Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Aint it Cool News Article: The Last Days of Film On Earth... ???

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Posted by Josh Kirkhart (Member # 1046) on 07-08-2006, 04:26 PM:

Aint it Cool Article Link

quote:
The Last Days of Film On Earth... ???
Hey Folks, Harry here... Here in Austin, the Galaxy Highland 10 is becoming 100% Digital as I write. More Digital screens are popping up, AICN's 10th Anniversary Screenings are, in part, a celebration to the bright shiny toy of Digital 3D Projection. For the film geeks of Austin - there's two ways to see the best films in Austin... with the lavish theatrical experience of the Alamo Drafthouse... and the Digital perfection of the Galaxy Highland 10... just 7 blocks from my house - I'm between the two. Today - for example, I'm going to check out Pirates 2 and Superman Returns again - for the Digital Experience. Sharper, clearer images... no lines in the print, no dust or dirt. Full rich digital sound. Digital's day has finally arrived in theaters, and as Digital 3D ramps up - we'll see Silver Screens returning to theaters and films will again glow as they only can from a silver screen. 13,000 screens to become Digital. We're truly in the last days of film. This deal is the joint conversion of AMC, REGAL and CINEMARK theaters in North America. It's coming. Hell, it's here already...

Hey there....

I work in a financial services company, and we have the Bloomberg Channel running all day long, and today they gave the news of 3 major Theater companies that will get a 1 BILLION dollar loan to update their 13.000 screens across the country to digital screening technology!!!

How amazing is that? I can already picture Spielberg, Lucas and Cameron doing "the dance" as they celebrate...

Anyway, just thought you guys would like to know. I think it is just excelent news for us cinema geeks who want the industry to take the leap forward to the next generation (not to mention the motivation this must be for these guys I mentioned before to go ahead with their ubber projects, which they sometimes say they still dont do because of the lack of this technology).

I live in Uruguay by the way, so its not like I will actually enjoy this new tech, but hey, Im happy for you guys over there!

best regards from South America,

Lukasman

Now the thing about Highland 10 going 100% digital won't happen till early next year, and would require removing the existing 35mm projectors (these are 100 seat theatres and I dont see it readily happening until all releases are covered digitally. We have one more theatre left with a seat count of about 160 that could be worth it, bringing us to 60% digital. Right now we are currently 50%.

Right now Highland 10 has 5 dlp projectors, all AccessIt/Christie set ups, and Regal Gateway has one Dolby/Christie. Gateway has a Silver Screen(they were a Chicken Little install) and it has looked dark since install. When running 35mm the screen is dim with the brightness depending on where you are sitting. I am sure Silver screens could look great but this one does not. I assume it is from the lack of a proper throw and the nature of a silver screen. I was updated that Christie techs recalibrated the Color setup and Lamp focus and I will check it out to see if the new settings improve the DLP presentation.

Now the reason I am posting this is that I have heard that Regal was sitting, waiting for the conversion cost to be cheaper, paid for by others and a variety of other things, at the same time testing them in certain areas. If they have decided to start converting this is huge(positive, negative is up to you). Maybe this is a job for the ever ready to research Michael Coate.

Personally, I believe the customer does not notice, or is happy with it. Most are adapted to DVD on thier CRT TV's or even the HDTV Plasmas and since it looks live video they dont notice anything. I have had local Photographers and filmmakers come in to see the presentations and the reactions are largely positive(a lot of these were before our conversion from a beta location to DCi compliant JPEG2000). It surprises me every time. I believe if they spent real time checking out the image, they may not be as happy.

While there are overly compitent people at AccessIt, Technicolor, Deluxe, and Christie, there are a LOT of growing pains. It will be interesting to watch Regal with this as I believe they will set up National Cinemedia to act as AccessIt does, or close to, depending on those exclusive contracts flying around out there.

Like I've said in the past I am not happy with the resolution, and if you are trying to replace film why bother trying to make it look like it, run at 40-69 fps, everyone say it looks more lifelike or such, push the medium. Seems superfluis to me. I am happy with the never changing and steady image, but video is like that. While we strive to have great 35mm presentation, the Cinnemacanicas we currently have do not make image steadiness easy. Give me a strong/century head, and christie lamphouse and watch it soar, but thats another discussion.

I am rambling quite a bit, so off I go.

Posted by Dan Zastrow (Member # 3796) on 07-08-2006, 06:38 PM:

Don’t those two quotes sound a little to canned, like these guys are shilling for DLP, AMC, REGAL and CINEMARK? “The last days of cinema on Earth?” “I work in the finical services industry and I heard that…” Invest now or be left behind!!!

Rather hyperbolic.
[Roll Eyes]

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-10-2006, 10:01 AM:

The latest from Kodak Digital Cinema:

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/about/news/cineExpo206.jhtml

http://www.kodak.com/go/dcinema

quote:
(Amsterdam, June 26, 2006) - Kodak showcased its fully-networked digital cinema solution at Cinema Expo 2006, in Amsterdam. The Kodak demonstrations feature the first public European showings of the complete Digital Cinema Operating Solution (DCOS) with the ability to handle JPEG- and MPEG-compressed movies, as well as trailers and pre-show advertising content.

Kodak Digital Cinema solutions maximize the potential that digital technology offers exhibitors and distributors and demonstrate Kodak's capability to prove "The Network Is the Power." Kodak demonstrations use Barco DP Premiere projectors.

The Kodak DCOS offers the only systems that link all screens in a multiplex with digital pre-show advertising, trailers and features, providing exhibitors a complete solution for the full theatrical presentation, right now. And because they're designed to grow and expand as the capabilities of the technology and business needs of the customers grow, Kodak systems provide exhibitors with solid long-term value.

"Customers are not just buying 'kit', they're choosing a partner," says Brian Kercher, general manager of Kodak Digital Cinema in Europe. "We're providing the option to choose a partner they enjoy working with, they respect, and they can depend on over the long term...

In May, Kodak prepared and distributed Paramount's "Mission: Impossible: III" to 174 digital screens in 125 sites in the US and Canada; it was the largest digital release to date.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-10-2006, 11:50 AM:

quote:
Digital Cinema Operating Solution (DCOS)

Silly question: What "problem" did exhibition have in showing films in their theatres that they needed a "solution"?

You know, maybe I haven't been talking to the right theatre owners, but I never heard an exhibitor say, "Gee, if only there was a way I could operate my theatre so I could get movies on my screens in the order in which I wanted and play them at the time I wanted, I would gladly pay a hundred thousand dollars per screen for such a technology!"

And why-oh-why does EVERY process have to have an acronym; three letter acronyms are bad enuf, DTS, SRD, DMR....4 letters are just beyond the pale.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 07-10-2006, 12:13 PM:

Technically, an Acronym is a word that is formed by the first letter abbreviations. An alphabet soup type abbreviation is not necessarily an acronym. The classic is RADAR in which people actually say it as a word Ray-Dar. Or in our industry a popular one is NATO which people pronounce as Nay-Toe.

While some call DTS "ditz" most call it Dee-Tee-Ess.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-10-2006, 12:48 PM:

Rather than an acronym (or whatever it is), Kodak could go the route the military does and abbreviate the words. They could call it the DigCinOpSys. Catchy eh? [Big Grin]

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 07-10-2006, 12:56 PM:

Now reading buzz that the drive-in craze is on the upswing again. Plus, read in Boxoffice magazine that now DigCinema is being tried out at these ozoner locations.

Can you imagine excellent presentations on the big screens at drive-ins?

-Monte

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-10-2006, 01:04 PM:

I don't write press releases. [Wink]

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-10-2006, 05:32 PM:

Anyone who says "ditz" when referring to DTS needs to be physically assaulted.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 07-10-2006, 06:43 PM:

quote: Steve Guttag
The classic is RADAR in which people actually say it as a word Ray-Dar.

Another 'classic' that many don't know is an acronym is LASER: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

-Aaron

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 07-10-2006, 07:29 PM:

quote: Joe Redifer
Anyone who says "ditz" when referring to DTS needs to be physically assaulted.

Thats a most appropriate nick-name for them in my opinion.

Mark

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 07-10-2006, 08:44 PM:

Regal, Cinemark May Raise $1 Bln for Digital Film, People Say
July 7 (Bloomberg) -- Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Entertainment Inc. and Cinemark USA Inc. may borrow $1 billion to transform 13,000 U.S. theater screens to digital film from reel- to-reel, according to people involved in raising the money.

National CineMedia LLC, a joint venture of the theater chains, hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to help raise money from hedge funds and private-equity firms, said the people, who asked not to be named because the fundraising is confidential. The chains, the three largest in the U.S., plan to repay the debt over about seven years using fees charged to Hollywood studios for showcasing the films, the people said.

The financing would fund the expansion of digital technology to one-third of all U.S. screens. Theater owners plan to spend about $75,000 per screen to rip out film projectors and replace them with digital systems that promise higher-quality pictures and lower costs, and faster delivery of films over cable or satellite connections.

``Both the theater owners and the studios are interested in digital cinema becoming the standard but it's always been a matter of cost and financing,'' said Brian Mulligan, former co- chairman of Universal Pictures who now runs media-investment firm Brooknol Advisors LLC. ``If the financing comes to fruition, it's a big step in the right direction.''

JPMorgan spokesman Adam Castellani and National CineMedia spokeswoman Lauren Leff declined to comment.

National CineMedia, based in Centennial, Colorado, hasn't yet raised any money, the people said. Another obstacle is agreement with the studios on a formula to share capital costs.

Digital Transition

Shares of Knoxville, Tennessee-based Regal Entertainment fell 53 cents to $19.86 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They have gained 4.4 percent this year.

Cinemark, based in Plano, Texas, is closely held. Kansas City, Missouri-based AMC was formed in January when AMC bought Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp. JPMorgan Partners LLC, Apollo Management LP, Bain Capital, Carlyle Group and Spectrum Equity Investors are shareholders of AMC.

AMC Entertainment spokeswoman Melanie Bell, Regal spokesman Russ Nunley and Cinemark Chief Financial Officer Robert Copple declined to comment.

The theaters and studios such as Time Warner Inc. and Walt Disney Co., the two biggest U.S. media companies, are moving closer to adopting the technology. Making the transition will save money on film print-making, reduce theft and illicit copying and improve picture quality, Mulligan said.

``If the theater owners can get the financing in place, it would be very significant because digital cinema is the next step in the evolution of the theater experience,'' he said. ``There are benefits to both parties and the consumer is the ultimate winner.''

Standards Agreement

Carmike Cinemas Inc. of Columbus, Georgia, last year said it would take almost two years beginning in January to install 2,300 digital projection systems in the U.S.

Digital Cinema Initiatives LLC, a group of Hollywood studios that includes New York-based Time Warner's Warner Bros., News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox and Disney, agreed last year on standards that make it easier for theaters to show movies from digital media.

In September, Burbank, California-based Disney agreed to release films using a digital format compatible with Access Integrated Technologies Inc.'s projection systems for theaters.

That agreement was followed by deals between Morristown, New Jersey-based Access Integrated and Fox, General Electric Co.'s Universal Pictures and Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Bloomberg news

I love how they make it sound like they already have the money as stated in the ain't it cool news. As of the above articals date no money has been aquired and no one is comenting about anything. Things are happening but it is still going to take a lot of time to convert all 13,000 screens when the money and the business plan has been stamped out and finalized. I do know that all Cinemark new builds feature an extra port window for the digital future as are our screens at the new location here in my area. There is no intention of removing the 35mm equipment since they have there own port.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 07-11-2006, 04:21 AM:

SCUBA: Self-Contained Underwater Bubbling Agitator.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-11-2006, 04:24 AM:

quote: Darryl Spicer
Regal, Cinemark MAY Raise $1 Bln for Digital Film, People Say

Yah, and then they may not....hehe.

Oh, and sorrr--reeey, me thinks there's no such thing as "Digital Film." Although, I am not so sure about digital [bs]

Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 07-11-2006, 05:02 AM:

quote:
Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Entertainment Inc. and Cinemark USA Inc. may borrow $1 billion to transform 13,000 U.S. theater screens to digital film from reel- to-reel,

Regal runs 13,000 ree-to-reel (as in changeover) sites? I don't consider platter houses to be reel-to-reel, but maybe I'm wrong...

quote:
SCUBA: Self-Contained Underwater Bubbling Agitator.

Umm, No. Scuba stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Wikipedia

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 07-11-2006, 12:25 PM:

DTS stands for Do They Ship?

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 07-11-2006, 12:37 PM:

Acronyms? How about BUDWEISER?

Becuase U Deserve What Every Individual Should Enjoy Regularly.
[beer]

quote: News Article
Theater owners plan to spend about $75,000 per screen to rip out film projectors and replace them with digital systems that promise higher-quality pictures and lower costs, and faster delivery of films over cable or satellite connections.

More of the "digital is better than film" spin. I'll agree it's more flexible and convenient, as well as costing less to distribute. But it doesn't beat film on image quality -at least not film done right.

Posted by Tommie Evans (Member # 2674) on 07-15-2006, 07:06 PM:

What about Assume ass-u-me

Assumption will make an 'ass' of 'u' and me. [Big Grin]

I agree digital cannot rival 'film-done-right'

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 07-15-2006, 09:04 PM:

I dont know if anything on AICN can be taken seriously, especially after Harry's review of Blade 2... oy.