Dolby Unveils New Dolby Digital Cinema Networking and Sound Components at Cinema Expo

Amsterdam-Jun 13, 2006

Dolby® DMA8 Plus

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB) will unveil the newest components of the Dolby® Digital Cinema system at Cinema Expo in Amsterdam, 26–29 June 2006. Dolby will introduce the Dolby Show Library, a central server for digital cinema screens within a multiplex, and the Dolby DMA8Plus, which provides audio connections for digital cinema servers, broadcast decoders, and alternative content sources, in its booth (161). Dolby will also showcase its complete Dolby Digital Cinema system playing JPEG 2000–encoded movie content. The JPEG 2000 compression format is one of the key requirements in the Digital Cinema Initiative’s (DCI) specifications for digital cinema. Dolby also offers JPEG 2000 mastering services from its facilities in the UK and US. “In addition to appreciating Dolby’s wholehearted support for open standards, exhibitors have told us that the Dolby Digital Cinema system is easy to install and use,” said Jason Power, Market Development Manager, Dolby Laboratories. “The new Dolby Show Library and the DMA8Plus simplify the installation and operation of digital multiplexes even more, providing a seamless entertainment experience for moviegoers.” Dolby Show Library Dolby Show Library acts as the heart of a multiplex’s digital network, giving users the ability to load all digital content at one central location via Ethernet, satellite, or removable hard drive. The system then distributes the files electronically (and unattended) to networked Dolby Digital Cinema systems within the multiplex. With Dolby Show Library, a cinema manager or projectionist can program the entire show schedule, including advertising, for all of the digital screens in a complex anytime night or day from one location. Movie files can be loaded just once; all movie transfers and program changes are then performed automatically across the network. Programming is done through the easy drag-and-drop Dolby Show Manager software. DMA8Plus The Dolby DMA8Plus Digital Media Adapter is a cost-effective and flexible solution for interfacing digital cinema and alternative content sources to existing cinema sound systems. Based on the Dolby DMA8, the unit accepts up to eight channels of PCM digital audio from sources such as digital cinema servers, disks, and satellite and tape systems. It also accommodates Dolby Digital bitstreams for nonfilm sources with up to 5.1 channels, such as DVD players and satellite and cable links. Six analog output channels ensure straightforward interface with a cinema's existing Dolby sound processor. The DMA8 is easily set up via a laptop computer and can be controlled by a cinema's automation system. Individual digital sources can also be selected rapidly using dedicated front-panel buttons. In addition, the unit provides a switched ”through” connection for external film audio decoders such as the Dolby DA20 Digital Adapter. An adjustable audio delay is built in to ensure that sound and picture are synchronized during digital cinema presentations. Different delays can be assigned to different inputs, giving flexibility with alternative content sources which often require different delays. The Dolby Digital Cinema system is installed in more than 160 cinemas in 12 countries worldwide including, most recently, new installations in Iceland. More than 40 digital movies have been presented by Dolby Digital Cinema, among them recent and current presentations of Mission: Impossible III, Over the Hedge, Poseidon, and V for Vendetta.

http://www.dcinematoday.com/dc/pr.aspx?newsID=521

Microspace Fetches Walt Disney's The Shaggy Dog Via Satellite for Cinemark Theaters

http://www.microspace.com/news/pr/2006/pr_shaggy_dog.shtml

Source: microspace

Industry’s First Satellite-Delivered JPEG 2000 File is a Major Step toward DCI Compliance

Raleigh, NC, March 10, 2006– Microspace Communications Corporation (Microspace), the leading provider of point-to-multipoint satellite services, today announced that it has delivered the first JPEG 2000 feature via satellite for Walt Disney’s The Shaggy Dog, opening today in theaters nationwide. The delivery is a key milestone in reaching Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) compliance. Microspace delivered the feature via its VELOCITY® satellite service in conjunction with Kodak Digital Cinema to the Cinemark Tinseltown Theater in Rochester, New York.

“Walt Disney Pictures is on the forefront of bringing digital cinema into the mainstream to enhance the movie going experience,” said Chuck Viane, president, distribution, Buena Vista Pictures. “As a member of DCI, we are actively working with the industry to ensure that digital delivery of feature films meets the utmost standards of quality. Our delivery of this JPEG 2000 feature is the next step in the adoption of the DCI specification.”

“Cinemark has always been on the cutting edge of innovative technology that can transform the exhibition industry. The digital presentation of The Shaggy Dog in our Rochester location showcases a state-of-the art technology that we are very pleased to provide for our customers,” said Alan Stock, President, Cinemark USA, Inc.

“We are leading the industry with a series of industry ‘firsts,’ from the original standardized satellite delivery of a digital feature to this first delivery of a JPEG 2000 feature film working toward DCI compliance,” said Curt Tilly, manager of digital cinema distribution for Microspace. “We see satellite-powered digital cinema delivering on the promises of secure and reliable distribution for the motion picture industry. We are delighted to work with Walt Disney Studios, Kodak Digital Cinema and Cinemark to continue this momentum.”

“Kodak Digital Cinema is excited to join Microspace in enhancing the digital cinema experience in a way that further proves the value of the Kodak network,” said Drena Rogers, director of worldwide sales for Kodak Digital Cinema. “We applaud their efforts in ensuring reliable and quality delivery of features for a great theatrical presentation.”

Microspace’s VELOCITY eliminates the expenses of producing and delivering individual film print. Since early 2004, Microspace has been working to enhance the theater experience by providing digital satellite delivery for several motion pictures, including “Chicken Little,” “Shrek 2,” “Collateral,” and “Shark Tale.”

Digital Cinema Gains Ground

News: by Jay Ankeney - August.03.2005

Recent alliance announcements, completed standard signal progress

HOLLYWOOD

Digital cinema may be coming to a multiplex near you sooner than you might think. Since June, a rush of announcements about new digital cinema alliances and installations signal that the the motion picture industry may have finally overcome the bottleneck of which technology to use and who will finance its implementation.

The fuse for this explosion has been the success of digital cinema presentations of the last episode of George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith," both domestically and overseas. U. S. box office figures for digital cinema theaters are not available, but by its May 18 premiere in Germany, 93 percent of all ticket sales at the CineCitta multiplex in Nuremberg were for the premium-priced digital presentation of the movie.

Digital theaters in Berlin, Paris and Tokyo enjoyed similar moviegoer interest and the New York and Los Angeles premieres of the last episode of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy were presented through digital projection.

So despite Hollywood's current box office slump, there has been progress on the technology side that brings a ray of hope to those who believe in the digital cinema future.

ACCESS CHRISTIE

Currently, the only digital cinema projectors with a proven track record for cost-effective theatrical installation are based on DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology from Texas Instruments. In a three-chip configuration, DLP projectors provide 2K resolution from digital files fed off of servers, an image quality considered by many--but not all--to rival the projection standard set by celluloid prints.

Three projector manufacturers have licensed DLP technology: Christie, Barco and NEC. In June, the first of these, Christie Digital Systems, announced it had entered into a preliminary agreement with Access Integrated Technologies, Inc., a Morristown, N.J.-based provider of managed storage and electronic delivery of digital content to movie theaters, to create the movie industry's first digital cinema funding framework.

"Our goal is to install Christie CP2000 DLP Cinema projectors, media players and central server equipment in up to 2,500 screens within two years," said Craig Sholder, vice president for Entertainment Solutions at Christie Digital Systems, USA Inc., in Cypress, Calif. "We'll be using JPEG2000 files on CineStore central library management servers in each theater for ingest and distribution with individual playout servers dedicated to the projection heads. As much as possible, our systems will comply with the specifications of the Digital Cinema Initiative, most specifically the security requirements to maintain the integrity of our digital files."

The Digital Cinema Initiative, or DCI, is a joint venture by Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. Studios to formulate the requirements for successful digital cinema presentation. Although the final version was not completed by press time, the DCI System Spec 5.2 released in March 2005 included both 2K and 4K resolutions.

BARCO-KODAK

Also in June, Barco, a second DLP licensee, announced an alliance with Eastman Kodak Co. to sell and support complete integrated digital cinema solutions. As part of the agreement, Barco will use Kodak color science and image management technology to expand the capability and performance of its own cinema projectors.

"We thought this would be a good marriage between the core competencies of our two organizations," said Scott Spector, executive vice president and general manager for Barco Digital Cinema. "Kodak is already the largest independent provider of digital pre-show content in North America, so they already have a networked infrastructure that can be readily scaled up to digital cinema use. We'll be able to deliver the actual MPEG-2 files on hard drives, via satellite and over fiber as different markets require."

Although Barco did not provide specific deployment goals for the new alliance, the new initiative will employ a combination of the Barco D-Cine Premiere DP100 projector and Kodak's proprietary 2k CineServer, a 80 GB MXF-compliant server.

"We have been approached by a number of Wall Street financial firms with capital available to invest in digital cinema systems," Spector said. "What is missing is a compelling business model and industry partners to manage its roll-out. That is a key factor behind the Barco and Kodak alliance."

NEC, a third digital projector manufacturer to license DLP technology has been working since May with Ballantyne of Omaha to distribute all components of the NEC STARUS digital cinema system for pre-show projection and lobby display systems. That includes the full line of NEC STARBeam iS8, iS15 and iS25 digital cinema projectors, STAR*Cor central multiplex servers, and STAR*Show screen servers.

DISNEY DOLBY DEAL

All of these alliances hope to exhibit product from any major studio that wants to release its films in digital cinema. But at the end of June, Dolby Laboratories announced a collaboration specifically with Disney Studios to install its Dolby Digital Cinema systems in approximately 100 high-profile theaters in 25 top markets. The installations should be in place for the Nov. 4 premiere of Disney's first all-CGI animated feature, "Chicken Little," rendered in 3D by LucasFilm's Industrial Light & Magic to play on Dolby Digital Cinema servers at selected theatres.

"Dolby Digital Cinema is actually a server system combined with mastering services in our Burbank office for the encoding of the feature films," said Tom Daily, marketing director for the Dolby Professional Division. "The MPEG-2 content will arrive fully encrypted in MXF-compliant files to be presented through any of the commercially available digital cinema projection systems. Most importantly, however, the Disney/Dolby arrangement will be the first studio-supported deployment of digital cinema in the world."

http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/news/n_digital_cinema.shtml

Final cut for celluloid as cinema ushers in digital age

February 28, 2005

By Nic Hopkins

HOLLYWOOD’S brightest stars filing into the Kodak Theatre in downtown Los Angeles last night may have been blissfully unaware that the curtain is about to come down on the golden age of celluloid.

The UK Film Council has allocated £11.5 million of Lottery money to the creation of 250 digital cinemas across the nation, spelling the beginning of the end for celluloid.

No longer will film companies have to produce huge and costly cannisters of film. In their place will be digital projectors and films stored on computer hard drives, able to be reproduced and distributed for a fraction of the cost of standard 35mm prints. The result, it is hoped, will be the perfect film experience for audiences in all corners of Britain.

The Film Council is aiming to lower the cost of reproducing films significantly so that specialist releases, including low-budget independent films such as Mike Leigh’s Oscar-nominated Vera Drake, can reach far wider audiences.

The digital circuit will reduce the price of duplicating and distributing a film from about £1,500 to as little as £80. Instead of only a few dozen prints being produced, meaning that small exhibitors must wait months for a brief turn to show them, cinemas equipped with the new technology will be able to show niche titles from the day they are released for as long as they like.

“The ultimate beneficiary will be the audiences, particularly those with specialist tastes,” said Pete Buckingham, head of Distribution and Exhibition at the UK Film Council.

“Access to niche films, which also includes educational releases, short films and documentaries, is restricted because of the prohibitive reproduction cost. This will remove the 35mm barrier, so there’s no reason . . . why people all over Britain can’t see any particular film.”

Derek Cooper, whose family owns the three-screen Wells Film Centre in Somerset, said that the new technology would mollify his legion of elderly customers who are demanding to see the comedy Sideways during weekday matinée sessions.

“The demand for these small releases is huge, I have been running the Ladies in Lavender for 14 weeks and still had 40 people in to see it on Wednesday,” said Mr Cooper, who is also a member of the Cinema Exhibitors Association. “But we don’t know when we’ll get Sideways. We asked for March 7, but it’s not available that week.”

The specialised film market accounts for only 6 per cent, or 10 million, of all cinema admissions, compared with the total last year of 170 million.

Mr Buckingham said that the digital technology would also be a huge boost for hearingimpaired audiences, allowing cinemas to programme more sessions of films with subtitles. The technology will also help to preserve ageing films.

The Film Council’s project is part of a broader digital revolution that is sweeping Hollywood. Much of the work on feature films is now done digitally in post-production. Appropriately, the Oscars are handed out in a theatre sponsored by Kodak, a company that has been forced to switch its focus away from film because digital cameras now outnumber film cameras by four to one.

The first digital projectors, costing almost £50,000 each, will be installed in autumn with 50 planned within six months.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article416235.ece

SONY UNVEILS NEW "4K" DIGITAL CINEMA PROJECTOR

http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/b2b/broadcast_production/display_systems/release/8816.html

Source: Sony

SXRD Device Offers Advantages over Existing Projection Technologies with 4096 x 2160 Pixel Resolution, High Contrast Ratio and the Brightness Required for Large Venues

PARK RIDGE, N.J., June 3, 2004 - Sony is taking the lead in the rapidly emerging digital cinema market with the introduction of two new "4K" projectors that offer unprecedented features such as a 4096 x 2160 pixel resolution and a high contrast ratio.

One is a 10,000 ANSI lumen model (SRX-R110); the other is a 5,000 ANSI lumen model (SRX-R105). Both use a Silicon X-tal Reflective Display (SXRD) imaging device that enables them to achieve nearly four times the pixel count of current HD displays. Complementing the projectors' outstanding pixel resolution is a high contrast ratio, allowing the new models to achieve high-quality images with rich and precise color tonal reproduction.

Sony first introduced SXRD technology in its QUALIA ™ 004 projector, a "2K" design targeted toward the higher-end consumer residential and custom installation markets. Now, the professional introduction of an SXRD-based design offers the digital cinema industry a clear alternative to existing projection technologies.

"A 4K projector has long been considered the holy grail of digital cinema," said John Scarcella, president of Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Production Systems Division. "This is what the industry has been waiting for, and that desire will soon be satisfied."

With SXRD technology, pixels are set at a pitch of 8.5 micrometers, from the center of one SXRD pixel to the center of the next, with an inter-pixel gap of 0.35 micrometers.

"A narrower pitch and thinner gap translate into a quicker refresh rate to produce much smoother moving images," said Tom Mykietyn, director of content creation for Sony Electronics. "When an image is projected onto a large screen from a 4K projector, the typical `cross-hatch' pattern just about disappears. For example, on a 27-foot wide, 16:9 screen, each pixel is only about the size of the letter `e' in Liberty on a quarter."

The 5,000-lumen model is recommended for screen widths of up to 25 feet, while the 10,000-lumen model is recommended for screens of up to 40 feet. Sony is also planning to introduce a higher brightness model for larger screens.

"4K is important in order to display as much of the content that was originally captured," said Andrew Stucker, general manager of digital production systems for Sony Electronics. "It becomes even more important with larger capture formats, such as 65mm, since there is more information to be displayed. Another way to think of the differences between 2K and 4K is to realize that a 2K device is equivalent to one full high definition image. Our 4K device can literally hold four 2K images."

Stucker added that Sony incorporated the specifications and guidelines established by Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) into the design of the new projectors to "fully support" DCI's efforts and provide an enabling technology that will allow the àindustry to move to a digital environment.

In addition to digital cinema, the projectors are also suitable for an array of large-venue applications, such as live events, staging, auditoriums or command-and-control, since they are capable of simultaneously displaying multiple high-definition images. In single-screen mode, the full 4096 x 2160 pixel image is projected. In dual-screen mode, two 1920 x 1080 images are projected and in quad-screen mode, four 1920 x 1080 images are projected. This multi-image capability makes the projectors ideal for applications where multiple, simultaneous high-definition views are required.

The ability to achieve high-quality image flexibility with one projector allows facilities to increase their cost-effectiveness by reducing equipment costs and power consumption by running fewer pieces of gear.

In addition to their high performance, the new projectors are designed for ease of installation. Option cards enable an array of connectivity including analog RGB, SMPTE292M and SMPTE 372M Dual Link input formats. Optional lenses allow the new projectors to fill screens up to 70 feet wide or as small as 15 feet.

Ten Reasons Why Film Will Never Die

By Brian McKernan

We've all read them at one time or another: newspaper articles proclaiming the "death of film." The writers of these articles typically enthuse about how a particular film was produced digitally, but then jump to the conclusion that this must spell the end of film. This, despite the fact that every movie advertised in the same newspaper was shot and released on 35mm. This kind of bad reporting is not only wrong, it fails to appreciate the importance of the art of cinematography and the role of professional cinematographers. They are the guardians of image quality, regardless of whether those images are captured on film or some other media. And such bad reporting also erodes respect for the principal medium by which the moving image has been recorded, stored, and conveyed since its inception. An either-or, film-versus-digital mentality is not only short-sighted, it obscures the fact that digital has many definitions. Digital can refer to a variety of acquisition formats (HDCAM, DVCPRO-HD, 4:4:4 FilmStream, etc.), a suite of creative tools for the postproduction of film-originated images (digital intermediate), or new delivery alternatives (such as MPEG-2). Don't get me wrong; new digital cinema technologies are nothing less than a revolution in the filmmakers' toolkit. But just because there are alternatives to film it doesn't mean the end of film. Digital doesn't mean the death of film any more than television meant the death of radio or moviegoing.

With this in mind, consider this list of Ten Reasons Why Film Will Never Die: 1.) Film works; it's a proven, mature medium. Film equipment is widely available, adaptable, lightweight, unencumbered by cables or CPU's, and functions reliably in every environment. Accessories are enormously varied. 2.) Despite differences in aspect ratios and audio formats, 35mm film is the only worldwide motion-imaging standard. 3.) There's more than a century's worth of film content in the world's archives, a vital part of our modern cultural heritage. Transferring all of those archives to an electronic medium is cost-prohibitive. And why bother, when you can convert what you need to the video format du jour? 4.) Video formats can get obsolete fairly soon. The 35mm film standard is more than a century old. 5.) Motion-picture film continues to improve (e.g., Kodak's new Vision2 stocks).

6.) Digital techniques for transferring (and restoring) film also continue to improve, and as they do, film yields ever-more picture information--detail we never knew was there. 7.) The archival life of today's film stocks is at least a century. Less is known about the stability of tape and other media. 8.) Digital film scanning, intermediate, color-correction, and film-recording options are enhancing film's viability. 9.) Film has more definition than HD. Film has a greater dynamic range. Film cameras are cheap. Processed film is human-readable. Film offers color with neither prism color separators nor color filters, both of which reduce sensitivity and the latter of which reduces resolution and introduces aliases. 10.) Film is actually a digital medium (grains are either exposed or not). The grain structure is random, so there are no sensor-site alias issues. Furthermore, the grain structure is different from frame to frame, so there is no possibility of a defective-pixel or thermal-noise pattern. And the transfer characteristic of film is part of its desirable "film look," the same look that 24p HD emulates. And one more thing: film's viability doesn't mean the death of digital, either. What it does mean is there are more and better tools for making moving images than ever before. Choose what's best for you and watch out for misleading newspaper reports.

(Special thanks to Richard Crudo ASC, Mark Schubin, and Andy Maltz for suggestions in compiling this list.)