Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: DCP distribution methods

This is topic DCP distribution methods in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Hordur Valgardsson (Member # 5482) on 12-27-2009, 10:50 AM:

Hi all
i am wondering about the different distribution methods of DCP´s

as it is right now we always get the movies on a hard drive and load them into our servers, the trailers and smaller dcp´s are either delivered via usb chip or downloaded from some server.
we also have a smartjog server for wich is really underutilized due to the fact that bandwith costs are extremly high here in fact it is cheaper to have the files sent on physical media than over the internet

i remember hearing about distributing dcp´s via satellite, then only the encrypted DCP would be sent to the cinemas, so i guess security is not an issue.
are any of the majors using this method to distribute theyr movies ?

we have been showing various live events and for that we had to install a satellite dish and that is the case for many cinemas wich means in many situations the satellite dish needed for reception of a DCP via satellite is already installed

i am mostly wondering why this method isn´t more mainstream if it is at all used ?
what is with the constant need for physical media when sending those files wich are encrypted anyways

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-27-2009, 01:08 PM:

quote: Hordur Valgardsson
what is with the constant need for physical media when sending those files wich are encrypted anyways?

The studios are THAT paranoid about their content being pirated, that's why. Perhaps we should sick the "green" people after them. [evil]

Posted by Paul Carey (Member # 2241) on 12-27-2009, 02:13 PM:

There are a couple of trials running in the UK with DCP content being sent via satellite. The satellite receiver has a 500GB internal hard drive that stores the stream until the whole package is downloaded. It will then ftp the contents from the satellite hard drive to the playback server.

Then KDM's can be sent and ingested the same way. Once the distributors are happy, they will be rubbing thier hands all the way to the bank. No print costs and no distribution costs, perhaps other than any VPF deal they have set in place.

Paul.

Posted by David Zylstra (Member # 4230) on 12-27-2009, 02:29 PM:

We receive a lot of our film content via satellite, the rest via hard drive. A lot of our KDMs are sent the same way, but some are received via dial up modem (a few studios think that dial up is the most reliable way to deliver KDMs), USB stick or email.

One issue with satellite is the cost of bandwidth - there is a "critical mass" number of receiving locations to make the procedure profitable for the sender (they are charging approximately the same for digital delivery as what it takes to deliver a 35mm print). There are several other issues like getting the DCP in one complete piece without missing any bits and the time it takes to send (some systems take several hours to send a 2 hour movie - that is why if we do not have the content received via satellite on Monday or Tuesday we will get a hard drive shipped ASAP).

The distributors that I have talked with say they have discovered some hurdles in using satellite transfer - i.e. most off the shelf transmission software is not perfect for transmitting DCPs to multiple locations.

Posted by Geena Phillips (Member # 3726) on 12-28-2009, 07:04 PM:

The main issue is that having a connection fast enough to permit downloading of the films can involve some serious upgrades in network infrastructure. For example, our location is using DSL; having done a couple of FTP transfers for DTS soundtracks, I can tell you there is no way we could get an entire digital print in a timely fashion.

Luckily, our company's system for getting the hard drives out seems to be constantly improving. On the down side, the advent of digital cinema has, for many Indian studios, become carte blanche to get the movies out even later than they had been previously.

Posted by Todd McCracken (Member # 4718) on 12-30-2009, 12:33 PM:

quote:
Once the distributors are happy, they will be rubbing their hands all the way to the bank. No print costs and no distribution costs, perhaps other than any VPF deal they have set in place.

Satellite time is quite expensive, not to mention the infrastructure costs. This is paid entirely by the distributor, with no money coming from the studio's. The advantage is the ability to distribute content quickly. I can send out a film within an couple hours of receiving it. The other advantage is (if said distributor had foresight to install a robust satellite network) Is the ability to use the network for other things, like live broadcast and equipment monitoring. Currently we have the ability to distribute live 2D/3D content to equipped sites in addition to standard dcp delivery.
As David pointed out the software can be a problem, luckily we have an entire software division to provide us with such things as they are not commercially available otherwise. As he also pointed out a certain critical mass of sites is needed to make this technology profitable. The initial outlay to do that is quite expensive, and complicated. There are a couple other company's in the US who have attempted content delivery on less than robust systems to try to alleviate the initial cost with mixed results. This is often done using a direct tv fixed dish type of system. While it is effective for delivering DCP's its not very fast at all (up to 10-12 hours for a single dcp) and your ability to deliver alternate media is limited in bandwidth. Additionally disaster recovery on a system that takes that long to send can be prohibitive resulting in a one shot window with little else but next day deliveries of hard drives being an option.