Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: E-Cinema

This is topic E-Cinema in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by AndrewBurnell (Member # 122) on 09-07-1999, 03:42 AM:

I wanted to get some professional estimates on how long until E-Cinema comes in. Being 16 I was thinking about projection as a career but I don't want to be trained up and commit to a full time job to be replaced by a computer!

To my understanding there is still a ways to go.
1) Fast motion like car scenes just becomes a blur and full of artifacts
2) No encryption system
3) No backup system in case of failure.

For example we use non-electronic matrix boards for automation, we had a power blackout today and everything came back on fine within about 20secs.(except the lightning set the a/c unit on fire!) Computers (especially mine) take at least 5mins to reboot and direct access on a 340gb disk wouldn't be the fast to find its place if it even remembered it.

I don't know how far I am off track here so any comments would be appreciated!

Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 09-07-1999, 11:11 AM:

Two answers:
Standardization and EXPENSE!

Posted by Ed Johnson (Member # 94) on 09-07-1999, 09:06 PM:

The way I figure it, the technology for Digital Cinema will be perfected in a matter of three or four years. Four years ago, a top-of-the-line computer was a 100 mhz deal with a 500 mb hard disk. By today's standards, that's arcaic. The technology industry seems to be completely committed in its quest to make todays equipment as obsolete as possible in the shorest amount of time possible.

Company's have already shown that it can be done. The reviews I've read about the TI DLP have complained about digital artifacts and other relatively minor things. If the demand is found to put further money into this(and it does seem studios are interested), these problems will probably cease to exist.

As for the 340 gig hard disk array, the size is not really a big deal. HD arrays are just a way a mounting multiple disks to into one virtual disk. The tricky part is making it fast enough to provide enough data for streaming video. With multiple company's in the tech industry working towards this goal (for computing, not specifically for cinema), it probably won't be too long before the price is less stratospheric.

Anyway, I think that the technology will be there soon, but I doubt it will replace film quickly. In a few years maybe we'll find that all the big multiplex chains are buying one setup for each theater as a marketing gimic. I don't know. I sometimes wonder if the public is aware that theaters still run film. Yesterday I overheard a woman asking a manager if we could hit the rewind button so she could see the credits again. When my manager started explaining why we couldn't easily do that with platters, she said something like, "Oh... You mean you don't have VCR's up there?" Oh well.

Sorry for the long winded post... I guess it's been on my mind.

Posted by Art Averett (Member # 367) on 09-08-1999, 08:34 AM:

You are young enough be at what could be a very promising career. First off, start taking courses in electronics and math. Then after high school, go to a technical school that has good solid courses in electronics and video. I have seen a set-up of the TI electronic projector in operation in an AMC theater and it does work!!. There were no streaks or blurs. The sound was excellent and this was all on digital tape, using a Panasonic digital VCR. Good luck to you and don't hesitate on those courses.