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Topic: Carmike installing 2300 Christie/AIX DLP systems

Allison Parsons
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 630
From: East Peoria, IL
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 09-23-2007 09:56 PM

We're due to get 3-D in soon (Washington IL). Anything new that I will have to learn when it comes to 3-D movies?

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-23-2007 11:15 PM

That's strange, the Real D website already shows that theater as being equipped for 3D (and has had it listed that way for a good while already).

I guess we'll have a better idea of which theaters are equipped with what when the next round of 3D movies are released (Nightmare Before Christmas, U23D, Beowulf).

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Paul Van Dusen
Film Handler

Posts: 82
From: Roanoke, VA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 09-24-2007 02:00 AM

quote:
NORTH CAROLINA - 235 DLP screens
DLP equipped:
Durham - Wynnsong 15 - 15 DLP screens, 3D
Greenville - Carmike 12 - 12 DLP screens, 3D
Morrisville - Park Place 16 - 16 DLP screens, 3D
Raleigh - Carmike 15 - 15 DLP screens, 3D X 2
Wilson - Carmike 10 - 10 DLP screens, 3D
Washington - Cinema 7
Goldsboro - Berkeley 4 (2nd run)
Raleigh - Blue Ridge 14 (2nd run)

Ok, so I've trimmed the list down to my district, since that's all I really know about. The Berkeley 4 (my theater) won't be getting digital anytime soon. In fact I think 2010 is the year that was thrown at us. I had heard Blue Ridge was going to get it being that it's a virtual legend of a discount theater, i think their attendance is close to 700,000 a year, is prepped for the install, but were pushed back to god knows when. The Washington Cinema 7 is supposed to be 100% digital by the end of fall, and well, hell, the rest of the NC part of our district is full digital already.

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Steven J Hart
Master Film Handler

Posts: 282
From: WALES, ND, USA
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 09-24-2007 08:55 AM

Are these all true D-cinema machines or are they just installing a big LCD projector connected to a server on some of the smaller screens?
Steve

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David Zylstra
Master Film Handler

Posts: 432
From: Novi, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 09-24-2007 09:02 AM

In order to get digital content from the studios you must have one of the DCI pursuant 2K or 4K projectors - besides, most off the shelf LCD/DLP projectors don't have the needed dual HD-SDI inputs.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-24-2007 11:02 AM

Every Carmike "digital" equipped screen features a Christie CP2000 digital projector and Doremi server running the AccessIT software. That includes some pretty small theaters in some pretty small towns. I'm pretty sure every theater location has at least one big SAN server as well.

Some of this equipment may be installed temporarily and then moved to new theater sites as they open. The rest of Carmike's first run screens in Oklahoma are supposed to have d-cinema equipment installed pretty soon, including a 5-plex in Ardmore. Carmike is reportedly building a new 8 or 10 screen theater there and then close down the old 5-plex.

Certain theater chains (like Cinemark) are using more "pro-sumer" quality video projectors for pre-show advertisements. I don't like those projectors because the images they throw are very dim compared to proper 35mm film projection and full sized d-cinema systems. Those smaller projectors are obviously only meant for use on smaller screens (like in someone's home or an office board room). But they're getting used on big movie theater screens anyway. My guess is the decision makers probably felt if the video image was anywhere near as bright as that of a worn out slide projector then it would be fine.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-24-2007 02:42 PM

Or they wanted the impact of the real digital cinema picture to be that much more effective.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-24-2007 07:19 PM

I don't have a single customer still running slides for Pre-Show.... All of them have gone to some sort of LCD projector or another. Most of the owners were smart though and looked into replacement lamp cost before buying their projectors. Many of them have settled on a Dell projector that sells for about a grand. Lamps are less expensive fopr these machines than most and the projectors look pretty good considering their cost and small size. I have other customers with Panasonic and other makes of projectors that get either poor lamp life or poor lamp life combined with lamps that cost close to $500.00 each. No point in lamp cost eating into pre-show profits at an indie location.

Mark

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Matt Fields
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 545
From: Ohio, United States
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 09-24-2007 09:12 PM

I still have slides at my theatre. Cheaper to operate, and I have yet to see a "Digital Preshow" that is not very annoying.

My wife sells the ads and I make them. Its a good little side biz.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-25-2007 12:28 PM

Nothing more boring on earth than slides... 2nd most boring is any other form of pre-show material... 3rd most boring thing is about 80% of all the films made today...

Mark

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 09-25-2007 02:44 PM

Matt: stay with the slides. They are "just under the radar" of being annoying. At least you can converse with others while they run. Good show! Louis

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 09-26-2007 12:19 AM

True, stay with slides.

Rolling over to digital preshow devices only adds added expense since the price per each machine is a lot more than those Kodak Ektagraph units, bulbs for the digital units are 300 plus bucks compared to pennies for those simple 300w halogen units - let alone, if having multiple screens, having a server feed the picture to the projector and sound through a MDS system that feeds to the consoles prior to showing.

Thus, your charge to customers would have to increase to compensate for the conversion...and do you want to drive away your customerbase with increased pricing?

good luck..-Monte

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James Westbrook
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1133
From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 09-26-2007 12:47 AM

I think we were paying $8 for the EXY lamps. (7.90 through Regency Lighting). We were until Moviead Media started supplying them for us running their slides...then they cost us nothing.
That was over 2 years ago...
[Frown]

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-26-2007 05:26 AM

quote: James Westbrook
I think we were paying $8 for the EXY lamps.

Cheapskates. EXR or EXW lamps are brighter, though they don't last as long.

As for the video advertisements--I can't stand those and will never, ever, under any circumstances work for any theatre that uses them.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-26-2007 12:54 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Rolling over to digital preshow devices only adds added expense since the price per each machine is a lot more than those Kodak Ektagraph units, bulbs for the digital units are 300 plus bucks compared to pennies for those simple 300w halogen units - let alone, if having multiple screens, having a server feed the picture to the projector and sound through a MDS system that feeds to the consoles prior to showing.

Every customer I service has seen substantial income gain over slides by switching to video pre-show. With video projectors ya just have to be careful what you buy... lamps for certain projectors can eat the profits right up. My customers say that their advertising customers typically will gladly pay more for the ads when done on video. You can fit more on screen and say alot more with a well done short video ad. Some of our smaller customers do quite well with them... one indie location is making an extra 20 grand a year per screen of preshow!!

quote: Scott Norwood
As for the video advertisements--I can't stand those and will never, ever, under any circumstances work for any theatre that uses them.

Not that I like them either Scott but ya better find a good museum type film related position to work or be prepared for some other type of work at some point! In the real world preshow is more a fact of life than anything else. There are still a few that don't do it but then when its done on the clever side it can be pretty good.

Mark

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