Welcome aboard film-tech.com I was glad to read your post. I believe you will be able to add a lot of good information to these discussions.

Tell the other technical people at SCP they should sign in as well.

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Information about SMPTE Engineering committees is on the SMPTE website at:
http://www.smpte.org/engineering_committees/technology_committees/

Here is the scope of the Committee on Digital Cinema Technology (DC28):

"The application of the General Scope as it pertains to providing an industry technical forum for digital cinema; identify key systems and technology issues; develop and recommend an approach to digital cinema; identify, establish and coordinate necessary working groups to achieve overall digital cinema objectives; provide standards and recommendations to ensure interoperability, compatibility, performance and support for future innovation."

The ongoing work of the SMPTE DC28 Committee and subgroups is available on the SMPTE ftp website:

ftp://smpte.vwh.net/pub/DC28/

Participation on an SMPTE Committee requires that:

"I can state that I am in a position to actively participate in the work of the committee understanding that, for continued membership, the Administrative Practices specify attendance at a minimum of one of the last three meetings and a written answer to at least one of the last three ballot letters. In accepting this appointment, I understand that I may be participating in the ongoing appraisal of technologies and that many of the decisions are in the interim stages and may undergo substantial revisions. I recognize that SMPTE encourages me to discuss and counsel with others considered to be knowledgeable in the field. However, since public disclosure may mislead and become a disservice to the industry by seeming to encourage premature reliance upon highly tentative conclusions, I therefore agree to refrain from either directly or indirectly making any public disclosure pertaining to the business transacted by the committee without the express consent of the Committee Chairperson and the Engineering Vice-President."

To participate, complete the "Engineering Committee Statement of Participation" at:
http://smpte.vwh.net/cgi-bin/sop/sop.pl

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

quote:

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For those that are interested you can participate in the standards activity through the SMPTE www.smpte.org . Look for the DC28 Digital Cinema Technology Committee. We are looking for people that know technology and are interested in preserving the integrity and quality of the Theatrical Presentation. It is not an easy task, but it must be done.

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It's obvious that we've got to crate up Evans & send him over there.
I'll call the freight company.

Actually, imaging science experts like Evans are EXACTLY the kind of people that can contribute to the SMPTE committee activities. His explanation and demos of digital artifacts, and knowledge of communication theory (e.g., Nyquist Theorem), are representative of the kind of work that needs to be done. "Movie Lovers" like Evans would also bring an appreciation for the aesthetics of the movies and a demand for the utmost in presentation quality.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Although membership in SMPTE has many advantages, you do NOT need to be a member to participate in an SMPTE Engineering Committee:
SMPTE Engineering Committee Statement of Participation

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

D-Cinema is going to happen and I believe the main driving point will be economic. Film base is expensive as well as the silver based image. Then plug in the enviromental aspect...... and on and on.

But nobody on this forum has mentioned those in the industry who really "need" this format. Those of us overseas specifically. I can only speak for the Army and Air Force theaters and then only the theaters located in the Pacific. We have 33 theaters spread out from northern Japan to Diego Garcia and from Alaska to Guam. Getting enough prints in those heavy steel cans across 2 million square miles of salt water to all these theaters economicaly and in short order time is a logistical nightmare.

I'm not putting down 35mm film but I do believe that things could be much better. And our theaters deserve to see new movies on their opening days and not some 8 weeks after.

Two weeks ago on 12 November I got to see a DLP feature at the old Toho Theater in Ginza, Tokyo. It was animation and its English tranlated title was "Spirited Away" (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi).
It was beautifully painted by Miyazaki. It was shown on what looked to be a 40 x 50 screen. The brightness, rock solid steadiness, color saturation and sharpness just blew me away. Best of all no flicker! I was expecting to see another pixl laden feature like what we saw at ShoWest last March. No way! The backgrounds in this showing were almost three dimensional! And all this on a huge screen from the eigth or tenth row. http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/ I guess DLP has indeed come a long way.

I have been a projectionist since 1983 and am now in the maintenance side of things. I am not a salesperson for anything digital but I know what I like to see on the screen. If it ends up being economics driving this train then I would imagine that the overseas market will be the first stations stopped at first. I'm ready. I need it. My customers will demand it and I believe Hollywood and the individual theaters will benefit. The only losers will be the print shops and truck/plane companies. And oh yeah, Technicolor reel makers.

Are there any far remote mom/pop operators out there like us who could really benefit from the direct delivery aspects of Digital??
Some of us just don't live on a well beaten UPS route.

I really love these forums. I am learning so much about how the "other half" lives. Thanks to you all for being so verbal.

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I'm not sure how the Navy does things but I do know they have only gotten into 35mm in the past 12 years. Until then it was mostly 16mm even in the shore facilities. I have visited some of their operations in Guam and here in Japan. All Strong/Simplex.

Would you believe that all AAFES theaters in Europe, Pacific and CONUS are still using the Simplex XL ? 50 years old most of these and still purr like kittens. It's true what some have said about the Simplex, "they last forever as long as you keep oil in them".

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4. Projectionist will be needed for Digital Cinema just as they are needed for Film.

The major exhibitors in this country (Australia) are already planning digital multiplexes, both new plexes and the conversion of exising film plexes. The most popular concept is to have a central control room (like a mini TV station), normally unmanned, except when the manager wants to reprogram sessions or change an automated sequence etc. The projection booth is to be reduced to the width of a corridor, just wide enough to fit the projectors and allow access for maintenance personel. This will allow existing auditoriums to be lengthened to add more seats at the back - a more efficient use of exisiting real estate for the beancounters. There doesn't seem to be any allowance for the occupation of "projectionist" in this scenario.

Digital processes have gained such rapid acceptance worldwide for three main reasons, cost, convenience and a general perception of quality improvement, (in that order). It is an unfortunate paradox that any improvement in quality from the use of affordable digital processes necessarily requires a reduction in quality somewhere else for the medium involved. For example digital audio offers significant quality improvements when it comes to storage, but this has the trade off of reduced high frequency resolution and low signal level resolution in affordable digital systems.

Like digital cinema sound, D-cinema offers significant improvements in reduced noise and improved stability, but this is at the expense of resolution, and unfortunately in the case of the latter, jobs. Of course all manufacturers are keen to benefit from digital technology and Panalogic is no exception. We already make a digital projectionist. His name is "computer automation".

It would be nice to see D-cinema introduced purely for asthetic reasons, when and only when it offers a better experience for the audience. Unfortuanely, economics dictate that it will not happen this way.

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Ray Derrick
President
Panalogic Corporation Pty Limited
44 Carrington Road
Castle Hill NSW 2154 Australia
Phone: 61 (0)2 9894 6655 Fax: 61 (0)2 9894 6935

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The movie I saw in Tokyo last month was very much hyped as being shown in DLP so would have to assume it was some configuration of TI equipment.

I am amazed that NTT has been able to achieve this with LCD technology. If I can find a demo somewhere in my neck of the woods I will seek it out and report back.

Seeing is believing. Wonder how long it will take to stamp out a standard. In my lifetime I hope.