Another digital cinema delivery-by-internet outfit in Canada

[Frank Cox]

I have Cinesend, which then sold itself to Deluxe (or merged, or or something).

Now I just got an invitation to sign up for Movie Transit, which appears to be another outfit doing pretty much the same thing.

https://uniquex.com/movietransit-digital-cinema-package/

[Gordon McLeod]

It works very well we installed it in all our theatres as well as the cinesend

[James Gardiner]

I have written a lot about this topic.
All I can say is. "Selling Fax Machines in the era of Email" appears to be a compelling product at the moment.

With high-speed internet everywhere, and even Starlink an option anywhere. The barrier to entry for delivering a DCP to a cinema is nearly non-existent.
The only real barrier is getting a cinema to embrace new technology.

Exhibitors may fight to adopt new technology unless it's forced upon them, but I still believe it will always revert to the mean. (i.e. the best and most affordable path).

For example, for a very long time Comscore ACE-TMS, can be set up to monitor remote FTP endpoints, adding the existence of any CPL found to its database of available content. And then if you schedule that CPL, will automatically download it into its local storage for transfer to screen players.

The idea of generic content distribution over existing technologies has been around for ages. Small distributors and self-distribution should be taking advantage of this, and cinema owners should be embracing it as it enhances the culture of cinema and specifically independent content where our next iconic producers learn.

An example of the distortion in this market. In the U.S. from my understanding, a digital delivery from major content distributors is $25 for the cinema, and est. $25 also for the distributors. About $50 per delivery. This ads up quickly and is not an insignificant amount. In Australia, the exhibitor does not pay anything and typically also gets a free high-speed internet connection on top.
Why is the model so different between both countries? "What's a scam".

In Australia, content delivery, or controlling the pipe of content delivery is seen as a way to hold power over the exhibitors. The free link is there to lock out other players. Obviously, this is a bad path to take. If an entity goes out of its way to implement a gatekeeper business model, I expect they plan to make $$$ from it.

The other major pain is that I service cinemas on the IT side a lot as I have a deeper understanding of Cinema tech, (Considering I wrote my own TMS and the free cinema-catcher-app) and I see cinemas with a TMS and commonly 3 different small/cheap computers (all none fault-tolerant, on all the time, sucking power) lined up on the ground (Literally) behind them, acting as these delivery systems, all with there own high-speed internet link. Can you imagine how much it cost for a cinema to have 4 high-speed links per month, over a single top-speed link) It is beyond crazy. Left with weak oversight and local independent cinema representation, (Our version of NATO is a joke), you will see crazy distortions like this.

Distortions that in this compressed market only make it harder to stay viable. Especially for small 1-2 screen locations.

(You can probably tell I get extremely annoyed about this obvious abuse of proper business/power and how its costing the cinema owner a lot more $$$ in this time where every dollar counts.)

[Carsten Kurz]

MovieTransit is not a new system. It may be new in your area. I think it was available in some european countries since 2012 or so. I think Unique started it in Norway. Not sure why it never quite took off here as others did later. It is now available in Germany as well. They will pay for the internet connection and hardware. They even promise an upfront bonus of 300€ to cover future electricity cost. That is, of course, because two other systems are already common here which offer similar benefits for the exhibitor. But I don't know wether we want to employ a third system...

[Harold Hallikainen]

I still don't see why each distribution system is supplying separate hardware, Internet connection, etc. File transfer is not magic. Existing content distribution networks can get the content closer to the end user. It really seems like the transfer software (FTP, HTTP, or whatever) could be in the TMS or even the server itself.

[Jon Dent]

An example of the distortion in this market. In the U.S. from my understanding, a digital delivery from major content distributors is $25 for the cinema, and est. $25 also for the distributors. About $50 per delivery.

We pay $25 total per digital download and $40 in the rare case that we get a hard drive which, thanks to Sony finally seeing the light, hasn't happened in a while. Digital is much more cost effective for the theater, and more convenient for me because I can do all my ingesting and playlist creation remotely from my home during my regular day job.

[James Gardiner]

We pay $25 total per digital download and $40 in the rare case that we get a hard drive which, thanks to Sony finally seeing the light, hasn't happened in a while. Digital is much more cost effective for the theater, and more convenient for me because I can do all my ingesting and playlist creation remotely from my home during my regular day job.

Your paying $25, but the distributor is also paying something as well. I heard the total was about $50usd per delivery.

In regions like Australia, the exhibitor pays nothing, plus gets a hi-speed internet connection, meaning, the distributor is paying the full amount plus extra to deal with the costs of the high-speed internet connection.

I think it makes complete sense to charge the exhibitor and distributor a fee as they both gain a benefit. Taking over this model and distorting it into a gate keeper type model, at far greater costs. This does not happen without a reason. And as always, follow the money. Follow the power.

[Leo Enticknap]

I still don't see why each distribution system is supplying separate hardware

To deter exhibitors from using multiple rival offerings. These things are basically a glorified PC with a big hard drive and two or three NICs. You could set up an actual PC with Filezilla, Aspera, and any other software apps needed to download from a remote server on it, and use the same machine to obtain DCPs from multiple services. But the operators of each service don't want you using any others, because they want the transport fees for each DCP. So they provide a locked down box that only works with theirs. If you want to use others, you need a rack full of these units.

[Frank Cox]

Everyone needs a whole stack of these boxes in their projection room eating power around the clock and adding another heat source.

However, from my point of view running these boxes is still cheaper than paying couriers and not having to wait around for someone to show up with my movie is worth something too.

[Carsten Kurz]

The trouble for us is - we already get all content using the two systems we already have. So, why should we or others bother to install a third system, even if it is free. Only to cash in the upfront bonus?

[James Gardiner]

I will bring up how, a while back I indicated that exhibitors/integrators need to become more experienced with virtualisation. And that the future is, a server like a TMS now, with a little extra ram.. But running all instances, TMS, POS, Deluxe, Deliver2, Deliver3, on top of one good server running a VM hypervisor and a virtual instance for each system.

However, many disagreed with me. I am wondering if that opinion is changing.

It's interesting how a cinema chain recently upgraded all its POS systems hardware. And the suggested path by a generic IT support was a single server, running a hypervisor and one virtual machine that the POS system was then installed onto.. specifically due to the ease of recovery and backup possibilities. They don't intend to run any more than one virtual machine on the server. But you could..

The big issue with TMS is direct attachment to CRU drive devices, but then again, PCIe/USB passthrough is typically a few buttons click on a modern hypervisor.

You can also set up virtualized networks to allow all these devices to talk securely. (No hardware required, no physical wires)

But yes, its a totally new level of infrastructure to learn and manage.

[Frank Cox]

Cinesend was free. Then after Deluxe took them over they started to charge per feature.

Now Movie Transit has been offered as "free".

I prefer free over paying per feature and hope more stuff will be distributed through them than through Deluxe in the future for just that reason.

Either way it's still cheaper than courier.

[Dave Macaulay]

I don't have a dog in the race but I am familiar with these.
Cinesend is a decent system but does have one issue. There isn't a way I know of to delete content off the server/receiver and when it has a lot of CPLs the content scan takes so long many users assume it's dead. I think calling support and have them clean out old content works but this is a common issue: you want to see if something is in there but it scans for 10 minutes with nothing showing.
The recent takeover by Deluxe may be a factor in the small problems communicating with them.
MovieTransit is new in Canada and is doing OK. I'm not sure how the content split between them and Deluxe is going but they have delivered some features. It's from UniqueX and their address is showing as Manchester UK. They are a pretty big outfit, also have the Rosetta Bridge TMS/LMS system that we're installing a lot to replace GDC and Dolby/Doremi systems. Support has been good when I've had issues with an installation. They do provide a broadband line, fibre if available, cable, or two DSL lines. The only problem I've had were due to the broadband supplier or the cabling contractor (maybe the site? Who installs a new CAT6 from the new modem to the TMS rack and doesn't plug it in?). They also supply a firewall appliance, I don't really know what that does but it's a little white box that connects between the modem and their 1RU (Supermicro so far) server. Many have new Bell modems that are also wifi routers, the wifi is usable on site with the password on the modem label... helpful for verifying connectivity.
Much like Cinesend we have no configuration to do on an install, they arrange the internet service and preconfigure the system so the server and firewall are all set up for the site (ie the IP addressing is all done). We install it, hook it up, and call support. They then check that it's "calling home", send some random trailer, and I conform it can be ingested. Bye.
Possibly the MovieTransit server will fill up and cause the same scan problem - they are still quite new in use here.

Many sites have Cinesend, MovieTransit, and Metamedia (that's just for streamed content?).
I don't run a cinema, just install and service them. I haven't heard complaints about any on cost or service (just for that slow scan thing). And cinema owners love to complain at length about anything and everything when I'm at their place.

[Frank Cox]

I've never had a problem with slow scanning of new content on the Cinesend device. There for a while it took forever to start ingesting anything, on the order of two or three minutes between selecting the content and clicking "ingest" and having something actually happen after that, but that was only for a month or two and then it magically started ingesting again within about five seconds of clicking the button.

Talk about slow scanning? The Deluxe Trail Mix hard drive. That thing always took forever-and-a-day between selecting the drive and having any content show up.

[James Gardiner]

This is nuts. So in Canada they are tie-ing cinemas up with installing links for them too??

Its like distributors are putting in phone lines so if you want to call them, you have to use the dedicated phone line and not your "Call anyone" phone line. How can that sound resonable?

I must admit, talking to some exhibitors, they are totally ignorant to the side effect of these companies trying to gatekeeper this market and are happy to do anything if it comes with a FREE sticker. But like anything FREE, it comes with strings attached, Like on the internet things are free as the service entity is usually selling your data. i.e. it still indirectly cost you something,

I always believe that the market will eventually default to the mean. Being, the exhibitor pays nothing for a delivery, but then again, the distributor uses a path that is also as cheap as possible for them.

They will naturally select the most cost effective path over time as the industry learns how to use the tools. Like how we moved away from FAX machines.

A distributor could setup a FTP server and dump an encrypted DCP on it and simply give out the login. There is a question of bandwidth capabilities, but for smaller distributors, its not a problem. And in general, it would be more like $5-7 per delivery compared to $50-70 for the distributor, and $0 for the cinema utilising the already installed front of house high speed internet link.

This common sense cost saving will slowly seep into sections of the industry, mostly indy or any non-major content for delivery.

The majors will utilise the bigger delivery agents as it comes with more then just delivery in the services offered.

But, ultimately, the cinemas need to utilise methods that uplift competition, otherwise, they will pay (dearly).