Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Let's talk ones and zeros...

This is topic Let's talk ones and zeros... in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Ted Costas (Member # 473) on 09-26-2002, 07:59 PM:

If you are in the Los Angeles area on October 5th, 2002, there is a Digital Cinema Event being held at the ETC Digital Cinema Lab on Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox. It's all day, and I believe they are showing the recent Lucas movie, yes in Digital Cinema, and there are several distinguished panel members, some listed, some not. It should be a hot debate with panel members from all sides of the Digital Cinema political spectrum... Vegas has posted two to one odds that blood will be spilled (I'll be wearing my black suit just in case).

If you are interested: (http://www.hsmpte.org/seminarindex.htm)

If not, well, I'm sure I'll hear a few of those. This is "FILM"-Tech, isn't it?

All the best, Ted

Ted Costas
Director
Dolby Distributor Services

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-26-2002, 08:35 PM:

Way ahead of you Ted.

I posted the registration information for the conference here on August 26, and encouraged people to attend. I just "bumped" it up again.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 09-27-2002, 04:02 AM:

Welcome back, Ted.

Right?

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 09-27-2002, 07:57 AM:

Not to pull this off topic, but if anyone is travelling to this from a long distance you can double your pleasure that weekend and see the original 3-strip (and recently restored) This is Cinerama at the itself-recently-restored Arclight Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd. The Dome features a deeply curved 80ft wide screen, which, in a very controversial move by Pacific Theaters, is a solid sheet instead of the traditional louvered one as originally specified by the developers of Cinerama. It will be interesting to see how bad the cross illumination will be.

Opening October 4th for one week. If you're in LA that weekend, it's a gotta-do.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 09-27-2002, 10:11 AM:

The location of the ETC Digital Cinema Lab is the former Warner Cinerama Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. . This is the site that opened
"This is Cinerama" in Southern California, 50 years ago.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-27-2002, 10:21 AM:

Links to information about the ETC:
http://www.etcenter.org/
http://www.etcenter.org/Downloads/DCL_Specs.pdf

http://www.icce.org/conference_program/etc.htm

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-27-2002, 01:45 PM:

Yea, forget the digital crap unless you're an artifact junkie and go see and hear all the magnificent film based theatres while they are still running real film.
Mark

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 09-27-2002, 02:31 PM:

Film: 1

DLP: 0

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 09-27-2002, 08:13 PM:

Digital is better because it's digital. Too bad we can't make "film" a much overhyped and ballyhooed buzzword.

I hope someone asks Rick McCallum and/or George to demonstrate film running over "wires" as Rick said is what happens with film and that's why it gets damaged.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 09-28-2002, 09:51 AM:

What is a louvered screen?
Michael

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 09-28-2002, 12:38 PM:

"Louvered" refers to the deeply curved "strip" screen that was a signature of Cinerama installations. The screen was made up of narrow elastic strips, each one aligned to reflect light back along the projection axis. This was done to minimize reflected light from washing out picture blacks (e.g. bright area on one side of the screen raising blacks on the other side of the screen).

The ETC (nee Warner's Pacific) and The Dome both had louvered screens in their original Cinerama installations. The ETC is now flat, and The Dome has had a curved one-piece sheet for many years.

Regards,

Paul
SMPTE Hollywood Section
There are 10 kinds of people in the world--those that understand binary and those that don't

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 09-28-2002, 01:35 PM:

Gee, D-Cinema at the Dome. I wonder how D-Cinema would do projecting on that original 80ft curved Cinerama screen. Now THAT would be something to see -- bet you could actually COUNT the ones and zeros!

Frank
I've seen the Light.....and it's Carbon Arc.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 09-29-2002, 03:56 AM:

The chief projectionist at the American Cinemateche last night invited anyne with a DLP to come in and try to compare to the new 70mm print of Hello Dolly. He was right, there is no comparison.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 09-29-2002, 05:09 AM:

Did I imagine this or did I actually read the following...?

1. Disney's EL CAPITAN on Hollywood Blvd. is no longer THX because they went with a smaller screen when they introduced their DLP system.

2. Mann's Chinese (just across the street) uses some extreme masking to reduce the screen size when running digital movies.

True or False? I'm sure I read this right here on Film-Tech but I can't find the thread(s).

~Manny (Terror from above.)

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 09-29-2002, 10:49 AM:

1. True. The El Capitan is no longer THX certified.

2. False. There MAY be a little masking in, but if so, it's very slight. I saw the "flat" presentation of SIGNS, and it looked pretty close, if any difference at all, to their retgular screen size. The Chinese installed a slightly larger screen when they remodeled last year. At the very MOST, the screen masking is no greater than the size of screen being used for the past 20-25 years.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 09-29-2002, 10:51 AM:

quote:
1. True. The El Capitan is no longer THX certified.

Any word as to whether screen size was the issue?

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 09-29-2002, 11:11 AM:

Interesting that the ETC has 35mm film projection only, not 70mm. Do they not want the digital equipment to be compared to 70mm for some reason?

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 09-29-2002, 12:47 PM:

Oops, sorry Manny. I misread your post. The screen size at the El Capitan is the same now as it was. The DLP image for 1.85 is the same as for film 1.85. The theatre may have done some masking for the "scope" DLP showing MISSION TO MARS (where I saw it). The screen was definitely full-sized for the 70mm showing of SLEEPING BEAUTY a few weeks back.

The El Capitan lost its THX certification when they took out the Accoustal "wall" to restore the theatre's stage to its original usage.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 09-29-2002, 12:49 PM:

QUOTE:

quote:
Do they not want the digital equipment to be compared to 70mm for some reason?

Probably because 70mm doesn't really exist anymore in terms of regular commercial exhibition.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 09-30-2002, 05:30 AM:

Paul said >70mm doesn't really exist anymore in terms of regular commercial exhibition.<

I does if you count the new IMAX DMR system which seems like it is on its way to being a formidable contender in its ability to now open big studio releases day-and-date with the 35mm opening. The legendary high presentation quality of IMAX theatres may very well become what the 70mm theatres were in the past, i.e., the showplaces where major releases could be seen in a superior format with the best possible picture and sound, and theatres that were run with higher all-around creature comforts than the local grind-houses.

So what we may be looking forward is seeing DLP technology in the multiplexes notching down the quality from what 35mm is capable of, while IMAX DMR will be notching up the quality to better than 70mm in the "IMAX Experience" theatres. As it was speculated in another thread, this might encourage more original 65mm production because working with original wide gauge neg will make the DMR process look even closer to the spectacular images the IMAX format has been able to produce.

Frank

Posted by Ted Costas (Member # 473) on 09-30-2002, 01:38 PM:

Good stuff!

Rick McCallum of Lucasfilm, Rob Hummel of Warner Bros., Dave Schnuelle of Dolby Labs, and many others will miss out on all this good stuff if these questions and points of view aren't represented. And don't look at me. I want to be around when the dust settles.

Yours, Ted