Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: King Arthur in DLP -- but not really!

This is topic King Arthur in DLP -- but not really! in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 07-09-2004, 11:16 AM:

Went to see King Arthur this past Wednesday at the AMC Pleasure Island 24, advertized in the newspaper, on the internet, at the box office, and on the sign above the theater as being in DLP.

The AMC Preshow concluded, and we all sat there for about 5 minutes after the scheduled start time. Finally the film started. Wait... Film? YEP!

I looked up to see a Century whirring away, playing the trailers, while the DLP projector sat dark. Okay, I thought, maybe they didn't get all the right trailers on the DLP version, so we'll watch the trailers on film and the feature on DLP. Interesting.

But wait! Here comes the AMC Feature tag and... the feature!! ON FILM!! [Eek!]

I went out to find a manager, and there they were, right outside the auditroium doors discussing how they had to run the backup print. How convenient! I asked why it wasn't in DLP, and one of them got this smile on his face like, "Uh oh, they noticed." I said I knew it was film because the picture was brighter and there were no pixels. [Smile]

The manager explained that for some reason Disney decided at the last minute that there was to be no DLP presentation of King Arthur due to "digital watermarking problems." I shrugged and went back into the movie.

Now I must say that the feature film presentation was TOP NOTCH! One of the trailers was a bit dusty, but once the feature started, we were treated to a BRIGHT, SHARP, and ROCK STEADY image. If it wasn't for the cue marks, I would have never noticed the reel changes. Splices were invisible. I thought it may even be ultrasonic splices, but I've seen tape on every show I've watched at this theater. Maybe they save the "best of the best" for the 35mm Digital Backup?

The ONLY flaw that probably tipped off the audience was a lab splice in one of the latter reels.

As I was leaving, the box office was changed and no longer showed "DLP" as part of the title.

=TMP=

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-09-2004, 12:29 PM:

quote: Thomas Procyk
"Uh oh, they noticed." I said I knew it was film because the picture was brighter and there were no pixels.

Perfect answer, Tom. You should have told him that they needn't apologize for giving you a superior presentation.

quote: Thomas Procyk
The manager explained that for some reason Disney decided at the last minute that there was to be no DLP presentation of King Arthur due to "digital watermarking problems." I shrugged and went back into the movie.

Yah, that might be the official Disney cover story, but I bet this might be a more likely scenario....BV arranges for a press screening or a "launch party" for the top brass in some theatre downtown with DLP and the producers, who are sitting in the audience, are so embarrassed at how crappy it looks that they tell Buena Vista, "no way we want all those millions we spent on this thing to wind up looking like this crap. You've got a lawsuit on you hands if you release it on anything but film."

Yah....that'ed be my take.

BTW, who's idea was it that we need yet another telling of Camelot? Or the Stepford Wives for that matter?

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 07-09-2004, 01:28 PM:

quote: Thomas Procyk
The ONLY flaw that probably tipped off the audience was a lab splice in one of the latter reels.

No, as some of our patrons conclude, that must be the tracking on our VCR or we bumped the DVD player. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 07-09-2004, 06:59 PM:

I wonder if the cost to release in digital, for such a small number of theaters, and the extra delays involved, make it "not worth it".

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 07-09-2004, 11:59 PM:

I'm playing mine just fine.

Posted by Ethan Harper (Member # 472) on 07-11-2004, 02:33 AM:

I watched King Arthur in DLP.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 07-11-2004, 04:24 AM:

All of our digital equipt theatres in San Diego are listed as still playing it in DLP.

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 07-11-2004, 04:36 AM:

We're playing Arthur in our DLP auditorium ... and in DLP, too! At least it's not Day After Tomorrow in DLP anymore!

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 07-11-2004, 11:43 AM:

Hmmm. Then I wonder why the "Disney" theater (read: on Disney property, part of the Disney experience) would not be showing a Disney (touchstone) film in DLP (Disney's Light Projection) [Confused]

Maybe the DLP broke down? Last show I saw there (home on the range) the screen was so dim, the whites looked light-grey. Like they were projecting with a flashlight. Maybe they figured you never had to change the bulb because Digital is perfect -- and when they went to run King Arthur, the bulb didn't strike, so they called the DLP tech.

That's my guess anyway.

=TMP=

Posted by Nicole Halper (Member # 2299) on 07-14-2004, 01:59 PM:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but last I checked DLP stands for Digital Light Processing-- Not Disney's Light Projection

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 07-14-2004, 02:02 PM:

Yes, but Disney releases a lot of product in DLP - twice that of any other studio I believe.

Posted by Nicole Halper (Member # 2299) on 07-14-2004, 02:19 PM:

I understand that- just pointing out the mistake~ [Smile]

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 07-14-2004, 04:12 PM:

More likely, they would opt for referring to it as Disney DLP. You know...like Disney DVD. (What exactly is that, anyway?)

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 07-14-2004, 04:16 PM:

It wasn't a mistake, nitpicker. It was a pun.

=TMP=

Posted by Nicole Halper (Member # 2299) on 07-14-2004, 10:30 PM:

"HAHAHA" - is that better?

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 07-15-2004, 03:05 AM:

let's compromise: "disnal light projection"

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-17-2004, 09:10 AM:

quote: Manny Knowles
More likely, they would opt for referring to it as Disney DLP. You know...like Disney DVD. (What exactly is that, anyway?)

What that is, is....it is created by Disney, it is owned by Disney, it is copywrited by Disney and by Jove, you better not even think of making a copy of it.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 07-17-2004, 09:45 PM:

They used to say "coming soon on video and Disney DVD" and I wondered why it wasn't Disney Video and Disney DVD, which of course it is but lacks the alliteration. But now they say Disney DVD and video. But is it Disney (DVD and video) or (Disney DVD) and video?

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 07-17-2004, 10:42 PM:

I'll bet Disney has a whole department and payroll just to figure that out.

"We can maximize our sales by the strategic utilization of alliteration, but we can't over do it, so the wording has to be just right! What's that you say--product quality instead of cheap marketing tricks? Get out! You're FIRED!!!"

Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 07-18-2004, 12:07 PM:

If nothing else, "Disney DVD" (they also have used "Disney Video Disc") is a wonderful (sic) example of corporate spin, considering how they fought against the very existence of DVD in the beginning. They now make it sound almost as if THEY created it. Very Mickey Mouse. [evil]

Ron Yost

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-18-2004, 03:20 PM:

Hmmm, if my brain serves me correctly, wasn't it the great corporate team of Disney and Universal Pictures that took Sony et al to court to (unbelievable as it sounds now) prevent them from manufacturing VCRs? Their argument being, the only thing a VCR is used for is to steal their copyrighted product. There had not yet been the ruling that recording copyrighted material off TV to make a single copy for home viewing is covered by "fair use."

The common knowledge at the time was that Universal MCA was hot to stop the fledgling VCR market because they had invested heavily in the LaserDisc format and need time to get that technology to reach a profitable mass-market threshold. Disney's motivation was not as clear, except that since the creation of Disney World, their corporate culture is that they actually believe that it is Disney's World....and they own everything in it. [Roll Eyes]