technology.

Luxin Cinema’s current business strategy is to identify key locations within the Shandong province and progressively build up its network of cinemas within the province, with the ultimate goal of becoming the leading cinema chain in Shandong. Luxin Cinema has also started work to build cinema complexes in Beijing, Chengdu, Xian, as well as Tianjin, and aims to build itself up as a well known national brand of strong Shandong cultural heritage and influence. It is expected that by 2015, Luxin Cinema will have around 70 multiplexes nationwide.

“This is the first time we venture into digital conversion for our entire chain of cinemas. After carrying out rigorous tests on similar products in the market, we found that GDC’s digital cinema server really stands out in its quality, performance, and user friendliness. We are convinced that GDC server is what we have been looking for, a quality product incorporating the best digital cinema technology,” said Mr. Liu Wenjun, CTO of Luxin Cinema. “With its superior technological edge and vast experience in digital cinema, GDC is a clear leader in the market and a well trusted brand. "

We believe GDC is our best working partner to map out our digital strategy and ultimately help Luxin Cinema realize its goal to become a Shandong-based nationwide premier cinema circuit.”

“GDC is delighted to win Luxin Cinema’s exclusive contract,” said Dr Man-Nang Chong, founder and CEO of GDC Technology. “GDC’s hard work and dedication to providing quality products and services have begun to pay off in the growing digital cinema market. We continue to strive for better services and more advance digital cinema technology for our growing list of customers.”

 

Cinedigm Announces Digital Financing and Deployment for ShowPlex Cinemas

http://www.digitalcinemainfo.com/cinedigm_12_22_10.php

December 22, 2010

Source: Cinedigm

New Theatre Circuit Will Operate 83 New Digital Cinema Screens in Five Midwest States

Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp announced it will commence installations of 83 new Cinedigm-Certified™ screens across nine pre-existing ShowPlex Cinemas, Inc. locations in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arkansas. Most of the installations are anticipated to be done in the next 12 months, with the final few to be completed in the beginning of 2012.

ShowPlex Cinemas is a newly established theatre circuit owned by Texas-based Trinity Hunt Partners. Cinedigm's deployment financing of ShowPlex Cinemas was made possible by KBC, the same lender as previous Cinedigm financing deals with Premiere, Rave, Starplex and Movie Tavern. This financing will also cover Showbiz Cinemas with their 14 screens that Cinedigm also signed recently.

"ShowPlex Cinemas is committed to providing the finest movie-going experience for consumers making Cinedigm the perfect partner both for the deployment and for the digital content our consumers want to see, including LIVE 3D sports, gaming, special events and more," said Al Lane, Chief Executive Officer, ShowPlex Cinemas.

With Cinedigm's turnkey suite of digital cinema technologies, ShowPlex Cinemas will offer consumers all-new digital entertainment options. From 3D movie extravaganzas to live sports programming and 3D theatrical concerts to event programming, ShowPlex Cinemas will deliver enhanced digital cinema entertainment well into the future.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome ShowPlex Cinemas to our proud list of exhibitor partners," said Chuck Goldwater, President, Cinedigm's Media Services Group. "Our team is excited to be working with the ShowPlex team to help them take full advantage of the operational and the programming applications made available by Cinedigm's digital cinema platform."

With this addition of ShowPlex Cinemas Cinedigm has now signed 869 Cinedigm-financed screens to date. Such theatres are fully networked, turnkey systems -- simple and cost-efficient to operate. These screens will join the growing number of fully digital Cinedigm-Certified™ screens around the world.

 

XDC is deploying the SmartJog library and delivery solution in 100 cinemas across Europe

http://www.digitalcinemainfo.com/smartjog_12_16_10.php

 

December 16, 2010

 

Source: Smartjog

 

XDC and SmartJog inks extended agreement to jointly offer an end-to-end delivery solution to exhibitors

 

SmartJog, a digital delivery service provider, and XDC, a digital cinema deployment company, announced today that the SmartJog service is currently being deployed in 100 cinemas under contract with XDC.

 

The service, SmartJog’s digital cinema library solution, enables all cinemas to be connected to the SmartJog network as well as provides cinemas with a storage library for DCPs (Digital Cinema Packages). This is the largest order ever received by SmartJog from a single client and the deployment in theatres in Southern Europe and Austria is already underway.

 

XDC will handle the installation and first tier of support with local Exhibitors, while SmartJog will provide the end-to-end service including the hardware and software solution in cinemas, permanent optimized satellite capacity, supervision and additional support to XDC.

 

The deployment is in progress in Portugal and in Belgium, and XDC plans to deploy the SmartJog services to additional cinemas within the next 2 years, which will mean an additional 200 cinemas connected to the SmartJog network. Under the terms of the agreement, XDC will also use SmartJog for the delivery of DCPs, and SmartJog will use the XDC Digital Content Lab for joint mastering and electronic delivery services, as well as to supply a fast emergency recovery support.

 

“We have selected the SmartJog library to equip the XDC sites because SmartJog offers with its robust solution for the electronic satellite distribution, a Library Management System for DCP storage. The SmartJog library is fully integrated with our TMS, the CineStore Plaza. This enables full installation in technical room, avoiding useless duplication of equipment” says, Thierry Van der Kaa, VP Information Systems & Operations for XDC.

 

“As we continue to expand our digital cinema roll-out in Europe, we’re happy to expand our footprint to interconnect all the mastering facilities, distributors, and cinema chains. XDC is a key player in the digital cinema industry and we are excited to extend our agreement and provide a complete solution for Exhibitors,” says Nicolas Dussert, Director of Theatrical Sales for SmartJog.

 

Currently, SmartJog has around 300 cinemas and more than 1300 digital screens connected to its network in Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

7 of 2010's top 10 grossing movies are 3D movies. 3D movies grossed over $B7 during 2010

http://www.today3d.com/2010/12/7-of-2010-top-10-grossing-movies-are-3d.html

 

December 28, 2010

 

Yet another fantastic year for 3D cinema. Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland lead the chart with over one billion each. 61% of the global box office comes from the international markets.

Toy Story 3 - $1,063.10
Alice in Wonderland (2010) - $1,024.30
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - $860.00
Inception - $825.40
Shrek Forever After - $739.80
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - $693.50
Iron Man 2 - $621.80
Despicable Me - $540.20
How to Train Your Dragon - $494.90
Clash of the Titans (2010) - $493.20

 

ESPN Announces Results of Comprehensive 3D Study

http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2010/11/3d-study/

 

Posted by phillipsa • November 4, 2010 •

Continuing to innovate in the 3D television space, ESPN Research + Analytics unveiled today one of the most in-depth studies on 3D TV to date.  Compiling results from more than 1,000 testing sessions and 2,700 lab hours, ESPN has concluded that fans are comfortable with the medium and even enjoy it more than programming in HD.  The research was conducted by Dr. Duane Varan, professor of New Media at Murdoch University, during ESPN’s coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the Disney Media and Ad Lab in Austin, Texas.

The research employed an experimental design approach including the use of perception analyzers, eye gaze and electrodermal activity.  The study focused on a multitude of topics including overall viewing enjoyment, fatigue and novelty effects, technology differences, production issues and advertising impact.  In all over 700 measures were processed during the testing.  The Ad Lab used five different 3D manufacturers in its testing.

“The results from this comprehensive research project support what we have said time and time again – fans have a higher level of enjoyment when viewing 3D. Plus, for advertisers, this study provides good news on the level of fan engagement when viewing 3D ads,” said Artie Bulgrin, senior vice president of ESPN Research + Analytics.  “This study will help us continue to develop ESPN 3D as an industry leader for event-based 3D viewing.”

Key Findings:

3D TV ads can be more effective

• In testing the Ad Lab showed viewers the same ads in 2D and 3D.  3D ads produced significantly higher scores across all ad performance metrics – generally maintaining a higher level of arousal than the 2D counterpart.
• Participants showed better recall of the ad in 3D:
  -       Cued recall went from 68% to 83%
  -       On average, purchase intent increased from 49% to 83%
  -       Ad liking went from 67% to 84%

Fans enjoy 3D

• The results showed a higher level of viewer enjoyment, engagement with the telecast and a stronger sense of presence with the 3D telecasts.
  -       Enjoyment increased from 65% to 70% in 3D while presence went from 42% to 69%

Passive vs. Active

• With all things equal, there were no major differences between passive and active 3D TV sets for overall impact however, passive glasses were rated as more comfortable and less distracting by participants.

Depth Perception

• The study found that there were no adverse effects on depth perception (stereopsis).
• It appeared that there is an acclimation effect whereby participants adjust to 3D over time under normal use.

True 3D vs. 2D

• Participants showed much more favorable responses to true 3D images than to 2D.

About the ESPN 3D Research Study

Conducted over the course of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, this is one of the most ambitious studies of 3D viewing to date.  Participants were tested prior to 3D viewing, in test and post test to garner a wide range of information.  Testing was completed at the Disney Media & Advertising Lab which was developed to better understand the emotional drivers of audience behavior and physiological reactions to advertising.  The facility conducts year-round tests using the most advanced research techniques including biometric measurement tolls to evaluate engagement and emotional responses.  This research was conducted by Professor Duane Varan, Executive Director and Chief Research Officer of the Disney Media & Advertising Lab, and his staff.  Varan is recognized as a global innovator in iTV applied research and as one of the foremost authorities on new media.  He is the Executive Director of the Interactive Television Research Institute and holds the inaugural chair in New Media at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.

 

Microsoft Shows Off Glasses-Free 3-D

http://www.today3d.com/2010/12/microsoft-shows-off-glasses-free-3-d.html

 

Dec 18, 2010

 

Microsoft's Glasses-Free 3-D Lens Microsoft

Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group recently displayed some very advanced 3-D technology, that solves a major problem with 3-D: the glasses. 3-D without glasses has been around for awhile, but it has always had some limitations. One of the largest and most troubling limitations is that it only works for one viewer, and that viewer must keep their eyes within a specific area.

 

The displays do this by using lenses or filters that divide the image between the viewer's eyes creating a 3-D effect without relying on glasses that use active or passive means to only show specific images to each eye.

 

Microsoft's new display relies on a wedge-shaped lens that doubles as the screen. It uses motion tracking to track up to four viewers and display a 3-D image to each of them. The motion tracking is vital to displaying 3-D without glasses, as this form of 3-D is impossible to achieve without knowing the viewer's head position. As we stated before, this can be done without head tracking but it only works for one viewer and that person must keep their head in a very specific position or the 3-D effect will be lost. With the motion tracking ability the display can focus the 3-D effect in real-time on the viewer by detecting and constantly updating their position. Nintendo is using this tehcnology combined with a parallax filter in their new handheld gaming device they announced at E3, the eagerly awaited 3DS.

 

The real breakthrough with this Microsoft display is the ability to track and display 3-D to four viewers at once. Currently the technology is limited to a 20 degree viewing angle, though the researchers feel they will be able to get it up to at least 40 degrees. In the case of LCD and LED screens you'll experience picture degradation at angles wider than this anyway, so it's not such a big deal.

 

3D without glasses is the holy grail of 3D TV so we will be sure to keep an eye on further developments of this technology.

World's First 3D Website Online

http://www.today3d.com/2010/12/worlds-first-3d-website-online.html

 

Dec 18, 2010

 

Stereografix, a UK company has launched what is called the “first 3D website” but viewers will need a 3DTV, a compatible browser and the all-important glasses. A message on the site says this:

 

We think the Stereoscopic 3D Web is probably the world’s first 3D website. It is designed to be viewed exclusively on the new generation of Stereoscopic 3D HD TVsets 

Stereografix founder Saif Chaudhry had this to say about the company’s achievement, “I don't think many people are even thinking this far ahead, and we've got a prototype already. It's not every day you can say you're first with something where the internet is concerned.”

 

I need lots of things in 3D

 

He went on to say, "I think there needs to be a lot more 3D TVs and computer monitors out there before it becomes mainstream, but people aren't just going to go out and buy these things unless they've gotsomething to show on them."

 

Funnily enough, the website isn’t really the internet’s first 3D website. Youtube and the likes have been offering 3D content for a while now, but it is true that The Stereoscopic 3D Web is the first website that boasts of a 3D interface. It’s a shame that it requires 3D glasses to check them out, but the company’s planning on supporting Passive 3D TVs soon.

Cinedigm Topper Adam Mizel Provides Industry and Company Update

http://celluloidjunkie.com/2010/12/14/cinedigm-topper-adam-mizel-provides-industry-and-company-update/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+celluloidjunkie+%28celluloidjunkie.com%29

 

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | December 14, 2010 11:19 pm

As Show East got underway back in October North America’s largest digital cinema integrator, Cinedigm, published a press release that was meant to serve as an industry update on the digital rollout in the territory. According to Cinedigm there were 12,802 digital screens in North America out of approximately 39,000 screens (not counting IMAX screens). That’s an increase of 65 percent.

I wondered where some of the figures Cinedigm was sighting came from and the company’s Co-CEO, Adam M. Mizel, was kind enough to speak with me at the beginning of November. Our conversation took place a week before Cinedigm announced second quarter revenues of USD $18.9 million. This was a 7.8 percent increase over the same quarter from last year, though the company suffered a net loss for the quarter of USD $9.4 million from continuing operations. The net loss for the first six months of Cinedigm’s fiscal year was USD $16.3 million.

Such losses might sound dire; however these figures are a 19.5 percent and 12.2 percent improvement over Cinedigm’s second quarter and first six months from last year and reflect non-cash depreciation charges. A true testament to the uptick in digital cinema rollout activity is the 13.3 percent increase in Cinedigm’s revenue to USD $38.2 million, which has helped make the company cash flow positive.

The same day as their second quarter earnings announcement Cinedigm revealed their Phase 2 financing entity had landed up to USD $86 million in senior credit from Societe Generale and Natixis. An additional USD $23 million in junior capital will come from Macquarie Equipment Finance.

What exactly does all this mean? Well, now Cinedigm has the ability to offer exhibitors non-recourse financing to deploy digital cinema equipment. Because the loans are being offered to Cinedigm as non-recourse, Macquarie will hold onto the title for the equipment. Cinedigm will continue to do what it always has; deploy, manage, bill and monitor digital cinema systems, work with content providers and be responsible for all the administrative work to service the debt.

Cinedigm’s Phase 2 subsidiary will install as many as 2,100 digital cinema systems with this non-recourse financing. While Christie projectors were used in the majority of Phase 1 deployments, Barco and NEC will provide digital projectors for the company’s non-recourse financing facility while Christie, Barco and NEC will support exhibitors who purchase their own systems in the Phase 2 rollout.

With all of this in mind, here is the transcript of my conversation with Mr. Mizel:

Celluloid Junkie: How is Cinedigm measuring the figures in its industry update press release? How did you come up with a figure of 12,802 digital screens in North America?

Adam Mizel: That’s about 13,500 now, as of a week or two ago. Basically we have our own data that is up to date on all digital instillations because our business unit that delivers features and trailers to digital sites on behalf of the studios has to keep a very detailed trusted device list. So we know exactly how many sites are out there, at least those reporting and if you want to get something delivered to you, you’re reporting. The studios track it, we track it, and so we have reliable numbers. We generally do not release this information to the public as a reporting metric but we do provide a view of what is out there based on actual sites Cinedigm has delivered to.

CJ: It’s been pretty widely reported that 3D has been driving digital cinema growth and installations for the past 18 months. Do you think without 3D d-cinema would have taken off? Will there be an increase in 2D screens?

AM: I think 3D has accelerated the adoption curve, but that curve was going to occur. I think 3D was an accelerant.

CJ: Is it true then that 2D screen installations have pretty much stalled?

AM: That’s not true. There are not 13,500 3D screens. What you are seeing right now driving the significant growth in installations in North America are both Cinedigm and DCIP installing and converting complete multiplexes which means that most of those screens are 2D, not 3D. When a multiplex converts, the theatre owner is going to determine how many screens are going to be 3D; usually somewhere between 20 and 40 percent. So most of the screen growth you’re seeing is 2D screens being added.

CJ: So then maybe 2009 was an anomaly for 3D growth due to the financial crisis. Were exhibitors only installing whatever 3D they could afford but now that the economy is getting better they are starting to convert whole multiplexes? That would increase the number of 2D installations.

AM: Right. Basically until 2010 most of the installations that were getting done were exhibitors on their own purchasing a small number of digital systems in order to show 3D movies. With the financing markets now more stable and with both Cinedigm and DCIP having access to financing exhibitors are converting entire multiplexes and benefiting from virtual print fees to support that occurring.

CJ: How has the financial crisis affected Cinedigm this year? Has it gotten any easier to find funding for rollouts?

AM: A simple statement is that 2010 has turned out to be the year for digital cinema and for Cinedigm that 2008 was supposed to be. Effectively I think the industry lost approximately 24 months as the financial crisis really shut down capital market access for digital cinema. That changed this year and is evident in our increasing both exhibitor signings and exhibitor deployments. We are confident Cinedigm will continue to see growth in both signings and deployments in the New Year.

CJ: At certain industry events members of NATO’s Cinema Buying Group often air frustrations that everything isn’t moving faster. Has CBG or its members voiced any concerns to you directly?

AM: We talk to them quite frequently and our message is consistent. Digital cinema is picking up pace and that it’s important for those CBG members to figure out the strategic and financing path they want to take. Because there are slightly less than two years left in the deployment period under various studio agreements for CBG members to access VPF financing, it is important for them to begin their conversion process as soon as possible.

CJ: At one point there was some discussion around getting Cinedigm’s virtual print fees (VPFs) revised to accommodate CBG members. Is that still the plan or has that happened already?

AM: That did occur. There have been a number of amendments to the virtual print fee agreements to accommodate the needs of the CBG members and so those now reflect the changes. There’s no CBG VPF per se, but Cinedigm has further refined how the mechanics work to make sure everyone’s needs are met.

CJ: Can CBG members work with Cinedigm to finance their digital conversion or do they have to bring their own financing?

AM: Every exhibitor that we talk to has a choice of providing their own financing, and being the exhibitor buyer of the equipment, or working with us on a non-recourse financing solution.

CJ: So it’s the same for CBG and non-CBG members?

AM: There is access for all exhibitors who meet the credit criteria, whatever the lender may be. We have those individual conversations with individual exhibitors and figure out what will work best for them from a financing perspective.

CJ: In your industry update you mentioned that Cinedigm has closed deals for 1600 exhibitor buyer screens and 800 Cinedigm financed screens. Are exhibitor backed screens twice the number of financed screens due to the credit crisis and difficulty in finding financing?

AM: Yes, I think you will see growth in both of those numbers. I can’t predict the timing or the order but we are certainly seeing more exhibitor buyers in our historical results percentage than going forward just because the financing markets have been more open for that kind of recourse financing.

CJ: Are exhibitors who purchase equipment on their own turning to Cinedigm to secure a VPF?

AM: Exhibitors are very smart business people and they want to make sure they fully understand their choices and make sure they find the best partner. Cinedigm has a long record of being a terrific partner to the exhibition industry and making sure we consistently deliver the highest quality of service to allow exhibitors to get their circuit converted to digital and help support their operations. I think exhibitors see that and they understand that and we’ve been doing this for five or six years now with a terrific track record.

CJ: Some North American exhibitors have said they feel forced to use Cinedigm if they want a VPF because there are no other integrators in North America (save for DCIP). This has led to speculation that a competitor from abroad might enter the territory. Are you aware of any such plans?

AM: Cinedigm frequently speaks with all of the major participants in the industry, so we have a good sense of most conversations and we feel confident that we offer the best combination of value and service for the exhibitors. We’re pretty comfortable with our current position in the industry.

CJ: Well then, let’s reverse the question. Are there any plans for Cinedigm to go international?

AM: Cinedigm features one of the best infrastructures for administering the deployment of digital cinema. We certainly have conversations with other exhibitors and financing entities globally to discuss ways we can help them with their deployments. We are certainly exploring in those conversations ways in which we can leverage our infrastructure to support other entities as they look at how they get into digital cinema.

CJ: You’ve personally been quoted as saying “digital cinema opens up an entire world of entertainment options for networked digital theatres.” Wouldn’t studios, who pay the bulk of the VPFs, have issue with non-studio content being put onto digital screens?

AM: The bulk of the attendance and revenues generated in movie theatres are on the weekends so the real question and opportunity with digital cinema is to help the exhibition industry and all the different content owners and distributors find attractive, interesting and compelling content for those off-peak periods in cinemas when they are not well attended. The importance is finding the opportunities to leverage that fixed infrastructure in a manner that it doesn’t get leveraged today.

CJ: Is there any opportunity for non-studio distributed content to break into the peak hours?

AM: Sure. And the big studios do the same thing. If you look at “Slumdog Millionaire” that opened on five or seven screens and gradually grew to thousands and ultimately an Academy Award. In that example Fox was doing the very thing you are describing, which is taking a movie and testing it and seeing how it played, how it gained word-of-mouth backing and then it gathered attendance. This supported its growth in distribution on a very cost effective marketing basis. Something like that can be done by others. I think this digital conversion provides creative ways to test the performance of content and content that has legs will further and further expand distribution. If it makes sense it will make money and that’s what will happen. And in some instances it may eventually lead to partnering with one of the bigger studios for distribution. There are just so many avenues that grow out of it that none of us fully know what will happen because we’re experimenting in a new world of content distribution.

CJ: So then independent distributors and filmmakers won’t face any hurdles with VPFs?

AM: There are both virtual print fees and alternate content fees so I think it depends on the type of content, how it’s being booked and played and the economic returns that it generates. Distribution can grow in different ways. I think in fact, in the digital world it opens up many more opportunities because as you said, the cost of producing and distributing canisters of film was fixed and the same no matter how often it played, how many nights a week, how widely, you had a significant fixed cost. In the digital world, even in the VPF and ACF world, you have many more options and creative ways to structure things.

CJ: At some point the period of VPFs will be over; studios will stop issuing them and their terms will conclude. Has Cinedigm begun to think about what it will do in a future without VPFs?

AM: The way we look at our business is right now we are deploying an open source digital cinema platform, that is providing the financing, billing, monitoring and verification. This platform includes all of the work we do around the deployments for exhibitors, including our delivery infrastructure whether it is via satellites, hard drives or broadband delivery as well as the software that makes the network work. The platforms Cinedigm and others are deploying are all interoperable given the DCI standards. In addition to that platform, we are developing different applications to really take advantage of the new capabilities available in digital cinema. That can be alternative content entertainment, other forms of software that allow you to have other ways to manage and operate your studio or circuit, or it can be interactive data and analytical tools. I think in the long run our business is around the different applications that leverage the digital cinema platform. For the next couple of years there will be a lot of work to do for everybody in putting out the platform and in parallel building those applications. That’s what we spend all of our time on and it takes a lot of time and energy to do both.

CJ: It’s no secret that theatre owners aren’t big fans of the exhibitor agreements they have to sign with integrators. However, large parts of these are dictated by VPF agreements. Is there anything that you would want to clarify for exhibitors about Cinedigm’s agreements or about the company itself?

AM: I think exhibitors have a very good sense of our history, our focus, our capabilities and our track record of success.

You’re right though, fundamentally many of the terms and structures in our agreements with exhibitors are dictated by two things, the virtual print fee agreements with the studios and the requirements of the lenders. In that process, Cinedigm is the servicer and our goal is to try to find the balance for all three constituents; the exhibitors, the lenders and the studios. A lot of that is limited by the requirements of the studios and the lenders, but we have and we continue to advocate many issues that we think are important to exhibitors in making this work for them. One of the things that is most important to exhibitors is that the cost of this deployment, outside of their upfront contributions, is being born by the studios. And to be clear, the cost of the equipment, the financing and Cinedigm’s servicing costs are all being paid for out of the virtual print fees that are paid by the studios and not by exhibitors. Our job is to be in the middle to make that work for everybody.

This process is complicated and we acknowledge that. Part of our job is to explain the details in clearer terms. What we are talking about in many instances is relatively complex asset backed securitizations of a long term payment stream from a diversified pool of movie studios. That is not what most people in business deal with at all, much less in exhibition. It’s not what they’ve had to deal with and like I said, part of our job is to try and help translating from very different languages that everyone speaks and making it understandable for all parties.

 

Rising Alternative

http://www.digitalcinemareport.com/node/2118

 

Submitted by Nick Dager on Sun, 12/12/2010 - 10:19.

 

By Melissa Keeping

Giovanni Cozzi, charming and charismatic co-founder of Emerging Pictures and more recently, President of the newly launched Rising Alternative, took time out of his busy schedule recently to discuss his achievements, views on the industry and future plans.

Anyone familiar with opera’s dominant position in the Alternative Content world, on either side of the Atlantic, will have come across Cozzi’s two companies. Emerging Pictures, in which Cozzi still has a 33 percent stake, is run from New York City with old friends Ira Deutchman and Barry Rebo, and they have done much to bring opera to mainstream and ‘mom & pop’ theatres all over the US and Canada, to tumultuous acclaim.

Rising Alternative, Cozzi told me, was borne out of a more international focus, concentrating more on content than delivery.  Emerging Pictures developed a novel time-delay ‘e-cinema’ method of delivery in the US that maximized the lack of SMPTE technical standardization in alternative content, and has resulted in an impressive reach throughout North America.

Cozzi Cozzi saw the opportunities in Europe, the richness of opera houses, ballet companies and theatres that were only just waking up to the possibilities of a potential new audience in cinemas, and Rising Alternative was launched.  Currently the small company boasts international distribution rights for Teatro alla Scala Milan, Opéra de Paris, Teatro Liceu Barcelona, Salzburg Festival, Bolshoi Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet, and they are developing links with Teatro Real Madrid, Vienna, Munich and they are currently distributing Madame Butterfly, an interpretation by the San Fransisco Opera. They have a reach of 300 cinemas, no mean feat for a small company in an increasingly competitive market.

The company is small – only six employees at present – but has ambitious plans for expansion; currently based in New York, Cozzi is back and forth to Europe every eight weeks and has an office in Milan, and he admits one of his strengths is in the appointment of Sonia de Beaufort, a former opera singer herself and now Director of Programming for Rising Alternative, based in New York. While Cozzi is passionate about the art form, it’s Beaufort who provides the expertise in selecting appropriate content for each territory.

Adding to the international flavour, Gemma Richardson, marketing manager formerly of Arts Alliance Media, joined the company this year and is based in London as his UK agent.  The company opened its Berlin office this month (Rising Alternative GmbH) with three more employees and their strategy is to reach 500 screens and diversify into various strands of programming, not just blanket coverage of  ‘opera’, which is where, Cozzi tells me, Rising Alternative differs from the usual opera distribution company mould.  

Opera is not just about big names and singers, he assured me. A novice would start with Aida or Carmen and work up to Wagner, example, which is in his view an ‘intermediate’ opera.  Rising Alternative is working hard to position itself as a connoisseur of operatic works from all sources and nations, and by identifying ‘strands’ of genres within the opera art form, it is hoped this will bring its own box office success, wider audience recognition and industry acclaim.

The same goes for differing types of content, which again is selected based on geographical location.  So the Berliner Philharmonic Orchestra’s recent foray into cinemas went down well in Berlin, but one would have to be cautious about where else worldwide it would perform in cinemas.  Cozzi sees Rising Alternative as more a ‘curator’ of content than simply a distributor, as intelligent decisions based on sound market assessment is key to making alternative content of the highbrow form a success.

Any concerns that the increasing competition in this marketplace might be making life harder for Rising Alternative to gain a significant enough foothold to rival the likes of the Met, Opus Arte and others, were brushed aside. If anything it makes us better, Cozzi asserted.  Where opera differs from other entertainment forms is that there is a very limited repertoire, which might present a concern in an already aggressive marketplace, but Cozzi again sees this an opportunity to be exploited. “People come to see an interpretation of a title,” he explained, “and while big names sell, there is a need to educate the public in a way that innovates.”  He feels strongly that the smart money is on new and previously unimagined interpretations of existing material. He could be right.

What about 3D? Cozzi is excited by the prospect as 3D will open up opera to a younger generation but harbours doubts that it will appeal to seniors.  Recent studies held by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) in the UK have shown that 3D is less and less effective the older the viewer is, and over the course of a three-hour opera, it’s likely that by the end, a pair of senior eyes would be unable to see the 3D at all.  

Whether such inconvenient findings trouble the likes of Real D as they plough forth with the 2011 release of Carmen 3D remains to be seen.  Cozzi is similarly unconvinced by 3D ballet, but 3D is still such a novelty that it’s possible people from all demographics will go and thus present misleading occupancy rates in cinemas initially.  It’s when 3D becomes the norm in opera and ballet that we will really see the true appeal, and that’s still several years away.

Vintage content is also an untapped area and Rising Alternative is seriously looking into this as a revenue stream for the future. A recent UK release of Swan Lake starring Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev in the UK proved so successful that Rising Alternative are looking to increase this side of the business so that classic interpretations sit cheek-by-jowl with contemporary innovations.

All of which means the ebullient Cozzi and his international team have more than enough to keep them busy over the next 12-18 months.  Even in an increasingly competitive market, with a roster as impressive as this and a limitless imagination, it seems anything is possible for Rising Alternative.

 

Dutch Cinemas To Go Digital By 2012

http://celluloidjunkie.com/2010/12/09/dutch-cinemas-to-go-digital-by-2012/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+celluloidjunkie+%28celluloidjunkie.com%29

 

Posted by J. Sperling Reich | December 9, 2010 10:18 pm

Less than a year after the formation of The Foundation for Digitizing Dutch Cinema (Stitchting Digitalisering Nederandse Cinema), the group has found some of the financing required to convert Netherlands' cinemas to digital. The organization was formed in July of this year by the Dutch Association of Cinema Operators (Nederlandse Vereniging van Bioscoopexploitanten, NVB), the Dutch Film Distributors' Association (Nederlandse Vereniging van Filmdistributeurs, NVF) and the EYE Film Institute, which is the Netherlands new film center.

In July the three groups announced a €38 million (USD $50.6 million or GBP £32 million) plan to rollout digital cinema in 520 of the Netherlands' 755 screens (243 venues) by the middle of 2012. The largest Dutch theatre chain, Pathé, is not participating in the plan because their French parent company, EuroPalaces, is handling its own conversion.

The foundation has established CinemaDigitaal, a new organization to oversee and supervise the rollout. The Dutch government will fund 14 percent of the project with the remainder coming from an undisclosed contribution from the Netherlands Film Fund (Nederlands Fonds voor de Film) and bank financing which CinemaDigitaal is in the process of securing.

Though there has been some debate in the industry over whether national funding will be allowed by the European Union, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has had ongoing discussions with EU officials regarding the proposed model. The Dutch government's participation falls below the de-minimus limit for state aid and is being made possible through an ongoing national information technology initiative (Programma Implementatie Agenda ICT-Beleid, PRIMA). As well, the government's support is earmarked for non-commercial theatres.

Like most other digital cinema deployment financing schemes, the model created by the foundation employs virtual print fees (VPFs). Cinemadigitaal will partner with an established deployment entity that already has VPFs in place with studios. They are currently in the midst of a bidding process to select an appropriate partner. Independent and Dutch distributors, no matter how large or small, will sign up with the selected deployment entity to contribute VPFs.

CinemaDigitaal will be responsible for the financing and will effectively act as a buying group for participating theatres. By consolidating the procurement of equipment purchases and support services the organization should be able to negotiate better prices and terms with vendors. CinemaDigitaal will purchase and own the d-cinema equipment and exhibitors will make monthly payments until its cost is fully recouped. The VPF will account for 64 percent of recoupment, exhibitors will contribute 22 percent and the remaining 14 percent will come from the Dutch government. Ultimately, ownership of the equipment be turned over to individual exhibitors.

In an unusual moment of industry solidarity, Dutch exhibitors and distributors spent over a year working together on a solid solution for the conversion which would suit cinemas of all sizes. To help avoid the legal obstacles that killed a similar plan devised by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) in France last year, the foundation has been consulting with specialists in competition law. The Dutch Competition Authority has already conducted a preliminary review of the proposed plan and their initial assessment found no obvious concerns or threats to competition.

This should allow CinemaDigitaal to commence with a rollout in January of next year as expected

 

Barco to deploy 120 Series II digital cinema projectors in LuXin Cinema complexes

http://www.barco.com/digitalcinema/pressrelease/2657/

 

Shanghai, China, 8 December 2010 – Barco, a world leader in visualization and display solutions, proudly announces that it has signed a contract to deploy 120 Series II digital cinema projectors in the LuXin Cinema complexes, a subsidiary of Shandong Trust Corporation.

 

LuXin Cinema is a third-tier subsidiary of LuXin Group, Shandong. In 2009, Shandong Provincial Government allotted 100 million RMB, from a domestic construction fund, to LuXin Group to construct cinema complexes in Shandong. LuXin Group plans to first operate the complexes in 17 cities – including the capital city, Jinan – and then to move into more cities and perhaps other provinces. By late 2011, 20 cinemas – each with 6-8 halls – will be open. LuXin Cinema is promoting the film industry in cities like Jinan and Qingdao and bringing the modern multi-hall cinemas into secondary cities, such as Yantai, Dezhou, Dongying, Taian, and others.

By the end of the project, Barco will have deployed 120 Series II digital cinema projectors in LuXin Cinema complexes.

Wenjun Liu, Assistant to the General Manager of LuXin Cinema, says: “Barco enjoys a large market share and a good reputation in China's film industry. We selected Barco not only for its excellent product quality but also for its superior after-sales services and professional customer support training programs. We are optimistic about LuXin's future development – and we look forward to further cooperation with Barco as we move ahead.”

“Barco's success stems from the trust of all of our customers,” says Yan Fei, Managing Director of Barco Greater China. “Our cooperation with LuXin Group has been a pleasure. Barco will continue to provide support for the development of LuXin Group in the future.”

ODEON select Unique Digital's RosettaBridge TMS for full Digital rollout

http://www.digitalcinemainfo.com/unique-digital_12_02_10.php

December 2, 2010

Source: Unique Digital

ODEON & UCI Cinemas Group has selected RosettaBridge TMS and Cinema Accord solutions, developed by Unique Digital Ltd, as an integral part of their bespoke digital exhibition infrastructure. ODEON have 202 cinemas and 1,802 screens across Europe and will commence a full digital rollout in the UK in Q4 2010.

RosettaBridge is a full featured TMS providing ODEON Cinema management and staff with an unrivalled suite of tools to manage film and advertising content within each site complex through an intuitive and easy to use interface. Key features include a scalable library server, agnostic player and projector interface, automation control and content distribution with all elements being managed using a simple drag and drop GUI.

In addition, Unique Digital will supply Cinema Accord, their VPF, content and key management back office system. Cinema Accord is a key component for exhibitors to centrally administrate their estate of digital screens. The system communicates with other essential third party systems such as box-office and financial systems to allow advanced forecasting and reporting. With a secure web based interface ODEON will manage each Cinema TMS, integrate with the theatre booking systems and have secure management of KDM delivery and VPF reporting.

“ODEON made a full evaluation of the complete range of hardware and software solutions available, and in the end we were impressed by the level of experience and technical ability offered by Unique Digital” commented Roger Harris, COO for ODEON UCI, adding “the Rosetta and Accord systems will play an integral role in the operational viability of our digital infrastructure.”

Rod Wheeler, Sales and Marketing Director of Unique Digital Ltd commented, “Following extensive evaluation and in-field acceptance by ODEON this announcement is validation of the dedicated set of software and hardware solutions developed by Unique Digital to optimise the digital experience for cinema operators. We are proud to support ODEON in ensuring the success of their full conversion to Digital Cinema”

“ODEON UCI is the leading exhibitor in Europe and we are delighted to have been selected to work with them in this significant project in the UK. We are pleased to have demonstrated not only the level of our technical solutions which have been developed over many years, but also our experience in managing and supporting large scale network roll outs,” commented Chris Hagan, Managing Director of Unique Digital adding, “coupled with our recent success in winning 90% of the Norwegian Digital Cinema market, this announcement underlines Unique Digital’s position as market leader.”

 

3D, Simultaneous Release Don't Prevent Piracy, Paramount COO Says

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/3d-simultaneous-release-dont-prevent-57814

 

7:46 AM 12/8/2010 by Karen Chu

Consumer Awareness, Technology Needed in Fight, Huntsberry Tells CineAsia

HONG KONG – 3D is useless in the fight against online piracy, and simultaneous release online is not a tactic to be adopted to tackle a problem shared by the international film community, Paramount

“It’s a big problem in every country in the world. Anybody with internet connection can easily access pirated content. When it was a hardware problem, then it was business. But in an Internet world, everybody is equal,” Huntsberry said, unwilling to single out any one country for the proliferation of online piracy.  

Huntsberry presented an overview of the current state of online piracy at the convention, demonstrating how current releases from Hollywood or Bollywood can be viewed within five computer mouse clicks from anywhere in the world. 

He also showed that stereoscopic 3D, seen as a means to attract viewers into cinemas, has also not proved a solution for online piracy. A lens can be fitted in front of a pirate's camera to take out the second layer and to offset the 3D effects. The pirated 2D copy is then released online. 

Neither is releasing films online during theatrical dates the answer. “If you release a product simultaneously, you are making a very good copy that can be stolen and made available during the theatrical window,” Huntsberry said in an interview. For consumer demand online, “we’ve made the product available in theaters. The studios today had made a decision that the theatrical window is exclusive, and that they would make the product available on DVD and online after that. To move the online release date up into the theatrical window would only expose the theatrical window to a high-quality copy of the movie being available much earlier.”

Online piracy has escalated from amateur file-sharing to sophisticated link websites and cyberlockers storing large number of stolen content that obscured their illegal roots from consumers and big-name advertisers.  Consumers who use such websites, suspected to be controlled by organized crime, and which have made millions for their illegal operators, require subscription fees that also expose the user's name, credit card number, and address to organized crime, Huntsberry pointed out.

Graduated response, the approach used to warn individual illegal downloaders, was too costly and proved useless against cyberlocker sites. Huntsberry believes that site blocking, which required the cooperation of Internet Service Providers, is the more effective tactic to fight cyberlockers.

He identified a four-pronged strategy of consumer awareness, fine-tuning business models, technology and legislation to fight online piracy. However, a campaign to raise consumer awareness on online piracy might take decades, which he likened to anti-smoking or drunk driving.  

“It’s a matter of legislation in each country, that each country recognize the tremendous threat on taxes, jobs, and local industry. Every country has an IP industry, so it’s not isolated,” he said.  

“We have to come at it through consumer awareness, education, legislation and technology. There is no single solution.”

 

Scrabble Spells Digital for Middle Eastern Cinemas

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/scrabble-spells-digital-middle-eastern-57835

 

9:50 AM 12/8/2010 by Jonathan Landreth

share

Mumbai Co. and Top Hollywood Studios to Subsidize Digitalization over Two Years

HONG KONG -- Mumbai-based Scrabble Entertainment and five major Hollywood movie studios are extending their cooperation into the Middle East to subsidize the digitalization of more than 400 regional movie theaters over the next two years, Scrabble CEO Ranjit Thakur said Wednesday.

Only about one-fifth of the 150,000 movie screens in the world today are paired with digital projection systems and only about 21,000 are capable of projecting modern stereoscopic 3D movies, according to the Digital Cinema web site. Without digital projection, exhibitors can’t charge higher ticket prices for movies such as Avatar, which became a global blockbuster largely on the strength of its 3D ticket sales.

Three-year-old Scrabble, owned by Bollywood producer and Indian multiplex movie theater development leader Manmohan Shetty, plans to help Middle Eastern movie exhibition companies such as Grand Cinemas in Dubai and the Oman Arab Cinema Company go digital in order, in part, to accommodate the increasing number of 3D movies coming out of Hollywood.

Seeking new markets for those films, Hollywood studios, which largely subsidized the conversion to digital of the North American theater business over the last seven years, now are looking for partners such as Scrabble to help expand their 3D reach overseas, into territories which in aggregate produce more than half of Hollywood’s total box office gross sales these days.

“We are following the business model we established with Hollywood in India in 2008,” Thakur told The Hollywood Reporter on the sidelines of the three-day CineAsia distributors and exhibitors conference that ends here on Thursday.  

That business model, which charges cinema owners a “Virtual Print Fee” they pay back to Scrabble over time, has helped the rapid growth of the number of Indian cinemas capable of digital movie projection. 

Scrabble, India’s first and only digital cinema deployment company, upgraded 220 screens in 23 cities in India over the last three years and has plans to put digital systems into 250 more theaters next year. 

In early 2011, Scrabble hopes to repeat its Indian success in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan and Syria. In those countries, Scrabble will act as a non-exclusive intermediary between local theater owners and 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros.

“This model works for the cinema companies because they can pay us back over three to five years as they earn back our investment in their new hardware,” Thakur said.

The cost to cinema owners in most Middle Eastern countries will be comparable to the costs incurred by Indian cinema owners with one exception, import duties, which typically are around 5% in the Middle East compared with 20% in India, Thakur said.

After expansion into the Middle East, Scrabble will look at opportunities in Eastern Europe and Africa, “basically, wherever there’s good business sense in it,” Thakur said, discounting China’s booming market as a non-starter because “it’s locked up by the China Film Group.”

 

Technicolor Develops 3D Certification Program - Funny

http://www.today3d.com/2010/12/technicolor-develops-3d-certification.html

 

December 8, 2010

 

Funny PR...next they will check if the quality of 2D is easy to watch.

 

Technicolor wants to be sure 3D is comfortable to watch.

 

With that in mind, the company has introduced a 3D Certification program aimed at broadcasters and network service providers, to ensure that 3D material meets minimum quality requirements before it is delivered to consumers. The foundation of the service, dubbed Technicolor Certifi3D, is an in-house developed 3D analysis software tool.

 

"Our 3D certification platform allows our stereo technicians to quickly and precisely diagnose many of the issues that create viewer fatigue and discomfort," said Pierre (Pete) Routhier,

 

Technicolor's vp for 3D product strategy and business development. "Our goal in launching the Certifi3D program was to take a proactive approach in support of the industry to ensure a consistent and quality end consumer 3D experience in the home."

 

He added: "If viewers get headaches and nausea it can impact their interest in 3D TV more than the issue of little content."

 

As part of the service, Technicolor would evaluate each shot against a set of objective criteria for stereographic reproduction, including a 15-point quality checklist to identify common errors in production, such as sync issues and color difference.

 

For an additional fee, Technicolor would offer training programs to broadcasters and content creators to help them migrate their tools to support 3D workflows.

 

Technicolor's new 3D analysis software was developed by its Research and Innovation team. Utilizing the left and right source masters, the software is designed to build a 3D model in real time giving an accurate pixel count for objects that are too close or too far away from the viewer that would result in discomfort. It also automatically detects and flags conflicts with the edges of the TV screen, another source of discomfort for 3D in the home.

 

Initially, the certification program will be available in London and Los Angeles. Eventually the service would be available worldwide.

 

Technicolor provides a range of 3D capabilities including postproduction, Blu-ray 3D services and 3D VOD encoding to mobile 3D