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Author Topic: Carmike installing 2300 Christie/AIX DLP systems David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 10-25-2006 02:00 PM                        Are these Carmike mono theaters otherwise decent and maintained? Or are they shitholes? Full-price, or discount? It's just hard to believe that a largish national chain like Carmike would go this long without upgrading the sound to semi-modern standards, unless maybe these are (were?) dollar theaters. And installing DLP with old mono sound systems seems really dumb.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-25-2006 06:04 PM                     The problem is a significant number of theaters in Carmike's chain are sites it aquired. Over the years they have bought out a lot of small chains, indie locations, etc. They just took over GKC theaters pretty recently. As such, many of those theaters are very inconsistent in design and equipped very differently. In general, the best Carmike locations are those the chain built on its own within the past 15 years. I think those are primarily the locations Carmike is hitting first with the digital projection program. It's going to cost more to retrofit many of those older theaters for upgrades in both digital projection and surround sound. Not only do you have extra issues with hardware installation, there's also the issue of beefing up sound proofing in walls originally designed for far less dynamic audio. I would expect at least some of these older theaters to be closed and possibly be replaced with new builds. At some point the cost of improving an old theater to modern technical standards (and federal regulations) becomes too great to be worth it.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 10-26-2006 01:16 AM                     There aren't going to be any 'mono digital' houses. All screens will have 5.1 sound capability by the time they are upgraded to digital projection.  |  IP: Logged Paul Van Dusen Film Handler Posts: 82 From: Roanoke, VA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 10-26-2006 06:05 AM                        Stangely enough, I was just talking to our tech about this the other day. Our theatre is a four screen that was built in 1976. Auditoriums 2 & 3 are DTS, so no problems for DLP there, however 1 & 4 are mono surround, and cannot be upgraded without moving the screens. They're both dog houses, as in the screen is only 2 inches from the wall. There's only one cubby hole in the center of the wall for the center channel, but that's it. There's no real feasable way to upgrade us. If you move the screen, you block the exit doors. Basically, we're screwed when they get around to us.  |  IP: Logged Paul Konen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 981 From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-26-2006 09:03 AM                     Paul, if you sound processor has a DB-25 for Analog Audio input, you could DLP there.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-26-2006 12:38 PM                     After seeing that odd "297" theaters equipped statistic on the Carmike Digital website, I did a little investigating and found quite different numbers. These stats are based off information at DCinemaToday.com and individual Carmike Cinemas theater listings. A little over 1/3 of Carmike's 2400 screens are now equipped with the Christie/AIX system. Georgia and North Carolina have the most installations. The Beverly Cinema 18 in Champaign, IL currently has the most DLP screens of any Carmike location; all 18 theaters are equipped. All of Carmike's 20-screen sites have DLP on 10 screens. The install program has not yet hit Carmike locations in DE, ID, KY, MD, NY, NM and OH. CARMIKE CINEMAS Christie/AIX Installations 841 screens equipped as of 10/27/06 ALABAMA - 77 DLP screens Auburn - Wynnsong 16 - 16 DLP screens Birmingham - Summit 16 - 16 DLP screens, 3D Birmingham - Wynnsong 12 - 6 DLP screens Huntsville - Carmike 10 - 10 DLP screens Mobile - Wynnsong 16 - 16 DLP screens Montgomery - Eastdale 8 - 8 DLP screens Montgomery - Wynnsong 10 - 5 DLP screens ARKANSAS - 7 DLP screens Fort Smith - Carmike 14 - 7 DLP screens COLORADO - 35 DLP screens Colorado Springs - Carmike 10 - 10 DLP screens Colorado Springs - Chapel Hills 15 - 15 DLP screens Fort Collins - Carmike 10 - 5 DLP screens Greeley - Carmike 5 - 5 DLP screens (10/27) FLORIDA - 20 DLP screens Bradenton - Royal Palm 20 - 10 DLP screens Panama City - Carmike 10 - 10 DLP screens GEORGIA - 126 DLP screens Albany - Wynnsong 16 - 16 DLP screens Athens - Carmike 12 - 12 DLP screens Canton - Riverstone 15 - 15 DLP screens Cartersville - Carmike 12 - 12 DLP screens, 3D Columbus - Hollywood Conn. Ritz 10 - 5 DLP screens Columbus - Carmike 15 - 8 DLP screens Conyers - Crossroads 16 - 8 DLP screens Fort Benning - Wynnsong 10 - 6 DLP screens Fort Oglethorpe - Battlefield 10 - 5 DLP screens Newnan - Carmike 10 - 6 DLP screens Savannah - Carmike 10 - 10 DLP screens Savannah - Wynnsong 11 - 11 DLP screens Snellville - Carmike 12 - 12 DLP screens IOWA - 19 DLP Screens Des Moines - Cobblestone 9 - 5 DLP screens Des Moines - Southridge 12 - 6 DLP screens Des Moines - Wynnsong 16 - 8 DLP screens ILLINOIS - 28 DLP screens Bloomington - Palace Cinema 10 - 10 DLP screens (10/27) Champaign - Beverly Cinema 18 - 18 DLP screens INDIANA - 10 DLP screens Fort Wayne - Carmike 20 - 10 DLP screens, 3D KANSAS - 12 DLP screens Manhattan - Seth Childs 12 - 12 DLP screens LOUISIANA - 5 DLP screens Lafayette - Carmike 10 - 5 DLP screens MICHIGAN - 39 DLP screens Battle Creek - Lakeview Sq 10 - 10 DLP screens Fort Gratiot - Birchwood Cinemas 10 - 10 DLP screens Saginaw - Fashion Sq 10 - 10 DLP screens Traverse City - Grand Traverse 9 - 9 DLP screens MINNESOTA - 29 DLP screens Apple Valley - Carmike 15 - 8 DLP screens Mankato - Stadium Cinema 6 - 3 DLP screens Moundsview - Wynnsong 15 - 8 DLP screens Oakdale - Oakdale Stadium 20 - 10 DLP screen, 3D MONTANA - 8 DLP screens Bozeman - Campus Sq 8 - 8 DLP screens NORTH CAROLINA - 125 DLP screens Asheville - Carmike 10 - 10 DLP screens Durham - Wynnsong 15 - 8 DLP screens Fayetteville - Wynnsong 7 - 7 DLP screens Fayetteville - Market Fair 15 - 15 DLP screens Greensboro - Carmike 18 - 9 DLP screens Greenville - Carmike 12 - 7 DLP screens Hickory - Carmike 14 - 14 DLP screens Jacksonville - Carmike 16 - 9 DLP screens Morrisville - Park Place 16 - 8 DLP screens Raleigh - Carmike 15 - 8 DLP screens Wilmington - Carmike 16 - 9 DLP screens Wilson - Carmike 10 - 10 DLP screens, 3D Winston-Salem - Carmike 10 - 5 DLP screens Winston-Salem - Wynnsong 12 - 6 DLP screens NORTH DAKOTA - 4 DLP screens Bismarck - Carmike 8 - 4 DLP screens NEBRASKA - 6 DLP screens North Platte - Carmike 6 - 6 DLP screens OKLAHOMA - 22 DLP screens Lawton - Carmike 8 - 8 DLP screens Muskogee - Carmike 6 - 6 DLP screens (10/27) Shawnee - Cinema Center 8 - 8 DLP screens OREGON - 6 DLP screens Corvallis - Carmike 12 - 6 DLP screens PENNSYLVANIA - 28 DLP screens Allentown - Carmike 16 - 16 DLP screens Delmont - Wynnsong 12 - 12 DLP screens SOUTH CAROLINA - 52 DLP screens Columbia - Carmike 14 - 14 DLP screens Columbia - Wynnsong 10 - 10 DLP screens Myrtle Beach - Broadway 16 - 16 DLP screens Myrtle Beach - Colonial 12 - 12 DLP screens, 3D SOUTH DAKOTA - 7 DLP screens Sioux Falls - Carmike 7 - 7 DLP screens (10/27) TENNESSEE - 86 DLP screens Antioch - Bell Forge 10 - 5 DLP screens Chattanooga - Bijou 7 - 3 DLP screens Chattanooga - Wynnsong 10 - 5 DLP screens Clarksville - Governor's Sq. 10 - 5 DLP screens Franklin - Thoroughbred 20 - 10 DLP screens, 3D Goodlettsville - Rivergate 8 - 4 DLP screens Hixon - Northgate 14 - 7 DLP screens Johnson City - Carmike 14 - 8 DLP screens Knoxville - Carmike 10 - 6 DLP screens Knoxville - Wynnsong 16 - 9 DLP screens Madison - Wynnsong 10 - 5 DLP screens Maryville - Foothills 12 - 7 DLP screens Murfreesboro - Wynnsong 16 - 8 DLP screens Nashville - Bellevue 8 - 4 DLP screens TEXAS - 44 screens Edinburgh - Carmike 20 - 10 DLP screens El Paso - Carmike 16 - 8 DLP screens, 3D Longview - Carmike 10 - 8 DLP screens Lufkin - Lufkin Mall Nine - 5 DLP screens Nacogdoches - Carmike 6 - 6 DLP screens Tyler - Carmike 14 - 7 DLP screens, 3D UTAH - 20 DLP screens Provo - Wynnsong 12 - 6 DLP screens, 3D West Jordan - Carmike 12 - 6 DLP screens West Valley City - Ritz 15 - 8 DLP screens VIRGINIA - 5 DLP screens Midlothian - Carmike 10 - 5 DLP screens WASHINGTON - 6 DLP screens Kennewick - Carmike 12 - 6 DLP screens WISCONSIN - 6 DLP screens Eau Claire - Oakwood Mall 12 - 6 DLP screens WEST VIRGINIA - 6 DLP screens Morgantown - Morgantown Mall 12 - 6 DLP screens WYOMING - 9 DLP screens Cheyenne - Frontier 9 - 9 DLP screens Anyone can feel free to double check my math on the screen count. At the current pace, Carmike should surpass the 1000 DLP screens mark before year's end. I don't know if they'll be able to get all 2300 systems installed before this time in 2007. The older theaters are going to be more of a challenge to convert. Obviously, some of those theaters aren't going to be converted at all. There's a little over 100 screens that will be left out of this program. [ 10-26-2006, 07:51 PM: Message edited by: Bobby Henderson ]  |  IP: Logged Paul Van Dusen Film Handler Posts: 82 From: Roanoke, VA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 10-26-2006 04:02 PM                        quote: Paul Konen Paul, if you sound processor has a DB-25 for Analog Audio input, you could DLP there. It's not so much can we do it, but can our center channel speaker handle the sound from big action movies without frying the speaker. And since we're a discount theatre they're not likely to spend the money upgrading our speakers.  |  IP: Logged Jarryd Beard Expert Film Handler Posts: 229 From: Hellertown, PA Registered: Jul 2004 posted 10-26-2006 08:27 PM                     quote: Dustin Mitchell There aren't going to be any 'mono digital' houses. All screens will have 5.1 sound capability by the time they are upgraded to digital projection. Yes, both theatres will be 100% 5.1 sound systems on all screens. The NCS technician has already ordered speakers and racks for those mono theatres. I've heard (From NCS technican) that it's part of the agreement with Christie that there must be 5.1 sound systems in place at the time of install. Also, both these theatres are first run. The 5-plex is downtown, a block away from the Penn State campus. Ninety-five percent of the business there is students. Both theatres were Cinema World theatres acquired by Carmike in 1994.  |  IP: Logged Matt Fields Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 545 From: Ohio, United States Registered: Jun 2005 posted 10-26-2006 11:01 PM                     Does anyone know if Carmikes business has gone up in these locations? If doesn't sell more tickets, what the hell is the point?  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-27-2006 10:59 AM                     The point? The real point with is saving movie distributors lots of cash over the cost of making and shipping film prints. In places like my town it's too early to tell if digital projection is making a positive impact to the bottom line. For the past 3 months Hollywood's output of movies hasn't exactly been great. The Departed is one of only a few current releases I would recommend watching. Things are going to pick up quite a bit in November and December. With higher profile releases like Casino Royale, Happy Feet and a few others it will be easier to gauge what kind of difference digital projection can make.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 10-27-2006 11:52 AM                    To be honest I don't think it is going to be that much of a factor once it spreads everywhere. The average movie goer is not going to change his or her movie going routine just to see a DLP presentation. Now granted you will have people out there who think along the lines of Bobby who appreciate good presentations but everything is still going to be flat and reactive just like it has been. If a theatre is sloped and you have a stadium down the road people are going to pick the stadium to go to. If the employees suck and are rude and the theatre is dirty but the one down the street is clean and the employees are friendly people will go to the friendly site. You can't sugar coat a shitty location by changing what you use behind the scenes. Remember there are a lot of people that still think that we use DVD's to play the movie. I think the 3-D gimmick is a good return but do we really need the extra charge on top of the ticket to see it. My concern is that ticket prices will go up even more to cover these installs over the course of time and somebody out there is really going to get screwed in the process. I have been told that the content is being shipped on hard drives in a padded shipping can. You must then download it off the portable drive to the server or the system in use hard drive. I have been told this download process takes about as long as the movie is. Almost real time. I think right now the smart and most secure way is using the hard drives and shipping them to theatres. The last I read on Satellite use was that they still needed to figure out how to get the files compressed enough to be able to send them in a minimum amount of time and stay within the standards. I don't know how the Carmikes are getting their content but I would assume it is on hard drives and shipped to them. Hence no savings on shipping. You still have the costs of putting the content on hard drives. The future will be interesting to say the least.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-27-2006 01:21 PM                     Carmike is getting their movies on large capacity hard disc drives, with the data locked and encrypted. An unlock program mailed separately on a USB thumb drive is used to validate and activate the movie. If that unlock key doesn't arrive in time, outfits like Technicolor are supposed to e-mail the unlock code. The theater just has to have a spare thumb drive available to use. The movie files are transferred via a USB 2.0 connection. The movie's bitrate makes a big difference on transfer time. A 2 hour movie running at the 250Mb/s top end rate of the DCI spec comes out to around 225GB in size. Some movies may run at 150Mb/s or even as low as 80Mb/s -the lowest rate of the DCI certified spec. A 2 hour movie taking 2 hours of time to transfer from portable hard drive to server is not surprising. For a 250Mb/s JPEG2000 movie, for "real time" transfer speed you're having to sustain 31.25MB per second. It would take something like a 9-pin Firewire 800 or U320SCSI connection to go much faster. That transfer time is not really all that big a problem either, provided you get the movie at least a few hours before the show! You can have multiple movies loading into different projector servers while you get other tasks done, like filling out all kinds of paperwork! Overall, the process seems quite a bit easier and more convenient than building up film prints by hand. But you're not necessarily getting a better quality product in the end. Customer reactions here in Lawton have been pretty positive. Our local paper ran an article about the installation.  |  IP: Logged Allison Parsons Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 630 From: East Peoria, IL Registered: Oct 2004 posted 10-27-2006 01:29 PM                        I work at a GKC/Carmike theater and we're 'suppose' to be getting a few either by the end of the year, or the begining of the next. I'm not holding my breath on that. We're a 10 screen theater, but we're not located smack in the middle of Peoria, we're on the outskirts (only about 8 miles away), in a shitty shopping center that is now a ghost town excluding us, a Dollar General and one other tiny shop. If ANYTHING can get more butts in the seats at my theater, I think DLP would help. There is one more theater in town that had digital, but they are located 20 miles away on the opposite end of Peoria (a Rave theater).  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 10-27-2006 08:43 PM                     Bobby has it right. I'll add that typically the content arrives on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Keys are delivered either by thumb drive or via our DSL connection depending on who is handling the digital 'prints'. It can take a lot of time to ingest the content from the hard drive into the server, however, if it is ingested into the LMS (central server) it can then be transfered to any screen via fiber optic connections. The transfer over fiber still takes more time than physically moving a film print would but it is faster than the USB 2.0 ingestion.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-27-2006 09:05 PM                     Well, yeah, I'm pretty sure I have the details right on how things work in the Christie/AIX program. A lot of this information is available from websites like D Cinema Today as well as the websites for Christie and AccessIT. Just felt like I needed to clarify that to keep certain friends of mine from getting into any trouble.  |  IP: Logged

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