Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: COST FOR NCN SETUP

This is topic COST FOR NCN SETUP in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 01-31-2004, 07:29 PM:

Does anyone know (ballpark) what it costs a typical theater to upgrade from an old slide projector in-theater advertising setup to having NCN come in and setup their digital system, with their pre-show countdown?

Also, does anyone have any comments about the NCN system as it now exits?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-31-2004, 08:23 PM:

All of my customers that run digital advertising are doing it through someone local in their areas. The theatre owners are buying the projectors, DVD's and or computers themselves.... some are running via DVD and others via PC. Either way they make alot more profit from the thing as a whole and the projectors are a write off for some of them.
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 01-31-2004, 08:34 PM:

Thanks for the info, Mark.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 01-31-2004, 10:05 PM:

While revenue from the pre show slide ads is all well and good, the old sytle SLIDE projectors are a royal PITA. Bulbs, routine slide changeouts, cleaning & service all make this what I feel a huge waste of effort. Especially given the fact that we haven't had any local nor regional paid advertisers in over 6 months now.

It just seems that the digital slide revolution is the way to go. I'm not sure how they are interfaced, but I'm sure the method is much better than what we currently have to offer... [Confused]

[ 02-01-2004, 02:43 PM: Message edited by: Jason Black ]

Posted by David Favel (Member # 1125) on 01-31-2004, 11:57 PM:

Depending on your contract with your ad provider...

You can swap 1 years ads for a projector

Again, depending on the format you recieve ads in.

The options are bound by your inventiveness

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-01-2004, 12:34 AM:

I know some of the larger screen advertisers beam their screen advertising to theaters via satellite (a technology developed by Christie, I believe), has anyone had experience good or bad with this technology?

Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 02-01-2004, 01:22 PM:

I think if you are dealing with a company that does everything for you, the projectors and accompanying equipment should be provided for you. They just get to take it when the contracts are up. We have had several sales pitches from companies that want us to switch from doing the ads ourselves to contracting and the deal always includes projectors.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-01-2004, 03:12 PM:

What does the digital version offer for the exhibitor? Unless it somehow generates more revenue, I can't really imagine why the exhibitor would pay for this.

Actually, I don't understand why any exhibitor would show NCN ads at all, but I am apparently in the minority with this viewpoint. I've seen a few theatres that produce their own slide ads and do a pretty classy job of it, but NCN is just tacky.

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 02-02-2004, 01:11 AM:

quote:
I know some of the larger screen advertisers beam their screen advertising to theaters via satellite (a technology developed by Christie, I believe), has anyone had experience good or bad with this technology?

Our content is sent via satellite. So far there have not been any serious problems with it. On occasion, for some reason beyond my knowledge, they cannot send it by satellite and will send you a CD with the content.

I will have to check but I am 99% certain that the projectors are property of NCN. I don't think any owners would be willing to spend $5k bucks a pop to run digital over slides. I do agree that slides are a pain and you spend a lot of money in bulbs.

Slides are one thing but if you have a choice in the matter, go as long as possible without running rolling stock advertisements. Not only are they annoying to your customers but they are also more of a hassle than slides and add greatly to your build up time.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-02-2004, 09:11 AM:

Here's the Kodak Digital Cinema Advertising system:

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/digital/

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/news/screenMediaP.shtml#p

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-02-2004, 05:58 PM:

Wow! What a lot of great info. I'll look into all of it.

Question: Chris, what do you mean by the term "rolling stock advertisements?"

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 02-02-2004, 06:08 PM:

I'm not Chris, but I think he's using "rolling stock" to refer to film advertisements, as opposed to slides.

NCN provides both, in addition to Movie Tunes and lobby ads (posters, flyers, etc.).

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-02-2004, 06:20 PM:

John... I looked at the links you kindly posted which outlined the Kodak COS system. I had a couple of questions about it, so here goes.

1. What is the basic advantage of your system (other than the name and legacy of a company like Kodak) over what is available from companies like NCN and Christie?

2. Does it ruffle the feathers of a company like NCN to pipe their advertising content using someone else’s digital platform, or doesn’t it bother them?

3. What’s up next for the COS system, real-time content feeds into the theaters? Have you guys considered something like this? Is it even feasible?

4. What’s your price point when compared to other similar systems?

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-02-2004, 06:38 PM:

Gary -- you really need to talk with our Digital Cinema team, most of whom are working out of Kodak's Hollywood office. Sean Lohan, Drena Rogers, or Larry Cate would be a good place to start.

sean.lohan@kodak.com

drena.rogers@kodak.com

larry.cate@kodak.com

In Europe, it's Denis Kelly: denisk@kodak.com

The Kodak system is turnkey, and very scalable and upgradable. Kodak service and support will be available worldwide. With multiple systems on the market, advertisers and exhibitors will facilitate compromise. Real time alternative content is certainly possible. Pricing will depend on the configuration of the system to meet your particular needs.

I'm sure there will be more good news at ShoWest.

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 02-02-2004, 07:22 PM:

Just FYI, the digital slide projectors do in fact belong to NCN.

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-02-2004, 07:27 PM:

Thanks for that, John. Thanks for the clarification, Chris.

Posted by Larry Shaw (Member # 388) on 02-06-2004, 06:50 PM:

Here is info on the Kinoton system http://www.kinotonamerica.com/digitalSystems/dipit.asp . Perhaps the best liked feature is that you buy it outright. There are no ongoing fees or commitments, and you can use it with essentially any combination of video projectors (buy them yourself at Staples, etc)and transmission methods. The image is good enough for concerts, sports, etc too.

Posted by Gary Davidson (Member # 2198) on 02-08-2004, 11:02 AM:

Does anyone know, of the theaters with digital pre-show advertising projectors, what percentage is Standard Definition as opposed to High Definition?