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Topic: Digital Cinema = The death of theaters?

Monte L Fullmer
Film God

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

posted 09-14-2010 01:00 PM

quote: David Zylstra
Note that in our case the Christie (Ushio) lamps have proven reliable enough to push 25%-30% beyond warranty. In almost 5 years of 46 screens running digital we have had no violent lamp expirations.

(funny, two topics going on here at the same time ...)

Why we pull prior to warranty is what the circuit owners want us to do in case of a bulb explosion so the bulb company will do the major cost repair on our projectors if a bulb does go.

Sure, I bet I can keep that Helios in for twice as long before a changeout- go way past warranty and still have great light coming out, but I'd get in serious trouble with Tech Services of the company for keeping a bulb in well over warranty hours.

-Monte

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Laurie Higgins
Film Handler

Posts: 45
From: Norcross, GA, USA
Registered: Jun 2008

posted 09-14-2010 01:48 PM

Gosh, why doesn't the studio start the movie via computer from Hollywood and the interwebs? Then all we would have to worry about on this end was popcorn and twizzlers.

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Martin McCaffery
Film God

Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-14-2010 01:55 PM

You don't think they are working on that? [evil]

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 09-14-2010 02:00 PM

quote: Scott Norwood
- I am not a big believer in the value of "alternative content," but I do think that it has potential for certain markets and demographics. This needs to be explored further by adventurous exhibitors.

I've always been a big supporter of alternative content since the early-to-mid 90's. I was at UA and we had the much-ballyhooed "Proteus Network" (later renamed Satellite Theater Network or some crap like that). Although everything at the time was in standard definition, it looked really, really good for what it was since we had a crazy-expensive projector and line doubler. We also had a satellite TV feed. We mainly used it for boring business meetings and sometimes we rented LaserDisc copies of classic movies and ran LDs (with changeovers) for a paying audience, but I always pushed the idea of sporting events as a way to make money. I always said that people would love to watch that shit on the big screen with a bunch of other losers who also like sports. It would be a really big moneymaker. "Oh no no no" I was told. The licensing just wasn't there and they didn't want to obtain a license or even inquire about it. I told them to let people in for free as a test and see what they buy at the stand. They didn't go for that one, either. And just now it seems that some theaters are starting to dabble in this idea.

Nobody ever listens to me! [Frown]

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Todd McCracken
Master Film Handler

Posts: 263
From: Northridge, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2008

posted 09-14-2010 02:01 PM

"Gosh, why doesn't the studio start the movie via computer from Hollywood and the interwebs?"

Brad's Noc already does that. We have the ability but no one up to this point seems to want it.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

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

posted 09-14-2010 03:08 PM

For John W. - no, our 35mm is still in place. So if everyone decides to rush back to film, I'll be ready! [Smile]

Regarding Brad's comment about satellite delivery -- I'm sure that's true, but it just seems like the film companies decide on a fictitious number of prints they're going to have available before each week, and that number does not or cannot change for whatever silly reason. The format of the prints does not matter to their booking people apparently.

It's probably a bookkeeping thing.

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Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 09-14-2010 04:41 PM

quote:
...no, our 35mm is still in place. So if everyone decides to rush back to film, I'll be ready!

There is hope for you Mike!! [Big Grin]

Now Mike shows common sense and forward thinking. He is able to run current D-Crapema and still has the ability for classics or back-up for when the D-Crapema crashes. (Presuming he has/can get a print.)

All the theatres who completely strip their 35mm equipment for this "upgrade" are the ones I feel are making a huge mistake that WILL come back to haunt them. Even if they need the space, I feel that each complex should keep a minimum number of 35mm setups in "ready storage" so they can keep operations running.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-14-2010 05:59 PM

actually it is a marketing thing digital will not make a title available any wider than they did in the past certain markets they choose who plays it and on how many screens

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

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

posted 09-15-2010 12:34 AM

Right...the whole idea that a movie could play "everywhere at once" is just too much for the studios to swallow at this point.

A problem I didn't anticipate is the nonsense caused by the fact that we are in a pretty small town. All the "rules" in place (especially for 3D) are designed for megaplexes in big cities. And the studios WILL NOT figure out any other ways of doing things. It's one way or no way. Which makes no sense considering they do different types of deals dependent on market size for 35mm all the time.

I guess it's just a matter of waiting for things to evolve. There was a time we had to wait years for a film print, so change IS possible.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 09-15-2010 12:55 AM

quote: Steve Guttag
Take the CRU drive that the DCPs ship on...slide it into the server...select and hit "play" and you are on the screen without an ingest. How do you think screening rooms work?

Steve, that doesn't help when you get one of those archaic USB only drives that are still in circulation with Deluxe. Fortunately they aren't too common.

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Ron Curran
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 504
From: Springwood NSW Australia
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 09-15-2010 04:13 AM

Thanks for the info on ingesting while running a D-cinema feature. There seems to be a balance here.
The savings on freight, splicing tape and film cleaning might not be much but having the “projectionist” available on the ground at show start is significant.
As I stated before, our 35mm stuff will stay when the change happens. Just as Mike has wisely done.
Film prints are likely to become more expensive as quantities decrease. That could mean a long wait for a print. If you open first run you’re your location may be considered marginal when the print cost becomes almost as high as the hire.
However, the cinema experience is more than film or hard drive but exhibitors who are not aware of this will have something to blame.

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 09-15-2010 04:13 AM

quote: Brad Miller
Steve, that doesn't help when you get one of those archaic USB only drives that are still in circulation with Deluxe. Fortunately they aren't too common.

Brad, in my day all of these drives were USB only; have things changed in the last year or so? what is this 'CRU' drive which Steve refers to? It's not a term i've come across before, and assumed that it just meant an external, portable drive. Is this something specific to the Dolby server and storage unit? I've only ever seen those twice, once at pictureville, Bradford and once at the Odeon, Leicester Square, but I seem to remember that they had a large slot, that looked like it was to take an drive of some sort.

I've only been out of this for a year or two, but things seem to have changed already.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 09-15-2010 07:01 AM

The CRU drive is the standard drive and has been for years now. It is shipped with a USB adapter held on by the label of what is on the drive.

Most, if not all of the current DCinema servers at least have the option of a CRU bay and many come with it standard (e.g. Dolby).

Stephen, if you look at any of the Dolby brochures you will see what looks like an open bay on the face of the DSS100 or DSS200 server...that is the bay for the CRU...the drive slides in and locks in place. Prior to that, they had the "Promise" drives but the CRU became the standard, instead...Dolby changed all of their drives out, at no charge, to the CRU style.

Steve

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Jeremy Weigel
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1062
From: Edmond, OK, USA
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 09-15-2010 10:32 AM

Is this available for GDC servers?

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

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

posted 09-15-2010 11:57 AM

Jeremy - Yes, we have it on ours.

Interesting that the USB-only Deluxe drives are becoming rare -- out of the 11 digital features we've played, 2 of them have arrived on that kind of drive.

By the way -- What does "CRU" stand for? I googled it to no avail.

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