This is topic All Irish cinemas to convert to D-Cinema ? in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Peter Hall (Member # 695) on 03-20-2005, 06:43 AM:
 
Does anyone have details of the technology to be used ?

"Avica Europe, the European arm of digital cinema technology and services leader, Avica; has announced that the first of its countrywide digital cinema networks is now underway in Ireland. This marks the first step in Ireland’s groundbreaking nationwide conversion of its cinema screens to digital format.

Through its subsidiary Digital Cinema Limited (Ireland), Avica will enable projection of all forms of content to every screen in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.


Kevin Anderson of the country’s largest cinema chain, Ward Anderson, noted that “DCL offered us the only solution that both supports Hollywood standards for digital cinema while providing an economically attractive option for independent distributors and exhibitors.”

Nicholas Clay, Chairman and CEO of Avica said “We are proud to be able to bring the benefits of digital cinema to theatre-goers throughout Ireland, and thrilled to provide the technology which will enable the country to be the first in the world to make this move into the future of cinema.”

Clay noted that the conversion to digital will have no effect upon existing business arrangements between exhibitors and distributors, while delivering the inherent advantages of digital presentation systems, such as enhanced security, aesthetic improvements and easier management.

Avica’s European distribution infrastructure will deliver these benefits to the more than 500 Irish screens included in this first national network. Although focused initially on Ireland, several other European nations are expected to follow suit.
"
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 03-20-2005, 01:55 PM:
 
It's a mixture of equipment, I've heard Barco and DLP mentioned. I've just completed a 9 screen install over there, with Avica involved. It's an intersting project, however I'm yet to be convinced on the commercial viability.
 

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Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 03-21-2005, 08:22 AM:
 
Don't believe the hype!

When you've a single, unchallenged player in any market, they're free to make all kinds of assertions, and you have to admire their bravado.

However whether they will achieve their ambitions must be a case of "wait and see" at this point.

I've put forward some views on the implementation of D-Cinema here on the forum several times so I won't repeat them.
 

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Posted by Matthew Ballantine-Patton (Member # 3007) on 03-23-2005, 01:09 PM:
 
At our theater, we work with a DLP running Avica software. The software runs on a plain old Dell, with Windows NT operating system. Features are delivered via USB drive, and uploaded to the CPU. I've seen worse systems, but we have lost a few shows due to computer crashes. We also had a period where the program would freeze 25 minutes into the feature every show. Sure, the 1000th show has no more dirt/scratches than the 1st show, but when you walk up to an Avica you can't *see* the problem, like you can with 35mm. Plus, only a small percentage of feautures are released in this format. I can't see how rolling out digital systems for an entire market does anything but create new problems. New problems which the operators are not so well trained in troubleshooting. Avica is making some pretty wild claims. Here's the article from PC World: Ireland Putting Digital Films in Every Cinema
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-23-2005, 03:03 PM:
 
Kodak's Digital Cinema System is built on a LINUX Platform:

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/products/digital/cinemaSolutions.jhtml

quote:

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NETWORK-BASED SOLUTION BUILT ON LINUX PLATFORM WITH ALL SYSTEMS AND SERVICES:
Fully compliant with today's — and will be compliant with tomorrow's — evolving interoperability standards of DCI and SMPTE
Supporting a choice of projectors — up to 2K resolution today, with upgrade to 4K tomorrow
Driven by unique KODAK Software and supported by KODAK Service worldwide
NETWORK INTERFACES WITH:
Variety of in-cinema ticketing systems for presentation scheduling
Range of theatre "legacy" and other automation systems for fully coordinated customer presentation
Up to 30 screens in multiplex
WIDE-AREA NETWORK AND IN-CINEMA ETHERNET NETWORK HANDLE:
All scheduling information
Remote monitoring and diagnostics
Audit and verification reports
Distribution and staging of pre-show content
Automatic and efficient movement of content throughout cinema
Security management for feature presentations

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Kodak's Digital Cinema System is built on a LINUX Platform:

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Most analysts agree that digital projection systems will eventually take over from the gorgeously archaic 19th century technology (cans, reels, sprockets) currently operating in our cinemas. But the changeover has hitherto been hampered by a knotty economic quandary: whereas abandoning celluloid will eventually save money for the distributors, the cost of installing new equipment falls to the exhibitors.
Avica Europe, the Thurles-based wing of one of the world's foremost digital cinema technology manufacturers, announced last week that it was proceeding with a scheme to install the new projectors in 105 sites throughout Ireland. The trick? "The theatre owners are not paying a penny for the equipment", a spokesman for Digital Cinema Ireland, an Avica subsidiary, told Reel News. "Their only expense involves instaling a digital porthole. The equipment they get on a custodial basis". A more extensive feature on this issue will appear shortly.

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Their only expense involves instaling a digital porthole.

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Ok, So whats a Digital Porthole? Is this some new Kelmar thing... Goldberg would NEVER be able to make a reliable "Digital Porthole", it would constantly be re-booting itself.

Mark
 

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Posted by Joseph L. Kleiman (Member # 3097) on 09-16-2005, 03:55 PM:
 
I'm assuming a digital porthole is a second porthole for a digital projector. From what I understand, the digital systems will not be replacing 35mm outright (until 35mm is, hmph, obsolete), but are supposed to be installed in every booth next to the 35mm system.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-16-2005, 04:05 PM:
 
How many Digital Cinema theatres still have a 35mm print running next to the digital projector "just in case"? I assume reliability has gotten much better than the early days of "digital hiccups" and other problems.
 

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Posted by Joseph L. Kleiman (Member # 3097) on 09-16-2005, 04:26 PM:
 
It's not a matter of reliability, but rather product availabilty.

Practically every digital cinema projector installed in the States has a 35mm next to it. These tend to be the larger auditoriums.

Let's say Auditorium A has a wonderful Barco D-Cine Permiere DP100 running off of a Kodak Digital Cinema server (just like what they showed From Dust to Glory on at ShoWest). Audtorium B has a 35mm projector, as does Auditorium A, right next to that wonderful Barco/Kodak digital thingy. Flightplan comes out Sept. 23 in digital and is shown in auditorium 1. Two weeks later, Two for the Money comes out and the exhibitor wants to show it in the larger Auditorium A. Problem is it's not digital. So Flightplan is moved to the smaller Auditorium B and shown in 35mm and Two for the Money is shown in 35mm in Auditorium A. This is why DLP releases in the states tend to run for only one or two weeks and are sporadic.

In the case of Ireland, until all films are released digitally, it makes sense to have a 35mm projector handy in each booth to show movies only being released on film.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-16-2005, 10:06 PM:
 
I understand the need to have both systems for each screen in case digital product is not available. But early on, many actually ran the film print a few minutes behind the digital "print", so they could switch over if they had a failure. Saw it happen myself a few years ago at the AMC Empire 25 in NYC with "Ice Age" and the "Digital Hiccup" incident reported here.
 

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Posted by Joseph L. Kleiman (Member # 3097) on 09-16-2005, 11:22 PM:
 
Sounds just like the 8-track and 35mm mag dubber used as audio backups to digital soundtracks in a number of large format theaters. During one of the showings at ShoWest, the digital projector went offline. It took them about five minutes to get picture and another ten to synch the sound. Though that was an isolated incident (I've been told exhuast from a backup projector entered the one showing the movie and it overheated), it shows that should something happen in a theatrical environment, there will still be a lapse before image and sound return.
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-17-2005, 12:10 AM:
 
If I remember correctly the backup print was only run for something like three weeks in Waterloo. I believe it came to the point (after a year or two) where they didn't even bother plattering the backup print.
 

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Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 09-17-2005, 10:22 AM:
 
Isn't this the same hype that we heard in this country a few years ago, that in six months every screen in the country would be digital? Who is going to pay for all those overgrown TV's? What are they going to run on them? Is Ireland going to do the film to video conversions of things that are only available on 35MM film? Sounds like a big pile of hype to me.

Greedy corporation wants to sell the stuff sitting in their warehouse, tieing up their oppering capital, so they put out lots of hype, hoping people will buy that hype (and their warehouse full of stuff).
 

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Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 09-18-2005, 12:58 AM:
 
I don't bother building up my backups anymore.
 

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Posted by David Graham Rose (Member # 1450) on 09-18-2005, 02:27 PM:
 
Greetings All From a stormy Cambridge;

The following is taken from London's 'West End Extra' publication from an article headed "Le Touquet or not 2K?"

"It may be worth pointing out that a new Lottery-funded scheme is rumoured to be under way to install FP30E’s in all counties outside the M25, with an initiative to provide 3 perf prints in all those areas, thereby cutting down on distribution costs, and (as it was known in the trade) “manual Rankers elbow”.



London will retain its traditional 4 perf prints due to quality issues, with a climate change levy being applied to all patrons in the big smoke. This £1 surcharge will not be payable at the box-office, however; cinemagoers will only be able to pay by previously inserting a coin into the UK Digital Cinema Fund piggy-bank, located in Leicester Square (a beige DP50). A (digital) picture is taken of the payee which is printed within 20 milliseconds, and then presented at the box-office of his chosen film. If the “I want 2K and I want it now” personal picture is not shown, a fine of £11 is payable, £10 of which goes to the Sky High Definition Television Benevolent Fund.

Spokespersons for the monopoly owned Leicester Square Cinemas (Odeon, Odeon and Odeon (aka Empire)), were unable to comment on this announcement, but an unspecified source from within the conglomerate suggested that this scheme has been on the cards for many months.

London West End Councillor Sir Anthony Regents-Park said "Any move toward giving the people of London what they really want in terms of quality, stability of image and a true sense of being there is obviously a benefit, and I for one would sanction the installation of a mock DP50 in the Square. Probably next door to the SWET booth, opposite the Odeon West End"

Many cinema operators in the area however are not so keen on the change. Manager Jack Chartlon of the Cannon Royal, a cinema adjacent to the Odeon Leicester Square, said "Digital Cinema? I'll give you digital cinema! When I stop the hoards of patrons standing outside my show for the latest release I'll show what quality showmanship is! Who can come and see a film here for a fiver, and get a free lap dance to boot! Bloody digital cinema! It's not the films they want to see - it's proper showmanship lad, just like we used to get oop North!"

A spokesperson for the Odeon Cinema Haymarket said " I'm not so worried about the advent of digital cinema since our cinema was closed down about three years ago due to water ingress and we ceased trading at around that time"

Josef Le-Pierre from the Plage Cinema in Le Touquet, France was heard to exclaim " Vive Le 2K ici en Le Touquet".

A more positive advert for digital cinema one could not wish for"

From Cambridge I bid you all a very good evening

David
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 09-18-2005, 02:54 PM:
 
I wonder if Mrs Fizackilly is in the boxoffice and Mr Quill running those FP30E
 

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Posted by Gordon Bachlund (Member # 124) on 09-18-2005, 07:37 PM:
 
Gordon, I believe Mr. Quill would be more at home with front shutter Kalees, as he has perfected a way of kick-starting recalcitrant projectors by manually rotating the shutter.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-18-2005, 09:13 PM:
 
Gordon and Gordon,
Old Tom would never allow anything along the likes of an FP-30E into the Bijou Kinema....



Mark
 

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Posted by Tim Webber (Member # 2803) on 09-19-2005, 10:45 AM:
 
I'm assuming that the take up of dogital will face problems that presumably faced "this new fangled 35mm stuff" wrt format, reliability and availablility.
Does anyone know what happened historically.
 

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Posted by Phil Blake (Member # 2012) on 09-20-2005, 05:15 AM:
 
I was watching a current affairs show on tv the other night, which covered the pro's and cons of digital cinema . several cinema owners were interviewed, the mega giants in the cities were just going to spend two hundered thousand on DLP projectors and media players and then show will go on, digitally.

The point of view from the small country town operators was gloomy . They cannot afford to change to digital. Most are running very old cinemas, still on change over systems . But these guys are doing what they do best and doing what they have done for a large part of their lives. They make just enough cash to survive and they are happy to continue this way.
Is digital going to be the end for them ?

Are the studios going to withdraw the supply of 35mm film prints quickly ? or will we see digital and film running side by side for many years?

If certain studios decide to only release a movie on digital , those that are still running film won't be able to screen it, this will force cinemas to upgrade or run out of material.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-20-2005, 10:55 AM:
 

quote: Paul Konen

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I don't bother building up my backups anymore.

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So you still receive a back-up print from the distributor as a matter of routine?
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-20-2005, 03:40 PM:
 
Yeah. Most of the backup prints become "the print" if/when the film gets kicked to a smaller house.

But yeah, digital projection sure is saving money on print costs.
 

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Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 09-20-2005, 06:21 PM:
 
There is activity here...the cinema I work in has just taken delivery of a 2K machine...DP / NEC from what I can see (not yet installed).

The layout is side by side. An addtional port went in recently, the electrical work has been done and the server (Dell) has gone in too.

The 3D release of "Chicken Little" could be the platform they'll use to launch things - just guessing.

More when I get it...
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-20-2005, 06:47 PM:
 
Dell server? It's not one of those Windows Media 9 on a Dell Dimension desktop abominations is it?

I hope your booth doors are solid and lock.
 

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Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 09-21-2005, 08:02 PM:
 
No, it's a proper disk array...will look up the specs. Plenty of storage I'm told.

Content delivery is supposed to be via satellite, but this is not yet confirmed.

Things are in train though!
 

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Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 02-10-2007, 04:51 PM:
 

It has been 506 days since the last post.

 

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Posted by Brian Guckian (Member # 1678) on 02-10-2007, 04:51 PM:
 
DTS are now in partnership with Digital Cinema Ltd. here to advance the ongoing rollout...

DTS Teams up with DCL for Digital Cinema Upgrade in Ireland

Twyford, United Kingdom – DTS, Inc. (NASDAQ: DTSI) DTS has announced that it has reached agreement with DCL to upgrade the first phase of DCL’s Irish D-Cinema installation. The agreement provides for both parties to work together to facilitate the wider rollout of Digital Cinema in Ireland.

Under the agreement, DTS will upgrade DCL’s existing network to ensure compliance with the latest studio requirements for release of D-Cinema movie content. This will require meeting the JPEG2000 file format compatibility and security features defined in the DCI standard specification. DTS will also bring additional functionality to the network by introducing its management software toolset. This suite of tools is designed to make distribution and playback of D-Cinema movie content a simple and reliable process for both the studios and exhibitors.

“We are very pleased and excited to be working with DTS in the upgrade of our current system.” comments Ian Kirby, MD of DCL. “This critical upgrade brings us to a level of compliance with the DCI specifications that is essential for the receipt and playback of D-Cinema movie content today, and puts us firmly on track to maintain the compliance levels we will need going forward.”

The agreement also calls for DTS to work together with DCL to manage the upgrade, expansion and operation of the network. DTS will work with DCL and local film distributors to acquire, prepare and deliver content to the screens.

The announcement reflects DTS’ recent moves to develop its business as a specialist provider of solutions for digital cinema by separating its business into two autonomous divisions. Tony Nowak, MD of DTS’ European cinema business, continues: “Under this change of strategic direction for the company, we are developing our flexible solutions to meet the needs of content owners and exhibitors in the transition to Digital Cinema. We are very happy that DCL have chosen to work with us on this upgrade, and we plan together to roll out the full 500-screen network in the coming months.”

These new strategic objectives for DTS build upon the current business. Nowak says: “Of course, we will continue to support the needs of our existing DTS Digital Sound™ audio coding business as part of our strategic plan. We have demonstrated our commitment to the movie business over the years, and we plan to be there to support content owners and exhibitors as a part of its future.”
 

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