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Asia's premier publication on cinema theatre and multiplex technology
Citation preview
contentsTWTheatreWorld
MMindshareTW ED ITOR IAL
Sandeep MittalEditor / Publisher
DIGITAL 3D IN ASIA – NOW HERE!
CIN
EMA
SY
ST
EMS
entertainworld
F U T U R ER E L E S E SA
This issue of TW has two sets of page numbers - International
pages TW-1 to TW-64 for TW, and India pages TM-1 to
TM-36 for TM. TM is inserted between pages TW-50 and
TW-51 of TW.
TW-8
TW-17
Making A Majestic Glow
TW-34
Review - ShowEastPreview - CineAsiaPreview - Cinema Today
TW-41
TW-51
TW-56
Products...Check Them Out!
TECHNOLOGY
It's 3D 'Film,' Again!
Selling Movie Tickets Like Airlines
Look: Designer Eyewear in 3D!
TW-26
TW-22
TW-29TW-31
CINEMA SYSTEMS
Extra Large Audio for XL Cinema
Projection Series - XXVII
Keeping within the law
TW-36
TW-38
TW-48
Digital 3d has already been in Asia for some time now sothe headline may seem redundant. But it is necessary toassess the advent of a new technologyplatform not from the industry buzz attailored or hyped media events but fromthe buzz on the street. Glancing atmainstream newspapers in India one cansee not just advertisements frommultiplex circuits but articles fromjournalists on what digital 3d as a theatrical experienceis all about.
In a country and by extension in the developing regionsof Asia where d-cinema of the 2k and 4k variety is yet tobe adopted in numbers that would constitute critical massthe initial signs of a digital 3d rollout augurs well forleapfrogging the technology divide. The penetration of d-cinema and e-cinema in India is less than ten per centand this too after a decade of struggle! Digital 3d shouldadd to the momentum such that the next ten per centshould take just three years, which would have otherwisetaken five.
In this respect JamesCameroon’s ‘Avatar’ can be a game changer. His earlier
‘Titanic’ helped increase Hollywood’spie in the Asian exhibition cakereinforcing the viewpoint that greatsoftware can propel technologyadoption. If ‘Avatar’ and the slew offorthcoming Hollywood releases, andas importantly, local releases in
regional languages, can crest the buzz such that the digitaldivide is won forever. What was dreamt in industry meetssince 2000 would finally come true, albeit ten year later!
If destination cinema is ahead can home entertainment befar behind? Television kept pace by releasing 21:9 formatsand is now working hard on 3d which should debut soon.Over to cinema to take us to the next frontier … 6d?
Value - INR 150 (US$ 15)
TEAM SANDY(in alphabetical order)
Bhavanashi Ramakrishna
Bobby Chetia
Mohanraj P
Raghavendra T
Yashodhara S
Issue # 44 / January-March 2010
PrintingRamya Reprographic, Bengaluru
TWTheatreWorld
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfulcommitted people can change the world.Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Theatre World is a quarterly publication, on the motion picture exhibition industry,for private circulation. It reaches out to subscribers, mainly theatre owners and tradeprofessionals in India, also subscribers in select Asian cities. Additional copies arebeing promoted at major international industry events. Theatre World seeks thehealthy promotion of the theatre industry through dissemination of usefulinformation. Some of the information is compiled from industry sources, tradejournals, company brochures for the benefit of readers, especially, theatre owners.Theatre World acknowledges with thanks the authors and publishers of these printedmaterials. Views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarilyof Theatre World. Theatre World is a trademark under registration. The contents ofTheatre World are under copyright registration. All rights reserved. Reproductionby any means in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Unsolicitedprinted material is welcome but no responsibility is undertaken for the same andwill not be returned. Theatre World does not take responsibility for the absoluteaccuracy of information published.
Layout & Graphic DesignRaghavendra T
It’s been eleven years now since TW (TheatreWorld), began showcasingthe Show Business in its own inimitable style. Evidently, it’s been akaleidoscope of the global motion picture exhibition industry, as well as aneffective interactive platform between the industry and the wide spectrumof professionals associated with it: architects, acousticians, interiordesigners, technocrats of sound and projection, ticketing, concessionsconsultants, and, of course, the cinema builders! Due to the kind of contentit has been churning out issue after issue, there had been a persistentdemand from discerning readers that the magazine should have a letterscolumn through which they could express their views and share information.Admittedly, we did not realise that our effort would be valued so high, whichwas why we did not contemplate having a letters column so far. It’s been afulfilling factor too for us. On completion of a decade of striving existence,we are pleased to commence a Cinemascope column under which ourdiscerning readers can share their views. We invite all our readers to sendtheir opinions as well as suggestions relating to the industry and our effortin making it better. It may kindly be noted that for convenience of lucidity,the letters may be edited suitably, and Cinemascope retains the right toaccept or reject any letter depending on the merit of the subject discussed.So, please do send in your views to Cinemascope.
Mail your feedback to [email protected]
CINEMASCOPE
CONTACT DETAILS
RNI # KARENG02795/10/1/2002-TC
POSTAL ADDRESS231, 7th Cross, Indiranagar 1st Stage,
Bengaluru 560 038, India
COMMUNICATIONSPhone +9180 2521 5107 / 2527 2812 Fax +9180 2520 5094
EDITORIALBhavanashi Ramakrishna (Ram)
[email protected] Mobile +9198 4587 2794
ADVERTISINGBobby Chetia
[email protected] Mobile +9198 9250 4871
CIRCULATIONYashodhara [email protected]
Published by Sandeep Mittalon behalf of
Sandy Media231, 7th Cross,
Indiranagar 1st Stage,Bengaluru 560 038, IndiaPhone +9180 2527 2812
Fax +9180 2521 [email protected] www.sandy.in
Regional Offices51 Regency Chambers,
National Library Road, Bandra (W),Mumbai 400 050
Phone +9122 2643 9732Telefax +9122 2640 5023
67 Masjid Road, Jungpura Bhogal,New Delhi 110 014.
Phone +9111 2437 8061Telefax +9111 2437 4848
B5, 2nd Floor, Gems Court,14 Khader Nawaz Khan Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 006Phone +9144 2833 0906Telefax +9144 2833 0907
Contributing WritersJ. Sperling Reich
January-March 2010TW-6
Guangzhou Jinyi: Leading Chinese CinemaEstablished in 2004, Jinyi owns a total
of 19 multiplexes with an aggregate
of 150 screens in Guangzhou, Beijing,
Tianjin, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Wuhan,
Suzhou, Shenzhen and Chongqing.
This screen count is outside the number
of other affiliated cinemas, which makes
the company as the country's largest
exhibitor. The company has a backlog of
over 20 cinemas contracted (not
including affiliated cinemas), which are
located in Shanghai, Shenyang, Jinan,
Nanjing, Hangzhou and Xi'an. Jinyi's
strategy is to develop the cinema
business throughout China.
IMAX is making a big pitch for its big picture in Asia. Continuing the dynamic strides it
had been making for few years now, particularly in China, the large format movie major
has not only signed major theatre deals but also broke new grounds of moviemaking,
enabling the Chinese movies look 'larger' than ever.
IMAX Makes Another Big Pitch in Asia
IMAX Corporation, and Guangzhou
Jinyi Film & Television Group, Co. Ltd.,
a leading entertainment developer
and exhibitor in China, announced an
agreement to open four IMAX theatres
in China. The first three installations
are scheduled to be completed during
the second half of 2011 in the cities of
Chongqing, Tianjin and Shenyang.
The fourth installation is scheduled for
2012 in a yet-to-be determined
location. Each IMAX theatre will be
part of a newly constructed multiplex,
and each will utilize IMAX's digital
projection technology.
There are currently 81 IMAX theatres
scheduled to be operating in Asia by
2014, including over 40 scheduled to
be open in China by 2012. To date,
IMAX has signed contracts for over 220
IMAX digital projection systems
worldwide, with more than 100
currently in operation.
"Including IMAX theatres in these new
locations will provide our customers
with the most immersive premium
moviegoing experience on the planet,
which is becoming increasingly
important as the technologies in regular
movie theatres and in the home
continue to improve," said Shirely Ye,
General Manager, Guangzhou Jinyi Film
and Television Investment Group, Co.
Ltd. "With mainstream Chinese movies
now being added to IMAX's usual slate
of Hollywood blockbusters, the decision
to enter the IMAX business was easy to
make. We're very excited to enter the
IMAX business during such a pivotal
time."
"We believe our network growth in
Asia is gaining momentum thanks to
the appeal of our new digital
projection system and our expanded
film programming for the region,"
said IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond.
"Entering into partnerships with well-
known, experienced entertainment
companies such as Guangzhou Jinyi
Film & Television Group, helps us
expand our audience base, strengthen
the IMAX brand and drive interest
from other exhibitors in Asia who
want to remain competitive in the
market."
"China is the fastest growing
exhibition market in the world, and
Guangzhou Jinyi Film & Television
Group's experience in the exhibition
business with both Hollywood movies
and mainstream Chinese films makes
them an ideal partner as we continue
to build our presence in the region,"
added Don Savant, IMAX's Senior
Vice-President and Managing Director,
Asia Pacific.
The four-theatre deal is the second
multi-theatre announcement between
IMAX and a Greater China area
exhibition company in three months,
following the June agreement
between IMAX and Chinese film studio
Huayi Bros. to release mainstream
Chinese films to IMAX theatres in
China and other parts of Asia.
IMAX, Huayi Bros. into ChineseEvent Movies: IMAX and Huayi Bros.
Media Corporation Ltd., China's
January-March 2010TW-8
Huayi Bros. of ChinaHuayi was established by brothers
Wang Zhongjun (Dennis Wang)
and Wang Zhonglei (James Wang)
in 1994. The Wang brothers hold a
combined stake in Huayi of over 50
percent. Other major investors
include Tom Group Ltd., Focus
Media Holding Ltd., and Yahoo
China.
The company has solely or jointly
produced over 50 movies since
1998, including award-winning A
World Without Thieves (2005),
starring Hong Kong actor Andy
Lau. The movie raked in USD$13.8
million from Chinese box office. It was
followed by The Banquet (2006) - by
the famous Chinese director Feng
Xiaogang - which accumulated
USD$17.6 million at the Chinese box
office and Assembly (2007) by the
same director, netting USD$38.2
million in China BO. The company's
last movie If You are the One (2008)
earned USD$43.8 million from Chinese
BO alone. Huayi has also worked with
Sony Pictures in the past to jointly
invest in or produce Chinese movies,
some of which target overseas
audience markets. Due to the rapid
growth of new cinemas in China,
Huayi has significantly grown its
China BO and has made a name for
itself internationally as a producer
of quality foreign movies.
Huayi also runs a variety of other
businesses including music recording
and agent services for artists. Huayi
has begun to build a theatre
network in China with plans for 150
to 200 screens within five years.
largest privately owned media group,
have entered into a deal to release up
to three movies, beginning with the
release of the highly-anticipated
upcoming Chinese film Aftershock to
IMAX Theatres in China, other parts of
Asia and key North American markets
in July 2010. Directed by renowned
director, Feng Xiaogang, Aftershock
will be the first mainstream Chinese
movie and the first mainstream
commercial movie outside the US to
be digitally re-mastered into the
unparalleled image and sound quality
of IMAX's format.
The multi-picture agreement between
IMAX and Huayi Bros. Media will
capitalize on the growing size and
scope of the IMAX theatre presence in
China and throughout Asia. In
addition, the agreement will allow
both companies to bring outstanding
Chinese movies, enjoyed by millions of
Chinese audiences including those
outside China, to mainstream global
audiences in a new immersive way.
IMAX anticipates that Aftershock will
play in 25-30 IMAX theatres in Greater
China and other parts of Asia when it
opens next summer.
"It's our great honor to be working
with Huayi Brothers, China's
undisputed leader in the movie
industry and acclaimed director Feng
Xiaogang. This new arrangement
enables the IMAX theatre network to
expand beyond its role as a key
distribution platform for Hollywood
blockbusters and introduce a global
audience to major movie studios
outside of North America through
IMAX's immersive format," said Imax
chief Gelfond. "Our growing presence
and new investments in China not
only underscore our commitment to
building the IMAX brand, but also
demonstrate our support of the
Chinese film industry."
Huayi Brothers Group Ltd. is one of
China's largest film studios. Described
as 'China's Warner Bros of tomorrow,'
because of its potential in the
booming market, Huayi holds about a
30-40 percent market share in
domestic movie production (top 20
movies) and 30 percent in movie
distribution.
"Working with IMAX to present
China's most talked about and
anticipated 2010 Chinese movie
Aftershock in IMAX's format is not just
a significant development for Huayi
on the international film stage, it is
also a milestone step for the
mainstream Chinese film industry,"
added Dennis Wang, Chairman and
CEO, Huayi Bros. Media. "The
globally-recognized IMAX brand has
become synonymous with
Hollywood's biggest movie events,
and we strongly believe that cache will
escalate the visibility of Chinese films
on the world's stage. Working with
IMAX will give us a competitive
advantage in the marketing and
distribution of Aftershock and future
Chinese films."
Echoing strong confidence in this new
partnership is Tong Gang, Director-
General of the State Administration of
Radio, Film and Television's (SARFT)
Motion Picture Bureau. "This
agreement between two industry
leaders today further demonstrates the
recognition of Chinese films by the
international film industry, which is
already winning some of the most
prestigious awards in film festivals
around the world. I firmly believe that
films are one of the best ways to
showcase our Chinese culture, and I
am excited that this partnership will
expose cinema-goers all over the
world to more and more of the best
Chinese movies, and in the process,
help bridge China's geographical and
cultural divide with the world."
Aftershock will be released in China on
July 28, 2010 and, as with all of
Director Feng Xiaogang's movies, it is
anticipated to be among the biggest
blockbusters of the year. The movie
centers on the life-changing moments
and psychological dimensions of a
seven year-old girl who survived the
1976 Tangshan earthquake, which
killed over 200,000 people.
"IMAX is a well-respected international
brand that represents an advanced
immersive movie experience, coupled
with unparalleled image and sound
quality," added Director Feng
Xiaogang. "It will be the ideal
theatrical format to present the
devastation of the Tangshan
earthquake and the Chinese people's
resistance and camaraderie in times of
adversity that is depicted in my latest
movie."
January-March 2010TW-10
'Digital 14000': TI's Latest Milestone
Texas Instruments' DLP Cinema
announced reaching the milestone of
over 14,000 global theatre installations
with over half of them being powered
by DLP Cinema 3D projection
technology. As the growing
availability of digital 3D movies
continues to serve as a catalyst for the
adoption of digital cinema
installations, with multiple 3D releases
coming to theatres at the same time,
demand among exhibitors for 3D
installations is only likely to increase,
claims the company. Hailing 3D as one
of the most important technical
innovations since the advent of colour
to the movie exhibition medium, the
D-Cinema major hopes to see more
and more deployments in the coming
months as the market begins to open
up from the recession.
This winter, DLP Cinema honours its
heritage of providing the ultimate
viewing experience with DLP Cinema
projection solutions enabling theatres
to showcase the highly anticipated
motion picture epic Avatar, from
Twentieth Century Fox, and Titanic
creator James Cameron.
"DLP's cutting edge technology will
play an important role in bringing
Avatar to life for moviegoers around
the world," said Bruce Snyder, Fox's
president of domestic distribution.
"The much-anticipated release of
'Avatar' will continue to bring
attention to the contributions DLP
Cinema has provided to the industry."
During the filming of Avatar, DLP
projectors were used for real time
viewing of the footage being shot.
Additionally, Cameron and his
production company, Lightstorm
Entertainment, used DLP Cinema
projectors during the post-production
to provide superior contrast ratios,
colour calibration and sharp 3D
imagery. DLP technology will be
counted on again when Avatar movie
premieres in December 2009; it will be
shown on DLP Cinema projectors in
movie theatres worldwide.
"Eight years ago Lightstorm and DLP
Cinema started working together to
QubeMasterXpress ChosenBy AMC
Qube Cinema announced that AMC
Entertainment Inc. (AMC), a leading
theatrical exhibition and entertainment
company, has chosen the QubeMaster
Xpress (QMX) to encode content for
system tests and pre-show spots at
several locations in Canada.
After extensive and rigorous testing of
the QubeMaster Xpress, Dan Huerta,
Vice-President of Technology & Systems
at AMC said, "AMC gets a lot of
content that is not in a Digital Cinema
Package (DCP) format. We needed an
easy to use tool that would get that
content encoded into a JPEG2000 DCP
so we could play them on any of our
Digital Cinema screens. QubeMaster
Xpress surpassed our expectations with
its simple and intuitive user interface."
Built on the platform of the world
leading QubeMaster Pro, QMX is an
encoding and packaging system
aimed at theatres that need to encode
short, non-feature content like
advertising, alternative content and
pre-show clips. Its 3-step User Interface
is designed to be used by anyone and
requires no special digital cinema
knowledge whatsoever. The system
can quickly convert AVI, Quicktime,
Flash and still images into high quality,
standards compliant Digital Cinema
Packages (DCPs) that are compatible
with any digital cinema server.
"We are very proud to have AMC as a
QubeMaster Xpress customer. AMC's
adoption of QubeMaster Xpress
demonstrates that it has a place in
every Digital Cinema environment.
QubeMaster Xpress enables any
exhibitor, large or small, to encode
and manage most any content." said
Rajesh Ramachandran, President and
CTO of Qube Cinema Inc.
bring 3D imagery to life," said,
Geoffrey Burdick, vice-president for
production service and technology for
Lightstorm Entertainment. "Thanks to
this collaboration, audiences can now
experience in the theatres 3D like they
never have before."
Exhibition houses utilizing projectors
from DLP Cinema's three OEM
licensees (Barco, Christie Digital and
NEC) provide the capability to light up
theatre screens as big as 100 feet and
3D screens as big as 75 feet, which has
typically been a challenge for
competing technologies. Furthermore,
that DLP Cinema recently announced
plans to incorporate enhanced 4K
technology as an extension of the
next generation electronics platform
for DLP Cinema projectors which
integrates multiple 3D platforms for
live 3D broadcasting, the digital
entertainment is only expected to
scale new highs.
"This year, DLP Cinema celebrated its
fifth anniversary of enabling 3D
through the use of the DLP Chip," said
Nancy Fares, business manager for DLP
Cinema, Texas Instruments. "DLP
Cinema continues to be the industry
standard for digital image quality and
we remain committed to supporting
the motion picture industry to bring
onscreen stories to life through
immersive experiences."
Today there are more than 7,000
worldwide screens that offer digital 3D
with the use of every pixel array in the
frame for the brightest picture unlike
other technologies. Since last year's
introduction, IMAX digital projection
systems powered by DLP Cinema
projectors have reached a total of 88
locations worldwide.
January-March 2010TW-12
Barco, Cine Columbia Strengthen Pact
Cine Colombia S.A., Colombia's largest
exhibitor, and Barco, Latin America's
largest digital cinema distributor, are
strengthening their partnership with
an agreement that includes Barco DP-
1500 projectors and ACS-2048 multi-
format switchers.
Barco will supply 20 Barco DP-1500
digital projection systems to multiple
theatre sites throughout Colombia.
Each projector will be 2D/3D capable,
and each will be configured with
Barco's ACS-2048 'alternate content'
switcher.
As a progressive exhibitor with over
200 screens in operation across
Colombia, Cine Colombia is not new
to the digital cinema domain - nor are
they new to Barco. Throughout the
remainder of 2009, the first new Barco
deployments will be placed in Cine
Colombia sites in the major
population centers of Bogota, Cali and
Medellin. Starting in 2010, Cine
Colombia will deploy additional Barco
projection systems in the country's
secondary markets of Cartagena,
Barranquilla, Pereira, Armenia and
Manizales.
The digital cinema package selected
by Cine Colombia is ideal for the
market. The DP-1500 is purpose-built
for screens up to 15m (49') wide, and
offers Barco quality and reliability in
an affordable and compact package.
The ACS-2048 is the perfect peripheral
for all Barco digital cinema installs.
This eight input 'universal' switcher
enables exhibitors to scale both
analog and digital inputs up to the
full digital cinema format. In this way,
Cine Colombia can expand each
theatre's revenue stream, as a versatile
presentation facility for events,
businesses, meetings and more.
"Our mandate is quality and
excellence, and Barco provides exactly
what we are looking for," said Munir
Falah, President and CEO of Cine
Colombia. "Because of their product
performance, reliability and value,
we're advancing our partnership with
Barco. We have worked with other
manufacturers, and we choose
carefully. Barco's reputation of
excellence is well-earned."
"We're honored again to be working
closely with Colombia's largest
exhibitor, and helping them expand
the magic of digital cinema
throughout the world's third largest
Spanish-speaking country," said Scott
Freidberg, Barco's Vice President of
Sales for Digital Cinema, NA. "Cine
Colombia has truly recognized both
the success and the investments that
Barco has created in Latin America,
and by their actions, it's evident that
they choose only the finest partners.
Their theatres are in the best locations,
the equipment is superb, their staff is
excellent, and each theatre provides
customers with an unsurpassed
environment in which to watch a
movie."
Qube Cinema broke new big ground
when it announced that the South
Korea-based D-Cinema Korea(DCK),
the largest digital transition firm in
Korea, has chosen the Qube XP-D as
one of the official digital cinema
servers for their 1,000 screen rollout
across Korea.
Under rigorous testing for 2D and 3D
playback at the DCK test bed since July
2008, the Qube XP-D server proved
itself repeatedly under the most
strenuous conditions. This led to the
Qube XP-D being certified and
approved by DCK, and recommended
to the Korean digital market for its
superior technical performance and
security.
DCK, a joint-venture company of CJ
CGV and Lotte Cinema, has also
announced a Virtual Print Fee (VPF)
deal with major Hollywood studios
including Paramount Pictures,
Twentieth Century Fox and Universal
Pictures. The deal will cover more than
1,000 screens all over Korea within the
next two to three years.
J.M. Kang, Engineering Operations
Director of DCK commented, "DCI-
compliant Qube XP-D cinema server's
flexible and secure device has support
for multiple formats including J2K,
MPEG-2, and VC-1. It proved to meet
the highest standards in Korean
theatres where flexibility and diversity
are key requirements."
"High quality deployment of
equipment during a digital transition
generates great benefits for both
exhibitor and distributor, and an
interesting and practical structure.
DCK welcomes this historic rollout in
the Korean movie industry with Qube.
We want Korean fans to enjoy a
superior cinematic experience reached
by digital transition." J.H. Cho, Co-
CEO of DCK added.
The Qube XP-D is fast gaining
acceptance across the world as a
powerful, versatile and flexible DCI-
compliant digital cinema server.
Already present in over 1,600 screens
across the six continents, Qube is also
the official digital partner of the
Venice Film Festival and Tribeca
Festival among others.
"It gives us great pleasure to be
working with DCK during this digital
transition. Our technical edge will be
of great benefit to cinemas during
DCK's digital rollout," said Rajesh
Ramachandran, President and CTO of
Qube Cinema, Inc.
Qube CinemaPitches Big inKorea
January-March 2010TW-14
XDC Expands inEuropean Market
XDC,, the leading digital cinema servicecompany in Europe, has signed non-exclusive long-term agreements withtwo European distributors tocontribute to the Virtual Print Fee (VPF)roll out started in Austria and Portugal.
Polyfilm Verleih (Polyfilm) andValentim de Carvalho Multimedia(VCM) will support XDC, acting as aDeploying Entity, in order to roll outand fund digital systems for theatricalpresentations, respectively, in Austriaand Portugal. Under the terms of theagreements, Polyfilm and VCM haveindependently agreed to supplyAustrian and Portuguese exhibitorswith their feature films in digital formfor projection on the VPF digitalscreens, as well as contribute to thefinancing of XDC's VPF DCI-compliantdigital cinema projection systems.
Datasat-DC20 Sales into Six CountriesDatasat Digital Entertainment made asignificant breakthrough recently whenit sold the DC20, digital cinema serverfeaturing Qube Cinema's software, intothe United States, Canada, Mexico,South Africa, Honduras and Spain.
"We have found the DC20 to be aquality choice in servers - offering themost options and user friendlyinterface in the industry," Vince Bulterof CLACO Equipment & Service stated."In addition, Datasat continues to offerthe same fantastic customer service andreliability that DTS was famous for."
Datasat Digital Entertainment'scommitment to digital cinema and thecustomer is evident through the DC20'sapproach to screen management andthe ever-growing feature set of theproduct's offerings. The DC20 DigitalCinema Server supports multipleplayback formats, offers both digitaland analog audio outputs, and featuresa FIPS certified media block. The server'suser-friendly interface enables easycontrol, content management and tightautomation integration. The DC20 canbe used as a standalone digital cinemaplayer system for a single screen, or as anetwork player system in a multiplexconfiguration.
"The new DC20 Server is the server toinstall into 3D cinemas. The featureson the DC20 make the uploading ofcontent so much easier and faster,"Johan Van Staden, Technical Managerof Sterkinekor Theatres in South Africasaid. "The connections andinstallations go very fast, and thesoftware is very user friendly and easyto understand and use."
Additional Format Capabilities toDC20: Datasat and Qube Cinema havedeveloped additional playback formatswithin the DC20. Adding Flash andQuickTime has increased the flexibilityand usability of the digital cinema serverfor customers running pre-show content.
"The combination of Qube's softwareexpertise and Datasat's hardwareknowledge has made a significantimpact on the flexibility of the DC20,"Jason Vreeman, Vice-President of Sales,Datasat Digital Entertainment, stated."Increasing the playback options indigital cinema, ultimately increases thebottom line for our customer."
Italy's LargestDigital Cinema'Space'
Italy's leading cinema chain The SpaceCinema, and Arts Alliance Media (AAM) -Europe's leading provider of digitalcinema technology, content anddeployment - announced signing anexclusive VPF-based agreement to supplyand integrate digital cinema projectionsystems across The Space's 24 sites in Italy.
In addition, AAM will be providingsatellite systems on a non-exclusive basisfor each of the 24 cinemas, incollaboration with its partner ArqivaSatellite & Media. The first deployeddigital screens will be operational beforeChristmas, in time for the holidayreleases, so as to have at least one screeninstalled in each cinema of the circuit -with a roll out of an additional 50screens within the first quarter 2010.
The Space Cinema will be installing 3Dsystems in all its digital screens, in orderto play highly anticipated upcoming3D movies, such as James Cameron'sAvatar from Twentieth Century Fox,opening in Italy in January.
The satellite systems will allow TheSpace Cinema to show live alternativecontent events such as concerts andsports, as well as receive feature andtrailer content electronically via satelliteinstead of on hard drives physicallydistributed to cinemas. In addition todigital cinema projectors and servers,AAM will also be supplying The SpaceCinema with its recently launchedDigital Cinema Network Softwarepackage, including AAM's TheatreManagement System (TMS), allowingThe Space Cinema comprehensivecontrol and reporting of equipmentand content across the entire circuit.
Giuseppe Corrado, CEO of The SpaceCinema commented "we're excited bythe opportunities this agreement with
Offering both digital and analog audiooutput and a user-friendly interface theDC20 was designed with customersneeds in mind. The DC20 supportsJPEG2000, HD MPEG-2, and VC1(Windows Media 9) content playback.An additional upgrade pack for Flashand QuickTime is immediately available.
AAM is creating for our circuit and forthe whole industry in Italy. We see awealth of new content and newentertainment opportunities for ourcustomer coming with digitalisation."
Giovanni Canepa, COO of The SpaceCinema, said "we're extremely pleasedto take such a relevant step partneringwith AAM, Europe's leading digitalcinema technology provider. Thispartnership will allow us to deploy thisnew technology maintaining afinancially balanced approach, whilegiving additional comfort to thewhole industry in Italy that the digitalera is finally on its way."
Giovanni Dolci, AAM's Strategy andBusiness Development Executive andlead negotiator on the agreementadded "it is an honour to have beenchosen by The Space Cinema to bringdigital to their innovative cinema chain.The groundbreaking decision to createthis new company and futureproof itwith digital, satellite and 3D capability isa strong indicator of the vitality of Italy'sexhibition sector. This deal offers thewhole Italian market new opportunitiesto convert to digital cinema."
The agreement with The SpaceCinema meant for AAM that theFrench cinema solutions major nowhas its footprint across six Europeanterritories- UK, France, Norway, Spain,The Netherlands, and Italy.
January-March 2010TW-16
The domain of cinema entertainment is as fascinating as the movies it churns out. Exciting,
often amusing, if not crazy! With technology impacting the space faster than even one's
imagination, there is a new concept, if not a product straight away, coming to the market on a
regular basis, to take the user communities by wonderment! Theatre World continues its effort
to present some exciting products that have either hit the market recently or going to hit soon.
Products...Check Them Out!
Christie's Next-Generation Digital ProjectorsChristie, the global leader in digital
cinema projection technologies,
debuted its next-generation digital
cinema solutions, the Christie Solaria
series, at ShowEast with the launch of
the Christie CP2220 digital cinema
projector. Recognized as 'the future
of digital cinema,' the projector
features Texas Instruments' next
generation DLP Cinema technology
and an optional integrated 2K/4K
media block.
The next-generation 4K digital
cinema projectors will display 4096 x
2160 pixels of resolution. While
maintaining support for 2K external
servers, these new models allow
exhibitors to easily project 2K or 4K
content, giving them the widest
choice in digital cinema options.
The Christie CP2220 is the first in the
new series of digital cinema projectors
that also includes the Christie CP2210
and the Christie CP2230. The Christie
CP4220 and the Christie CP4230, also
introduced in June, are the
Company's premium 4K projectors
and among the brightest in the world
- like the 2230, the 4230 is capable of
delivering over 30,000 lumens on the
largest screens and delivers
breathtaking 3D images. All next-
generation Christie digital cinema
projectors continue to utilize Christie
Brilliant3D™ technology, providing
the ultimate 3D experience with the
lowest cost of operation.
"Christie is committed to supporting
its customers today and in the future.
That's the primary driver behind our
2K and 4K-ready solutions," remarked
Craig Sholder, vice-president,
Entertainment Solutions at Christie.
"We've expanded our line-up of
industry-preferred digital cinema
solutions to provide the most
flexibility for exhibitors - offering
them the ultimate freedom to choose
from the widest range of 2K or 4K
resolution projectors, as well as
providing them with the choice of
either an external or integrated
media block. Unlike other proprietary
solutions, Christie technology is
designed to work with all external
cinema servers and will continue to
work with companies that offer
integrated media blocks. We
understand how important it is for
exhibitors to safeguard their long-
term technology investment. With
Christie, exhibitors are assured they
have a future-proof solution that can
meet their needs both today and
tomorrow."
"Christie's experience with the 1.2-
inch DLP Cinema Chip on our current
mid and high power products has
given us an advantage over the
competition on developing next
generation 2K and 4K technology. In
fact, the 4K DLP Cinema Chip is very
similar to the current 1.2-inch
products and not available in the
smaller chip format used by other
manufacturers in their mid power
projectors," noted Brian Claypool,
senior product manger,
Entertainment Solutions for Christie.
All the projectors in the Christie
Solaria series are designed to meet
Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI)
specifications. They feature a new
modular architecture for improved
serviceability and ease of
maintenance, with up to 25 per cent
lower cost of operation than
competing technologies.
Christie also presented at ShowEast,
the latest version of ChristieACT.
Designed to provide true integration
of theatre operations, ChristieACT
features pre-programmable
sequencing, built-in device libraries
and web-based integration. With
ChristieACT, exhibitors can now
control entire booth operations from
the palm of their hand.
January-March 2010 TW-17
Sony Unveils Next Generation 4K DigitalProjectors
Sony has
unveiling a new
4K digital cinema
projection system
that is built on its
proven
technology in use
by exhibitors
while offering
new
enhancements in
performance and
functionality.
Sony's newest
system features
the SRX-R320 4K
SXRD projector and LMT-300 Media
Block. It incorporates similar
features and design elements of its
predecessor - the widely
implemented SRX-R220 system.
However, the new system measures
approximately half the size and
weight to give exhibitors more
installation options.
"Since we introduced our first 4K
projection system five years ago,
Sony has advanced the technology
to meet the continually evolving
requirements for digital
exhibition," said Gary Johns, vice-
president of Sony Electronics'
Digital Cinema Systems Division.
"This newest version continues that
tradition and illustrates why
exhibitors of all sizes are making
Sony 4K technology their
projection choice. With extremely
high resolution, outstanding
security, and operational versatility,
this new system is ideal for creating
an immersive digital cinema
experience - in 2D or 3D - on any
screen."
The new system incorporates the
ultra-high 4096 x 2160 resolution of
its successful SXRD counterparts and
delivers a high contrast ratio of
more than 2000:1, ideal for
applications in which dynamic range
is essential. It is designed to be
compatible with the same lamps and
lenses used for the R220 model.
The system is FIPS
140-2 compliant
and its secure
enclosure design
allows the LMT-300
server to be
seamlessly
integrated into the
projector's chassis,
providing a high
level of security
that meets the
SPB-2 anti-tamper
regulations
stipulated by the
Digital Cinema
Initiatives (DCI). The projector also
produces superb images that are
compliant to DCI requirements for
image parameters such as color
fidelity, white point and contrast.
A choice of six optional automated
zoom/focus lenses and selectable 4.2
kW, 3.0 kW, and 2.0 kW Xenon
projector lamps allows for screen
coverage of up to 20 meters (65
feet) - providing a SMPTE-standard
brightness level of 14 ft-L on a wide
screen. Using an optional
anamorphic lens (LKRL-A001),
screen coverage can be extended up
to 21.4 meters (70 feet).
Using Sony's 3D dual lens adaptor,
the SRX-R320 projector can deliver
crisp 3D images on screens up to 15
meters (50 feet side-masked) in
width at 4.5 ft-L brightness.
The lenses of the SRX-R320 have the
capacity to reproduce resolutions
higher than 4K, which is necessary
to project 4K content exactly at 4K
resolution. In addition, these lenses
are designed to minimize chromatic
aberrations.
The new system offers the optional
STM-100 Theater Management
System software suite that allows
theater staff to efficiently manage
multiple auditoriums from a central
PC connected to a theater's LAN.
The TMS technology can provide
efficient centralized management
for cinema complexes.
DatasatIntroduces16-ChannelAudio Processor
Datasat Digital Entertainment will
introduce in Asia, its recently
launched AP20, a 16-channel digital
audio processor, expanding product
range and market addressing
capability from the digital
entertainment company in a big
way. The product offers one of the
most impressive collection of
features all packaged together, in
addition to featuring Dirac Live
room optimization technology.
Engineered to deliver precise
reproduction of both analog and
digital sources, the AP20's 16
channels leverage the power of six
Analog Devices 400mHz DSPs.
Key product features include 16
channels digital out / 16 channels
digital in; 16 channels analog out / 8
channels analog in; individual
channel and global delays; 3rd
octave and parametric EQ; Dirac Live
Room Optimization; and three
expansion slots for future
development.
An optional plug-in card is also
available for legacy 'A' chain film
support. The card supports two
projectors, A-type and SR-type noise
reduction and matrix decoding all
accomplished in the digital domain
for maximum flexibility and sound
quality.
"The company's vast experience in
conventional analog sound systems
combined with state-of-the art
digital signal processing technology
has resulted in our latest product,
the AP20 Audio Processor," Jason
Vreeman, Vice-President of Sales,
Datasat Digital Entertainment,
stated. "The box is designed to
provide maximum flexibility in a
single, cost-effective package."
January-March 2010TW-18
NEC Announces Three New Digital Cinema ProjectorsNEC Display Solutions of America
announced three new digital cinema
projectors, providing three brightness
level options to match screen sizes up
to 105 feet wide. These affordable
models build on NEC's strength and
reliability in digital cinema, and give
more options to theatre owners
looking to upgrade cinema projector
capabilities to digital.
Showcased at ShowEast 2009 in
Orlando, the Digital Cinema Projector
Series models meet the DCI
requirements, and help exhibitors
capitalize on current opportunities, as
well as position themselves for future
growth. The new, optional NEC
internal MediaBlock and discreet NEC
Local Storage Server provide a
complete and compelling industry
solution for showing digital movies
and deliver many benefits.
The MediaBlock can be built into the
projector as another integrated option
available to exhibitors. NEC simplifies
the connection and delivers control of
the MediaBlock from the projector. A
cinema ad can be directly integrated
into the NEC MediaBlock/Server
solution.
In addition, NEC offers easy
maintenance to minimize downtime
through a single maintenance window
for both projectors and the
MediaBlock/Local Storage Server. The
solution is able to self-diagnose for
easy, timely trouble-shooting. NEC also
has created higher strict security and
eliminated any potential trouble
caused by the interface between the
projector and existing screen server
(sub-titles/communication problem).
Alternatively, the Digital Cinema
Projector Series works with existing
cinema servers via a legacy board.
"As exhibitors upgrade to digital
cinema, they demand high brightness
and great customer care. With NEC's
24/7/365 support, these models really
meet their needs," said Jim Reisteter,
General Manager, Digital Cinema
Division, NEC Display Solutions. "NEC
gives theater owners everything they
require to complete their digital
cinema installations - from financing
to model variety. These new NEC
projectors stand apart from their
competitors for their reliability,
elegance and ease-of-use, and
together offer the flexibility needed to
suit all screen sizes."
The new projectors include the
NC1200C at 9,000 lumens of brightness
for screen sizes of up to 46 feet wide,
the NC2000C at 17,000 lumens for
screens up to 65 feet wide, and the
ultra-bright NC3200S at 31,000 lumens
for screens up to 105 feet wide. The
advanced DLP Cinema® light engine
provides contrast ratios up to 2200:1,
which enable better reproduction of
detail in dark scenes.
Sophisticated dual-airflow design
minimizes dust, and segregates the
bulb from other internal components
for better long-term serviceability and
reliability. NEC is the only projector
manufacturer to provide this state-of-
the-art dual-airflow design for
protection from dust and oil
contaminants. The lamp-cooling
airflow is separated from the chassis-
cooling air flow, which prevents
drawing in dust and oil from enclosure
panel gaps. Only the lamp has a
blower fan.
In addition, all three models are
engineered for long-term use, with
simplified lamp and parts replacement.
These NEC projectors include new
Texas Instruments Series 2 electronics
and are designed for easy
maintenance to minimize downtime,
including quicker replacement of parts
experiencing trouble, and easy, timely
trouble-shooting by self-diagnosis.
The projectors are highly reliable,
performing admirably in harsh
operating environments found in
projector booths/rooms/theatres.
Moreover, operator convenience is
enhanced and improved with the new
NEC digital cinema projectors. A new
cosmetic design, fresh keypad layout,
and new user software design mean
fast set-up and simple fine-tuning,
making it easy for any projectionist to
operate. A soft-edged cabinet design
and brilliant colours enhance the
overall operation of the models.
The features translate into a number
of exhibitor benefits, including lower
overall maintenance costs, reduced
filter usage, and lower consumable
and operating costs.
Combining advanced DLP Cinema
projectors with reliable multiplex and
screen servers, NEC's Digital Cinema
Projector Series offers the most
comprehensive digital cinema solution
on the market today. These models
enable theaters to deliver stunning
digital images regardless of screen size,
while simplifying theater management
and reducing costs.
"These new digital cinema projectors
are part of a complete family of
offerings addressing every need that
will include 4K technology in the
future," Reisteter said.
The NC1200C, NC2000C and NC3200S
will be available in early 2010.
Joining QSC Audio's DCS Digital
Cinema Speaker family, the new SB-
15121 subwoofer offers the highest
performance available in a
dedicated cinema subwoofer
enclosure. It has been designed for
use in premiere cinemas and post-
production applications where the
ultimate in performance is required.
The massive 1500W, 21-inch low-
frequency transducer features a six-
inch diameter voice coil in a vented,
neodymium magnet structure that is
designed to dissipate extreme
Highest OutputSubwoofer fromQSC
January-March 2010 TW-19
JBL's Next Generation D-Cinema Speakers
Continuing to provide cinema
exhibition venues and post-
production facilities with
unprecedented audio performance
and advanced technology, JBL is
introducing the second generation
of its award-winning ScreenArray
digital cinema loudspeakers.
These next generation ScreenArray
systems feature the new large-
format three-inch neodymium,
titanium diaphragm, high-
frequency compression driver for
ultra high performance. This new
high-frequency driver is coupled
with the new patented high-
frequency horn featuring Screen
Spreading Compensation to correct
for high-frequency dispersion
through perforated screens.
The new low-frequency sections
feature the patented Differential
Drive, Direct Cooled, 15-inch
woofers for improved power
handling and reduced distortion. All
of the new ScreenArray series
models have new Optimized
Aperture waveguides for ultra low
distortion and extremely uniform
frequency response. Each system has
improved, patented, crossover
design using the most advanced
computer modeling.
The next generation of ScreenArray
speakers consists of the 4732, 3732
and 3731 3-way systems (available in
both triamplified and biamplified
versions) and the 4722 and 3722 2-
way speakers (available as both bi-
amplified and fully passive systems).
"The new ScreenArray loudspeaker
models build on the success of their
revolutionary predecessors, while at
the same time truly representing the
next generation in cinema
loudspeaker technology," said
Chuck Goodsell, Director of Cinema
Marketing, JBL Professional. "With
these new models, the bar has been
effectively raised for sound quality
in the most state-of-the-art theaters
around the world."
The new JBL ScreenArray series features five digital cinema loudspeaker models.
amounts of heat and allow for
excursion that is double that of
typical 18-inch transducers. This
ensures cool operation, even at high
power levels, increases driver
lifespan and decreases power
compression at high drive levels.
The large, ported enclosure ensures
response to the lowest audible
frequency for bass cannot only be
heard but also feel. In fact the
frequency range extends to below
25Hz without the need for B6 EQ
filters.
States Barry Ferrell, QSC senior
director, Cinema Solutions, "The SB-
15121 is a unique product with no
direct competitive equivalent. It
was designed with the most
advanced measurement tools
available to produce a rugged and
nearly unbreakable transducer that
is also capable of incredibly low
distortion. Strength and finesse are
combined in a truly state of the art
component.
"As a result, premium cinemas can
offer increased subwoofer
performance to go along with
enhanced seating and upscale
concession items - and achieve a
distinctive level of performance
compared to their competitors."
The enclosure is constructed of high
quality, heavily braced MDF panels,
while large, fully radiused ports
ensure smooth airflow, especially at
higher drive levels - thus preventing
potentially audible port turbulence
noise. Both internal and external
port openings are flared.
With symmetrical port loading, the
bass ports are evenly spaced around
the transducer, making internal
pressure more uniform across the
back surface of the woofer. This
prevents the cone from being
displaced to one side or another by
unbalanced air pressure, reducing
the chance of driving the voice coil
out of the centre of the gap at high
drive levels.
Also optionally available with the
system are QSC's DCP, DCM and SF-3
signal processors.
January-March 2010TW-20
QSC's 4-way, Flyable Speakers for Large, Dome Cinemas
QSC Audio announced the new
purpose-designed DCS SC-424-8F
flyable, four-way, tri-amplified
speaker system for Dome and Large
Format cinemas that require
suspended mounting of screen
channels, or point source surround
channels. Making another
significant breakthrough in the D-
Cinema market, the DCS SC-424-8F
joins QSC Audio's popular cinema
product lines and follows the success
of their award-winning DCP 300
Digital Cinema Processor.
Both the Mid/High and LF enclosures
are built with common dimensions to
facilitate easy installation in vertical
or horizontal arrays and are
constructed of heavily braced, 15mm
concert tour-grade plywood. In
addition, 16 M10 attachment points-
per-enclosure are provided for safe
and easy suspension. The DCS SC-
424-8F also features a unique coax
HF/VHF diaphragm, which has less
mass than traditional diaphragms,
resulting in exceptional dynamic
range, extended high frequency
response and lower distortion.
"This system has been developed
specifically for the unique
requirements of Multi-Purpose, Large
Format and Dome motion picture
playback," states Francois Godfrey,
QSC Director of Sales, Cinema. "The
two main units comprise the MHV-
1090F mid-high / very-high-
frequency system, and the LF-4215-
8F low-frequency system aimed
purposely at applications where a
point-source surround channel or
screen channel must be suspended or
flown rather than mounted on a
platform or floor."
The MHV-1090F mid-high / very-
high-frequency system features a
high output, horn loaded 10"
midrange cone driver and a coaxial
neodymium high-frequency / very
high-frequency compression driver.
The MHV-1090F includes a driver
protection network and a passive
crossover for tri-amp operation. A
high power 10" cone driver allows
operation as low as 250
Hz and up to 1800 Hz to
ensure that most of the
dialogue range is
reproduced by a single
element, for unmatched
intelligibility.
The coaxial neodymium
high-frequency / very-
high-frequency
compression driver
provides a dramatic
improvement in
dynamic response, clarity and
transparency, while the annular
diaphragms eliminate the break-up
of conventional dome drivers that
cause a harsh, metallic sound.
The LF-4215-8F dual 15(381 mm)
low-frequency enclosure is designed
for safe and easy suspension via M10
fly points. The heavily braced, tour
grade construction cabinet provides
great strength while keeping weight
to a minimum. The SC-424-8F is
designed for ease of installation. The
MHV-1090F and LF-4215-8F
components come pre-assembled to
reduce field assembly time, and both
enclosures have the same dimensions
to allow stacked or side-by-side
arrays. Each enclosure is fitted with
16 x M10 fly points for safe and
secure suspension via installer-
provided mounting hardware.
Also available is the companion DCS
SC-424-8 system, which provides
identical acoustical performance in a
standard, non-suspended version.
Outboard digital processing, such as
the QSC DCP 300, DCM 30D or Basis is
required to provide the active
crossover between the low, mid, and
high-very high frequency drivers.
Separate amplifiers are required for
the low, mid and high-very high
frequency channels. The QSC DCA
1644 4-channel amplifier is the ideal
choice for the SC-424-8F. Channels 1
and 2 in bridge mode deliver over
800w to the LF enclosure and
channels 3 and 4 provide 250w to
each of the highly efficient Mid and
High frequency horns.
QSC provides a full range of
complementary loudspeaker
products to meet all of your Large
Format cinema speaker needs. From
18 and 21 subwoofers for
earthshaking bass to the smallest
ceiling speakers for your lobby PA,
QSC is the one place to go for
loudspeakers, amplifiers, DSP and
network remote control. One brand,
one call - it couldn't be easier to get
great sound.
January-March 2010 TW-21
Barco, Cinedigm to 'Deliver Digital' Programmepartners. We look forward to bringing
more circuits into the Cinedigm/Barco
family."
Barco clearly understands that theatre
owners have to make tough decisions
in this new digital environment. Once
they've elected to go digital, Barco
can make those plans a reality:
• Through flexible financing, theatre
owners can structure deals to
deploy their entire digital cinema
platform to fit their financial
strategies. For qualified theatre
chains, financing can be made
available with zero percent down.
• Through valued partnerships with
Doremi, GDC and Dolby, the
solution providers take the
guesswork out of the exhibitor's
key technology decisions.
The focus will be on reliability and
cost-of-ownership.
Barco, Doremi Unveil 2K/4K Media BlockDigital cinema pioneer Barco and
server technology leader Doremi have
made yet another industry first - an
integrated 2K/4K media block
designed for Barco Series-II
projectors. Barco and Doremi
showcased this industry leading
technology on the show floor at
ShowEast.
In June of this year, Barco, Cinemark
and Doremi announced an exclusive
agreement for the delivery and
installation of over 3,000 projectors in
over 300 US theatres. This agreement
was the first-ever to include Texas
Instruments' Enhanced DLP Cinema 4K
technology and Doremi's integrated
media block (IMB). Now, Barco and
Doremi are extending this advanced
technology to all exhibitors.
With the IMB installed in a Barco
Series-II 4K-ready projector along
with Doremi's external ShowVault,
Barco customers can now choose the
most future-proof digital projection
solution in the industry. If the
customer elects to project in 2K, the
integrated media block keeps content
secure by moving the digital video
decryption from outside of the
projector - to inside the projector.
When Texas Instruments' Enhanced
DLP Cinema 4K technology is made
available, if the customer elects to
project in 4K, the integrated media
block can deliver 4K with a simple
software upgrade.
"We are thrilled to continue our
technical development and
partnership with Barco, and to offer
the digital cinema industry the first-
ever 2K and 4K solution with an
integrated media block" said Michael
Archer, Vice President of Digital
Cinema at Doremi. "In addition to
providing the highest level of content
security, our IMB product offers a
future-proof configuration, based on
the system's ability to support both
2K and 4K resolutions."
The Barco/Doremi integrated 2K/4K
media block provides a total of 4096 x
2160 pixels of resolution, and requires
just one server rather than the four
synchronized HD video servers
needed until now. The solution offers
exhibitors the opportunity to utilize a
single server manufacturer across a
digital cinema multiplex, with the
ability to freely mix and match 2K
and 4K technology while maintaining
the same server hardware.
"Barco and Doremi have been
leading innovation and setting digital
cinema milestones for almost a
decade," said Todd Hoddick, Vice-
President of Digital Cinema for Barco,
North America. "By combining our
talents, we're taking a huge step
forward in the evolution of digital
cinema. Together, we are making
digital cinema simpler, more secure,
and more profitable for our
customers."
Barco and Cinedigm have come
together to announce 'Deliver Digital'
- a new programme geared towards
regional theatre circuits looking to
convert to digital. The Deliver Digital
program allows independent chains to
compete with national circuits, with
access to the same benefits, such as
preferred financing terms, VPFs, and
the highest quality images in the
industry.
"Barco already delivers the industry's
best technology, and now we've
created the fastest and simplest means
for our exhibition partners to convert
to digital," said Todd Hoddick, Vice-
President of Digital Cinema for Barco,
NA. "With this remarkable
programme, we're delivering on a
commitment to provide our customers
the solutions they need - technology,
financing and services. This, in turn,
enables them to focus on providing
their audiences with great viewing
experiences."
Not only is the Deliver Digital
programme a turnkey solution, it's
also simple, fast and confidential.
Barco expedites a 21-day turnaround
for qualifications, enabling
prospective exhibitors to know rapidly
if they qualify for funding and VPFs.
To optimize our exhibition partners'
conversion experience, Barco's
programme provides "quick strike"
financing, a full Digital Cinema
platform, and both installation and
warranty services. To facilitate VPFs
that will contribute towards the cost of
digital systems, Barco has partnered
with Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., a
global leader in fulfilling the promise
of Digital Cinema.
"Cinedigm is committed to helping
theatre chains achieve their digital
strategies," said Chuck Goldwater,
President of Cinedigm's Media Services
Group. "We are very pleased to
expand our partnership with Barco,
and we feel that their turnkey Deliver
Digital program is a very important
and effective step for our exhibitor
January-March 2010TW-22
NEC Selects intoPIX for DLP SystemsNEC Solutions, one of the three DLP
licensees to manufacture 2K and 4K
digital projections from Texas
Instruments, announced its choosing
of intoPIX, the leading JPEG 2000
solutions provider, to integrate the
latter's imaging technology into
their projection systems.
Based on intoPIX JPEG 2000 and AES
Core components, NEC Display
Solutions now offers the first
integrated Media Block for DLP
Cinema projector. Using this DCI-
compliant JPEG 2000 Mediablock into
the projector enclosure drastically
improves the security and reliability
of the system while reducing the
complexity of the installation and
the maintenance.
"We have selected intoPIX because
of their know-how in the JPEG 2000
compression technology field, their
smart single chip FPGA
implementation and their
integration support." commented
Atsushi Kuroda, General Manager of
NEC Display Solutions, Projector
Development Division. "This gives us
the opportunity to provide a fully
integrated Cinema projection
solution and therefore brings us a
competitive advantage in the Digital
Cinema deployment."
"I'm delighted to announce the
selection of intoPIX solutions by NEC
Display Solutions" added Jean
Francois Nivart, CEO of intoPIX. "Our
ability to provide NEC Display
Solutions with a strong and
complete solution was a key success
factor for this collaboration. Through
a seamless collaboration between the
technical teams of both companies,
we managed to incorporate the
advanced specifications of the NEC
projectors product line in the
customized solution. We are happy
to contribute to the excellence of
NEC Display Solutions Cinema
product line."
Frank Theatres Commits to Sony 4KFrank Theatres has decided to
convert its cinema exhibition
operations to Sony's 4K digital
cinema projection technology. The
exhibitor intends to complete the
rollout through the end of 2009,
covering a total of 231 screens.
"We're always open to exploring
new technology that can enhance
our customers' experience while
they are in our theatres," said Bruce
Frank, President and CEO of Frank
Theatres. "The Sony 4K projectors
are a perfect match for where we
want to take the future direction of
our circuit, delivering highest levels
of resolution, image quality and
flexibility for displaying motion
pictures or alternative content, in 2D
or 3D."
Frank Theatres operates 18 locations
across New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Florida, South Carolina, North
Carolina, and West Virginia. Sony's
Digital Cinema Solutions and
Services Group will work with Frank
Theatres to provide installation and
complete integration services. The
circuit's adoption of Sony's 4K
projection systems is part of its
ongoing evaluation of state-of-the-
art technology throughout all its
theatres, from the auditoriums to
lobbies to concession stands.
In addition, 50 of the 231 screens are
planned to be outfitted for 3D using
a combination of Sony's 3D dual
lens adaptor with RealD's 3D
technology.
"Frank Theatres is a perfect example
of a modern exhibitor taking the
right steps to equip its operations
for the future," said Mike Fidler,
senior vice-president of Sony's
Digital Cinema Solutions and
Services Group. "We're excited to be
working with them as they begin
their 4K digital conversion."
Kinepolis DeploysSmartJog CentralLibrary Solution
SmartJog, the French leader in
managed digital delivery workflows
worldwide, announced that
European exhibitor Kinepolis Group,
has selected SmartJog's Digital
Cinema Central Library Servers to use
in all of its 23 theatres. Kinepolis will
purchase and install the Digital
Cinema Central Library Servers which
are capable of storing large amount
of content as well as receiving Digital
Cinema Packages (DCPs) via satellite
and fiber.
"Kinepolis has been using the
SmartJog system for a few years now
to receive advertising content from
Médiavision, as well as cinema
trailers which are digitally sent via
the SmartJog network to our
Cinemas in France," says Bob Claeys,
Research and Development Director
for Kinepolis Group. "Since we are
actively rolling-out digital
equipment in all of our Cinemas in
France, Belgium and Spain, it was
essential for us to find a solution
capable of scalability in terms of
storage and digital delivery."
Claeys continues, "therefore, we
have opted for the SmartJog "all-in-
one" solution of high-end storage
and digital delivery solution. Since
it's already compatible with the
equipment in our cinemas such as
our Dolby servers, the SmartJog
Central Library allows us to store
content received in our multiplexes
without the need to add multiple
reception and storage equipment.
The flexibility of the SmartJog
solution also lets us manage the
delivery of our own promotional
content to all of our cinemas in
Europe seamlessly."
By the beginning of 2010, all of
Kinepolis Group Cinemas will be
equipped with the SmartJog 12 or 8
terabyte Central Library servers and
will benefit from SmartJog's fully
managed digital delivery service.
With this announcement, SmartJog is
proud to announce that it has now
connected 537 screens in Europe.
January-March 2010 TW-23
Larger Than Life... in 3DCinedigm Digital Cinema Corp.
announced that the Dave
Matthews Band, Ben Harper and
Relentless7, and Gogol Bordello
will perform in a 3D feature
movie, Larger Than Life ... in 3D,
on digital cinema screens
nationwide. The 3D movie will run
for one week only, from December
11-17, 2009.
Larger Than Life ... in 3D was
produced by Action 3D and AEG
Network Live and will be
distributed by Cinedigm, the
leading digital cinema company
that helps exhibitors transition
from film to digital cinema. Once
movie screens become digital,
they cease to be movie screens in
the traditional sense; they can
show entirely new forms of
content, from 3D movies and
concerts to live sports, children's
shows, operas, video games and
more. This past summer, for
example, the Michael Jackson
memorial service was shown on
digital screens throughout Los
Angeles.
Music concerts have become an
increasingly popular cinema
option. Cinedigm has delivered
concerts to digital screens dating
back to 2007, when the company
debuted an in-theater digital concert
series that presented the best
performances from the South by
Southwest Music Festival. In early
2008, Cinedigm delivered the Tom
Petty and the Heartbreakers
documentary, Runnin' Down a
Dream, to sold-out audiences,
followed by a one-night-only
concert from Grammy Award-
winning Christian rapper TobyMac in
May.
In June 2008, Cinedigm brought
John Mayer's Where the Light Is:
John Mayer Live in Los Angeles to
the big screen. Three Days Grace:
Live at the Palace 2008 performed on
digital cinema screens in August
2008. David Gilmour, the voice and
guitar of Pink Floyd, performed live
to 50,000 fans in Poland. Thousands
more thrilled to a repeat
performance on digital cinema
screens, delivered by Cinedigm.
Earlier this year, Cinedigm delivered
Fall Out Boy LIVE - Folie à Deux NYC
to LA Presented by Nokia to
approximately 80 theaters.
"Digital technology has dramatically
transformed the cinema experience,"
said Bud Mayo, Chairman and CEO
of Cinedigm. "The ability to see
Dave Matthews in 3D, on a big
screen at your local theater, for far
less than the cost of a concert
ticket is an exciting option for
music fans. This is the future of
modern cinema: movies, music,
sports ... the options are limitless."
The performances in Larger Than
Life ... in 3D were filmed at
critically acclaimed music festivals
this summer, including the Austin
City Limits Music Festival in Texas,
the Mile High Music Festival in
Colorado and at All Points West
Music & Arts Festival in New
Jersey. Cinedigm will also
distribute 3D concert events
including the Best of Lollapalooza
and the Best of Austin City Limits
in the first and second quarters of
2010.
The specific theatres showing
Larger Than Life ... in 3D as well
as future 3D concerts, will be
announced closer to each show's
opening date.
Hollywood Theaters' 4K Across-the-Circuit
Hollywood Theaters has decided to
install Sony Electronics' 4K digital
cinema technology across its circuit.
The Portland, Oregon-based
exhibitor will begin its digital
conversion by equipping 13 of its US
locations aggregating to 167 screens
with Sony projectors over the next
few months.
Sony's Digital Cinema Solutions and
Services group will work with
Hollywood Theaters on the
integration, installation,
maintenance and service support for
its 4K conversion, providing the
exhibitor with a complete turn-key
solution for converting to digital
technology.
"Sony's 4K technology gives our
patrons the opportunity to view
motion pictures as never before,
combining the highest levels of
resolution, contrast and image
quality to produce precise, life-like
images in vibrant colors," said Clyde
Cornell, chief operating officer for
Hollywood Theaters. "We are also
excited to be a part of Sony's DCSS
alternative content program and
plan to fully exploit their broad
range of media and entertainment
divisions such as sports, music, and
gaming to bring fresh, innovative
entertainment options to the big
screen and create new streams of
ancillary revenues for Hollywood
Theaters."
Sony 4K projectors claim to offer the
highest image resolution of all
commercial projection technologies,
producing 8.8 million pixels. 4K
technology provides image
resolution four times greater than 2K
projection systems and slightly more
than four times greater than
consumer high-definition televisions.
"Our 4K technology gives Hollywood
Theaters the most reliable and
January-March 2010TW-24
Premium RealD 3D Eyewear from Look3DLook3D, a leading 3D vision
company, and RealD, the world's
leading 3D cinema technology
company, announced that they have
reached a licensing agreement for
Look3D to design, manufacture and
distribute RealD 3D certified
premium eyewear. Look3D eyewear
will offer the same crisp, clear RealD
3D experience as eyewear currently
distributed at RealD equipped
theatres and will be compatible with
all RealD theatres worldwide.
"Moviegoers will be able to pick from
a full line-up of premium RealD 3D
glasses in cool designs with shapes
and styles that hug the face like
regular glasses," said Rhett Adam,
director of Look3D. "3D movies are
booming and we're excited for the
millions of fans of RealD 3D around
the world to experience the next film
in Look3D style."
"Moviegoers are flocking to theatres
in record numbers to experience
RealD 3D movies and now they'll be
able to have their own pair of
premium RealD 3D glasses in a style
that's all their own," said Joseph
Peixoto, RealD president of
worldwide cinema.
"Like people having a pair of
sunglasses, movie fans will have a
pair of RealD 3D glasses personalized
in style and fit, and certified by
RealD to assure a fantastic movie
experience. We look forward to
additional announcements about the
introduction of designer 3D glasses
from top fashion brands and
prescription RealD 3D eyewear in the
near future."
flexible foundation for ultimately
converting its entire operations to
digital projection technology," said
Mike Fidler, Senior Vice-President of
Sony Electronics' Digital Cinema
Solutions and Services group. "It
elevates the cinematic experience for
their consumers, offering movie-
goers a much more dynamic,
engaging and immersive
entertainment experience. The
opportunity for alternative content
not only presents potential new
business; it also allows them to
provide exciting additional
programming that perfectly
complements their current
offerings."
100 RealD 3D Screens: Hollywood
Theaters has also partnered with
RealD to equip a minimum of 100
screens across the country and
overseas with RealD 3D technology.
The rollout, which has already
begun, will see 64 RealD 3D
installations by mid-December, and
the additional RealD 3D screens will
be added in early 2010.
"Moviegoers are seeking out the
premium, fully immersive 3D
experience only available with
Look3D will create multiple RealD
compatible eyewear collections for
adults and children, including a
premium collection of glasses of the
highest quality with styles matching
today's most popular eyewear
designs. Look3D will also offer a
themed collection of glasses with
colors, shapes and other design
elements matching a variety of
upcoming 3D major motion picture
releases.
Look3D RealD eyewear will be
available for purchase beginning in
December with sales through
Look3D, at movie theatres and
online retail sites. Check out
Look3D's website at
www.look3d.com for a sneak peak of
what is to come in 2010.
RealD's digital 3D technology," said
Joseph Peixoto, president of
worldwide cinema for RealD. "It's
exciting to partner with Hollywood
Theaters on this large number of
screens so their nationwide audience
can experience 'Avatar' and other
upcoming releases in crystal clear
RealD 3D."
January-March 2010 TW-25
Even as the digital cinema and its advocates continue to be on their high, buoyed by the
undeterred deployment programmes by the exhibitors, there has begun a counter
development to quickly gain the vast expanses of the global cinematic ground that the digital
domain has apparently been "inadequate" to cover, even in three-dimensional format. The
hoopla of 3D movie excitement made a déjà vu- harping back onto the film medium. Yes, the
industry, led by the film majors, is now, suddenly, talking about filmy 3D. An entertaining
filmy story is in the making. Read on.
Who said film will be extinct very soon
from the cinema medium? Who
prophesied film will confine itself only
to the archives of cinematic history?
History is actually being sought to be
made with the global filmy majors
coming together to 'reinvent' what
they had redefined the cinema
entertainment with, a few decades
ago. Three-D on film!
Thomson, through its Technicolor
Business Group, has aligned
with entertainment industry
leaders Deluxe Entertainment
Services Group, Eastman
Kodak Company, and Fujifilm
to provide financial assistance
to exhibitors seeking an
immediate 3D solution. The
four film majors have, in fact,
created a Silver Screen Fund
towards funding the
exhibitors worldwide for
deploying 3D film projection
systems. The Silver Screen
Fund defers costs associated
with the purchase and
installation of silver screens by
providing financial assistance
to exhibitors who deploy the
Technicolor 3D solution. The
fund will be managed by
Technicolor, which last week
announced broad studio
support for the Technicolor 3D
solution.
The Silver Screen Fund will finance
up to 500 silver screens to be
installed at theatres in the United
States, Canada and the United
Kingdom. Funding is available
immediately for qualified exhibitors.
When exhibitors complete the terms
of the Silver Screen Fund agreement,
they will own the silver screen, a
necessary component for future
digital 3D projection.
"Technicolor is committed to
delivering high-quality, affordable
3D solutions, and the creation of the
Silver Screen Fund accelerates our
promise to our exhibition partners
by helping them defer upfront costs
associated with the purchase and
installation of silver screens," said
Lanny Raimondo, head of
Technicolor. "Thanks to
overwhelming studio and industry
support, we expect to sign up these
first 500 screens in the
coming weeks, keeping us on
track to reach our target of
more than 1,000 Technicolor
3D screens by mid-2010."
(Read a separate story in TW
Technology: 'Technicolor' 3D
on Film!)
"Deluxe is proud to have a
long history of supporting
our customers by providing
whatever format they choose
for their content. This
technology bridge for 3D
exhibition is a cost effective
way to help our customers
maximize their theatrical
release schedules," said Cyril
Drabinsky, President and CEO
of Deluxe.
"Right now, there are not
enough 3D screens to
accommodate major releases
and the screen shortage
It's 3D'Film,' Again!
It's 3D'Film,' Again!
It's 3D'Film,' Again!
TECHNOLOGY
January-March 2010TW-26
'Technicolor' 3D on Film!Back in September
when Technicolor
announced that they
would be offering a
film-based 3D system
there were a lot of
skeptics over whether
such a system would
offer moviegoers the
same quality
presentation that
digital 3D affords.
Many industry insiders complained
that such a solution would only
drag out the rollout of digital
cinema in the marketplace. As
digital cinema ate into the motion
picture lab's profits it was felt that
Technicolor was grasping at straws.
Appearing on a panel at the 3D
Entertainment Summit that month,
Ahmad Ouri, Technicolor's Head of
Strategy, Technology & Marketing,
looked well equipped to field
queries from a probing audience.
On the immediate outing at the
ShowEast 2009 in Orlando, Florida,
the film major sought to
consolidate what it was advocating
for: a 3D presentation on film! In
an effort to quiet the skeptics and
explain the reasoning behind
offering a film-based 3D system,
Technicolor demonstrated the
technology for exhibitors at the
cinema convention. Joe Berchtold,
Technicolor's Head of Creative
Services, addressed the crowd that
had gathered to see footage from
"The Final Destination," and
answer any questions exhibitors
might have. J. Sperling Reich
tries to find what is on the anvil, if
not the film spool as it is:
TW - What was the reason
Technicolor put this solution
together? Don't you think it
will delay digital cinema?
JB - There aren't enough digital 3D
screens right now. From
Technicolor's standpoint, we want
to help solve that for a period of
time until digital happens. Digital
is going to happen for a variety of
Joe BerchtoldHead of Creative Services,
Technicolor
reasons but we think in the
interim we can't maximize the
real estate that we have
because the rollout is not
moving as fast as a lot of
people expected.
TW - How can your
Technicolor's film-based
system help an exhibitor?
JB - Audiences like 3D. They
like 3D movies. Attendance is
probably twice or more for a 3D screen
versus a 2D screen which means your
box office collections are closer to
three times with a 3D screen than a 2D
screen. Money is effectively being left
on the table by a market that hasn't
been able to come up with an ability
to get the number of 3D screens out
there that we'd like to have for a lot of
movies. Right now, we're at about
7,000 digital screens in North America
and 3,000 of those are 3D screens. A
major Hollywood movie can easily
open on two to three times that
number of screens. The fact that we
have that limit the release means
there's a lot being put on 2D film. To
be very clear what we are suggesting
here is not 3D on film as an alternative
to going out and replacing digital.
What we are suggesting is as long as
you're putting this on film, couldn't it
be 3D film, not 2D film? In our mind if
it can be a high quality customer
experience, we believe the answer to
that is yes.
TW - Why wait until now to release
such a product?
JB - The reality is next year even more
than this year, the number of 3D
movies will continue to grow,
seventeen plus already confirmed and
a number of studios working to
convert 2D films to 3D films that
haven't yet been announced. We
expect this number will only go up.
What we're going to see more of, I
believe, is what we've seen already a
few times this year wherein you've got
multiple 3D movies out at the same
time and you don't have enough
screens. When you have to spend
$100,000 for the digital system for
every incremental screen you are
having to make tradeoffs between
which movies you are showing and
pulling things faster than you'd like.
TW - What about the notion that
Technicolor's system will delay
the rollout of digital cinema?
JB - The reality is because of the
current economic environment
digital rollout continues to take time.
I've certainly been predicting for
almost ten years now how long it's
going to take for digital. I was wrong
every year. With the current market
conditions, it continues to be very
difficult. Financing probably will
happen for some of the major
circuits that have strong connections
on Wall Street and elsewhere. My
guess is that most circuits don't have
that clear of a view as to how in the
near term somebody else is going to
give them $100,000 per screen to go
and convert. My guess is that most
people also don't have that kind of
money readily available to be
putting in all these screens. You may
be able to rationalize an investment
in a larger complex in some of your
larger towns but that leaves a large
part of every main street of every
town around the country that has a
harder time justifying the investment
of a $100,000 to put in a digital
system. So what are they going to
do? Our suggestion is that for an
interim period, the film 3D offers a
very high quality comparable
solution without requiring that up
front investment in digital.
TW - What would you say to
those who feel digital 3D offers
a superior viewing experience to
3D on film?
JB - We clearly don't suggest in any
way, shape or form that the quality of
the customer be compromised. We
recognize that it is of paramount
importance to maintain the integrity
of 3D and the enthusiasm of the
customers that come. Frankly, from a
Technicolor standpoint, we're not
going to put our brand on something
that we don't have the highest
TECHNOLOGY
January-March 2010 TW-27
Oculus3D: The New EntrantOn the ShowEast technology
forum, even as Technicolor was
consciously parrying queries about
any competing film 3D solution
providers, a new entrant was
making its way rather quietly, but
convincingly. However, it did create
the required buzz as the whole
debate turned explorative about
the ‘emerging opportunities.’
Oculus3D’s system relies on linear
polarization and a special lens
attachment – the OcculR – which,
unlike Technicolor’s system, is
simply attached to the existing
projector lens. Rather than using
an over/under format, Oculus3D places
the images side-by-side on standard 35-
mm film stock, which the company says
produces a high quality, and brighter
image.
The company does not plan on leasing
the equipment or charging a per ticket
fee. Instead, it will sell the system to
exhibitors outright at a price point.
This will allow the theatre owner to
outfit numerous auditoriums, says the
company.
The technology which is claimed to
make the company’s system workable
was developed by Lenny Lipton, the
inventor of the ZScreen, which
presently drives RealD’s digital 3D
system, as well as Academy Award
and Emmy winner Al Mayer, Jr.,
who spent as many as 26 years
designing Panavision’s motion
picture cameras.
As part of its efforts to push its
systems, and more importantly, the
concept as such, Oculus3D is
planning demonstrations of their
system in Los Angeles towards the
end of 2009.
It is to be seen, how this film will
roll on 3D!
confidence is going to deliver a very
high quality experience. The input
that we've gotten from audiences is
that the quality of this image is
consistent with the quality of digital
3D. We ran 'The Final Destination' at
the AMC in Burbank with the help
of our friends at Warner Bros. for
two weeks when it opened back in
August. The AMC in Burbank is a
high grossing, high profile theatre.
We ran it in both film 3D and digital 3D
simultaneously in auditoriums right
next to each other. We did exit polling.
Three hundred people saw it on film,
three hundred people saw it in digital.
We got the exact same results. Quality
of image, quality of 3D and overall
viewing experience-absolutely no
difference! Again, there are lots of
reasons to have digital beyond this, but
in terms of what the customer
experience has been as articulated
by the customer is fully consistent
with digital 3D. Very important as
well, there was not a single issue
raised by customers who saw it on
film at the AMC. No issues from an
operational perspective from an
exhibition perspective in terms of
audiences having any issues with
what they saw relative to what they
expected to see.
becomes compounded when you
consider issues of overlapping 3D
releases," said Kim Snyder, President,
Entertainment Imaging, and Vice
President, Eastman Kodak Company.
"The industry desperately needs
additional screens to satisfy demands
by studios and movie fans, who
consistently vote for 3D with their
box-office dollar. The Silver Screen
Fund levels the playing field so all
exhibitors can realize the benefits of
3D presentations."
"With the Digital 3D roll-out slowed
significantly by the economy, and
because of the prohibitive cost
associated with digital cinema
conversion, we believe Technicolor's
film-based 3D innovation is the right
solution," said Graeme Parcher, Group
Vice President, FUJIFILM North
American Motion Picture Group. "We
are excited to partner with our industry
colleagues to introduce this significant
advance in film 3D technology."
Production-to-ProjectionSolution
The Technicolor 3D Solution employs a
propriety 'production-to-projection'
system that leverages 35mm (i.e. film-
based) projectors already in use by the
majority of U.S. and international
theatres today to deliver high-quality
3D content to moviegoers. A patent-
pending lens system assembles the left
and right eye images as the film runs
through the projector and delivers a 3D
ready image onto a silver screen. The
solution works with circular polarized
glasses-identical to the ones used for
existing digital 3D cinema-to 'translate'
the film's content into an image that is
perceived by the viewer as being three
dimensional. The silver screen can be
used for the projection of both
Technicolor 3D as well as digital 3D
content. The Technicolor 3D Solution
can be installed nearly immediately. No
build-out or significant modifications of
the projection booth are required.
Hollywood Majors PledgeSupport
Interestingly, even as they continue to
release their movies in digital and 3D
digital media, the major Hollywood
studios have pledged support to the
Technicolor filmy 3D solution.
DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate,
Paramount, Overture, Universal Pictures,
Warner Bros., and The Weinstein
Company are working with Technicolor
to deliver content for presentation in
Technicolor 3D. What's more, as many as
17 3D titles have already been
announced for 2010 outing, while more
of them expected from several
distributors simultaneously. The studios
noted above account for the majority of
these titles, including How to Train Your
Dragon, Piranha 3D, Shrek Forever
After, Despicable Me, Cats & Dogs: The
Revenge of Kitty Galore, Friday the
13th: Part 2; Guardians of Ga'Hoole,
Alpha and Omega, Burst, Oobermind,
and Yogi Bear.
(TW thanks J Sperling Reich for his assistence. He can be reached at [email protected])
TECHNOLOGY
January-March 2010TW-28
Thanks to the onset of technology and digital sophistication, you have seen selling or buying
tickets through SMS, online, kiosks, or PDAs. However, have you ever wondered selling or
buying movie tickets like an air ticket? Movie ticketing is going places, now in the style of an
airline ticketing. Here is how it is (sought to be done)!
Movie ticketing, an important
component of cinema exhibition
business, has been part of its history
as much as the movie itself, and has
seen equal, if not more, number of
transitions since the beginning of the
entertainment format. Cinema
exhibitors and their patrons
worldwide had seen movie ticketing
evolving from the traditional, age-old
over-the-counter tickets to modern
day SMS and Kiosk-based tickets-
transitioning in between through
tele-ticketing, online ticketing and
waist-mounted or handheld PDA-
ticketing.
There have been sporadic
experiments like photographing and
printing the images of the patrons on
the tickets as a means to avoid grey-
market ticketing (a known practice in
some parts of India)! The other
significant and recent change has
been the method of what is called the
'flexi-pricing' themed around the age
of the patron or the timing of the
movie screening.
However, here is the latest take. Sell
movie tickets like an airline does.
ZhetaPricing, a software company
based out of the South American
nation Chile, hopes to change the
homogenous pricing model most
cinemas use. Its primary focus has
been on developing a technology to
help theatre owners maximize and
manage their revenue- by using
SellingMovie TicketsLike Airlines
methods that have been employed by
airlines and hotels.
ZhetaPricing's revenue management
solutions help optimize seating
capacity, or as they like to call it,
inventory availability. By predicting
demand for a given release the
software will allocate inventory across
a time span at different price points.
By responding to realtime sales
analytics the system balances the
availability of seats for VIP customers
while filling seats that would
otherwise go empty.
Most people familiar with air travel or
at least frequent stays in hotels will
have come across this type of price
differentiation while purchasing air
tickets or booking hotel
accommodation. When purchasing
tickets or booking accommodation
far in advance of a trip the cost is
significantly less than when one
shows up at the airport a few hours
before a flight or a hotel straight
away.
Introduced to international exhibitors
in October at the ShowEast
convention in Orlando,
ZhetaPricing apparently got people
buzzing and thinking about box
office ticket sales from a completely
different angle.
The idea of airline-like movie
ticketing is both fascinating and
intriguing. It was not like a strike of a
thought in a dream, it was rather out
of an experience.
"The idea was from one of my
former partners," discloses Tomás
Bercovich C., ZhetaPricing's CEO. "He
went one day to a cinema and there
were just four people in an
auditorium that had space for 200.
He realized that was not logical," he
explains. "There are high fixed costs
with negative marginal costs,
meaning if you give somebody a
ticket for a seat that otherwise would
have gone empty, probably that
person would buy something from
concessions."
It was a perfect scenario for revenue
management which, Berocvich says,
he learned through his industrial
engineering background. That he had
also worked at the revenue
management department at LAN - a
Chilean airline which is actually one
of the few profitable airlines around
the world - added up to his
assumptions, towards formulating to
a concept.
Enthused with the idea, Bercovich
formed ZhetaPricinig, in association
with two of his friends with similar
professional background. Came into
being roughly three years ago, the
company started working in the right
earnest and the first version of the ZP
Cinemas software was released about
a year-and-a-half ago. It followed up
with a second, latest version six
– J Sperling Reich
TECHNOLOGY
January-March 2010 TW-29
months ago, which is reportedly
finding good takers.
When asked how could he
substantiate about his finding takers,
the ZP chief points out to
Hoyts Cinemas and Cinemark in Chile
who have implemented revenue
management powered by
ZhetaPricing. "Our implementation
has helped them increase attendance,
revenue and profits from both ticket
and concession sales," claims
Bercovich. "It has raised customer
loyalty, increased frequency of
attendance and attracted new
customers. Also it has been a powerful
weapon to fight piracy because
instead of buying a cheap pirated
movie, people have been going to the
cinema for an affordable price."
According to him, moviegoers
worldwide - as they have been in in
Chile - will be very happy with
ZhetaPricing's system since they can
go to movies choosing which price to
pay instead of getting forced into
paying an arbitrary price. This way
each one pays what he/she can
afford. More people will be able to
go to the movies and people that
love attending will be able to go
even more!
Allaying concerns that the software
may not work with all the ERP systems
since different exhibition chains or
independent cinemas have different
ERP setups, ZP Cinemas CEO claims the
software as agnostic and user-friendly
too. To make it more easy, ZP
implements the software and trains
people at all company levels to focus
on revenue maximizing, consult for
marketing issues necessary for
introducing the system into a new
market and take care of maximizing
revenues from each show.
According to him, the main concern
exhibitors have is the support from
distributors. Towards addressing this
concern, he met most major
distributors too, and all of them are
said to have understood the logic
behind ZhetaPricing.
"Historical data plus mathematical
models that help predict customer
demand and optimally allocate
inventory to maximize revenues," says
the ZP Cinemas chief. "They saw our
results in the implementations we've
been running and are backing up
ZhetaPricing for future applications in
other countries," he says and adds,
"the main challenge now is to have
the will to increase attendance,
revenues and profits, and to contact
ZhetaPricing!"
Visibly excited about the response he
found from the ShowEast visitors to
ZP's demo, Bercovich is actively
contemplating taking his solution
beyond Chile.
"It was our first international test and
we're pretty confident we have a nice
opportunity ahead," he declares,
"we're planning to market our
solutions in countries like the US,
Mexico, Brazil and Argentina at this
stage."
It will surely take sometime before it
touches the European or the large
Asian shores. However, even before it
attempts to do so, the big question
on everyone's mind, however, is how
theatre owners can change the
purchasing behaviour of moviegoers
which has been enforced over a
lifetime.
(TW thanks J Sperling Reich for his
assistance. He can be reached at
Tomos Bercovich
Prediction for the day for the movie ‘Inglorious Bastards’
TECHNOLOGY
January-March 2010TW-30
Technology makes many things. It's been bringing many things up since the new age cinema
was born- ticketing, seating, interior lighting, digital signage, and now 'designer-3D eyewear.'
The increasing popularity of digital and 3D cinema has brought forth many never-seen-before
concepts and products. The designer-3D eyewear is one such a thing. TW, always in chase of
cinematic happenings, this time presents a gadget that's a story in itself.
Digital cinema and 3D is all over the
place. Along with them, a new genre
of concepts and product solutions is
also coming to hog the cinematic
limelight. When RealD, the market
leading 3D technology provider
showed up with a handful of
announcements at ShowEast recently
about new deals and partnerships, one
was most 'eye-catching' than the
whole lot- not only from the 3D major
but also those from the others.
RealD struck a deal with a goggle
manufacturer Look3D to make
designer 3D eyewear for its
forthcoming 3D digital movie releases.
The Melbourne, Australia-based
eyewear manufacturer actually had a
suite set up at the convention to kick
off a new convention of designer 3D
glasses which in fact grabbed too
many eye balls. Not just because they
were giving away pairs of hip, aviator
style 3D glasses but also because they
had dozens of different style frames
on display and demonstrated them to
those who stopped by with the help
of a 3D television monitor.
It might be
intriguing to
many that what
the designer 3D
glasses are all
about. Simply
put they are the
new genre,
stylish and posh
eyewear in
incredibly
diverse models
but with 3D
content
watching
capability. More,
the units need
Look: Designer Eyewear in 3D!
not be disposed as is being done by
the industry currently- which means
they can be kept by their owner/users;
they can be used for both movie and
television content that is presented in
3D in cinemas and homes respectively.
Look3D has been manufacturing 3D
glasses for the last two-and-half years,
and has already made its place in the
market. "We've sold 100,000 units
already into Greater Union, which is
Australia's largest cinema chain and an
early adopter of digital cinema,"
discloses Rhett Adam, the company's
brand development director.
Adam, who had around five years of
professional background in the
manufacture of Polaroid eyewear,
jumped into manufacture of 3D
glasses for entertainment industry
looking at the exciting opportunities
in the field. "I thought every movie
was going to be 3D so my
expectations were a little higher," he
laughs it away, but hastens to add
"still with 4,500 cinemas prepped for
Avatar and growing it's an industry
with potential growth over the next
10 years."
Understandably for Adams, and his
Look3D, from two-and-a-half years
ago the outfit has worked swiftly to
ensure that they became market
leaders in 3D eyewear: first, by
being the first premium eyewear
company to be certified by RealD;
secondly, by part-purchasing
manufacturing plants in the Far East so
that the latter will help them expand
their 3D vision globally. They were
primarily making sunglasses and
Look3D converted them to making 3D
frames specifically. "There are some
technical elements that we wanted our
staff and workforce to be experts in
rather than them being a sunglass
factory trying to be a 3D glasses
factory we are a solely 3D glasses
factory," explains the Look3D director.
Having developed the critical space for
the specific business case, Look3D
claims now capable of manufacturing
glasses to brand a particular exhibitor.
According to Adam, they can develop
any product in
line with any
requirements
needed as long
as the users are
willing to work
within the
technical
specifications set
down by RealD.
Since the 3D
eyewear
manufacturing is
done under the
licence from
RealD, the US
major must
certify all the
Rhett Adam, Look3D's brand development director, first got theidea to start making designer 3D eyewear when he was workingas a brand manager and product development manager atPolaroid Eyewear. While travelling from Switzerland to Londonon a flight he happened to sit next to someone working in themotion picture industry who casually mentioned that many ofthe major movie releases were going to be in 3D. Adamimmediately wondered if his understanding of polarizationtechnology would be useful during such a transition. Uponreturning to Australia, he left Polaroid and started Look3Dcompany with partners Kris Lacey and Warwick Purves, whoalso run a successful interactive marketing firm.
– J Sperling Reich
TECHNOLOGY
January-March 2010 TW-31
Though the concept of designer
3D eyewear looks fascinating, it
does come with its own set of
challenges, if not concerns from
the exhibitor as well as the
moviewatcher's point of view. Here
is a tete-e-tete with the Look3D
chief, seeking to address them:
The designer 3D glasses arestylish, but they can't be wornas sun glasses…
It has been thrown about in
various media reports that 3D
glasses can be used as sun glasses
from an Australian standards point
of view which is the highest
eyewear standard set in the world.
Because of the opposing axis of
the lens material, most 3D glasses
models fail to meet current
Australian standards. Now, this may
vary in Europe and America but
the major reason why all 3D
sunglass frames will fail is that the
lens material is placed in opposing
axis rather than horizontally and
this can cause what is known as the
Pulfrich effect. The Pulfrich effect is
a psychophysical phenomenon
created where the lateral motion
of an object in the field of view is
interpreted by the visual cortex as
having a depth component, due to
a relative difference in signal
timings between the two eyes.
The widely accepted explanation
of the apparent depth is that a
reduction in retinal illumination
relative to the
fellow eye yields a
corresponding
delay in signal
transmission, which
causes
instantaneous
spatial disparity in
moving objects. This
seems to occur
because visual
system latencies are
generally shorter for
bright targets as
compared to dim
Looking Through the 3D Glassestargets. This motion with depth is the
visual system's solution to a moving
target when a difference in retinal
luminance, and hence a difference in
signal latencies, exists between the
two eyes. So for instance, it's unsafe
to drive with 3D glasses on because of
the movement involved.
Any example of a customer whohas had some success with theglasses?
Greater Union are currently offering
presale tickets for Avatar and what
they're offering is an initial buy-in
with presale tickets and owning your
own glasses. Presale tickets went on
sale three weeks ago and they've
already sold just under 10,000
glasses. That's $25 on top of the
ticket price.
How do exhibitors sell theglasses…
With Greater Union, we got display
stands at the box office; we also
have where they can touch feel, try
on, look in a mirror and see what
they look like. We also suggest
exhibitors put in 3D monitors in the
candy bar which show 3D content so
that when customers put on the
glasses they see the effect
immediately. We are placing the
product next to the candy on hand
sale bags so they can just be selected
and purchased at the candy cashier.
And there's the online presale ticket
portion of that as well.
Challenges before theexhibitors in selling theglasses…
I think the biggest challenge is
themselves in terms moving outside
their current model of selling candy
and being able to explore how to
integrate the sale of 3D glasses into
their programme. I always point
out to them it's not a cap, it's not a
t-shirt, it's not a mug that you're
selling, the 3D glasses are an
integrated piece of the story telling.
So I think it's going to be a much
easier sell. And also, once 3D TV
comes in, it will also be a hub
where you can see the latest 3D
glasses and can purchase to take
home and watch your 3D TV or
video game.
Traditional eyewearmanufacturers might get intothe designer 3D glassesbusiness…
I'm sure a lot of eyewear companies
are going to venture down this
programme. It is a unique
manufacturing technique which
most of them aren't set up for. I also
think some of the designer brands
won't be able to meet the price
point. They won't want to attach
their brands to the current price
point requirements. The last thing
you want to do is go to the movies
and pay for $26 worth of tickets,
you buy some candy and that's
another $20 and then you buy a
$100 pair of 3D
glasses. At the
moment I don't
think that's going to
work. The designer
companies aren't
going to reduce
their price point and
pull their brand
down, but when 3D
TV comes out and
you buy a $10,000
3D TV, sure they'll
probably sell a $100
frame.
TECHNOLOGY
January-March 2010TW-32
glasses before Look3D is allowed to go
into mass production.
Capitalising on the initial success,
Adam and his Co. have also developed
what they call a movie collection
which is themed in line with next
year's top 3D movie releases. So, there
is a Toy Story movie frame which is
coloured similar to some of the toys
one would find in any kids room. They
have a Shrek pair too which has the
skin texture of Shrek.
"Potentially we're working on the
Friday the 13th mask which is a hockey
mask with the 3D lenses in the eyes so
the cinema goer can be drawn into
the film even further," informs Adam,
"We should have a prototype of that
in about 30 days."
Having got into the big league
through licence from RealD, Look3D is
also looking at the possibilities of
working with other 3D system solution
providers like MasterImage. However,
it wants to go a little cautious; it is
currently focused on RealD and
ensuring that they set a business
model. "We roll out a model with
RealD initially, and then later possibly
focus on the other manufacturers of
3D Systems," explains Adam. "Our
objective is to get something right first
and then grow rather than just grow."
According to him, there're a lot of
directions this product can go in.
Working with exhibitors and also the
studios in formulating a plan that
reaches out not only to the major
exhibition chains but also
independent exhibitors who want to
show a point of difference and create
a new revenue stream outside their
normal platform is going to take
significant time in perfecting before
they can look at other systems.
Obviously, RealD's licensing, and the
ability to manufacture themed 3D
glasses is one, finding the support of
the major studios that have the final,
or most influential, say in the
Hollywood-centric global cinema
industry is the other. Look3D looks
quite optimistic about finding
Hollywood's endorsement of its
product line. The studios believe that
they need to take a leading role for
two reasons, says the Look3D director.
The first being most of them have an
environmental impact programme
and they need to find solutions to
resolve the single-use lenses being
thrown away. Also, it makes
commercial sense for them to try and
pass on the current expense of
disposable glasses in the form of their
subsidies to exhibitors by having an
available option for consumers to
purchase 3D glasses.
Adam assumes that it is actually a
natural progression of where the
market is going. "Once people have
3D TV's in their home, no one will
want a disposable uncomfortable
pair," he asserts, "they'll want their
own personal, functional and
fashionable piece of Eyewear"
Though equipped with a global license
to promote their premium 3D eyewear
in every cinematic territory, Look3D is
initially rolling out the product in
countries it feels comfortable with- i.e.
Australia and North America. Their
showcasing at ShowEast did bring
them adequate interest from the South
American as well as the European
markets as well, and they are seriously
exploring the options.
So, here is a case of new
entertainment and business. Let the
exhibitors and their patrons 'look'
through the 3D and make the best out
of it.
(TW thanks J Sperling Reich for his
assistance. He can be reached at
TECHNOLOGY
While most cinemas worldwide have been trying to shrug off the recessive pressures, it is
rejuvenation time for some, may be as a means to beat recession. For The Majestic theatre in
Yakima, Washington - one of the oldest theatres in the US - it was one such occasion when the
grand old cinema refurbished its ambience with digital sophistication. A quick snapshot.
Yakima Theatres - regarded as one of
the oldest running theatres in the US -
has been part of the American
cinematic history since their
emergence onto the scenario in 1912.
Originally, the theatre featured stage
acts and road shows, and the company
has progressed through film's entire
history. Having been through a
significant period of slumber, it was
reopened in 2005 with total
refurbishment and renamed
after the original Majestic.
Running under the aegis of
Stephen Mercy - a fourth
generation entrepreneur
stewarding the cinema
company that now owns
three theatre locations with
24 screens in the greater
Yakima area - The Majestic
grew as a fitting tribute to
MakingA Majestic Glow
the original. Having tasted success in
the modern era, the cinema sought to
redefine its ambience in line with the
digital era. The result: A state-of-the-
art digital signage that has
transformed the theatre lobbies and
interior areas into a new fancy place
altogether.
The task of digital transformation of
'The Majestic' interiors had been
entrusted to the Texas-based digital
signage solutions leader Texas Digital
who accomplished the task just
recently, much to the fascination of
the theatre owners as well as their
patrons.
Yakima Theatres chose Texas Digital's
VitalCAST solution to showcase its
concessions, box office and
auditoriums in a more professional,
visually appealing format.
"Digital signage gives you
more options. It's easier to
change, and it's got more
'pow' to it than some of the
static signage," said
Jeneanne Siekawitch, Yakima
Theatres' marketing and
advertising director.
The Majestic's installation
included four 42-inch LCD
Established in 1972, Texas Digital is aleading provider of digital signage solutions,with over 22,000 units installed worldwide.Texas Digital's customers include leaders inthe entertainment industry from movietheatres to theme parks to sports stadiums,arenas and other entertainment venues.
C I N E M A S Y S T E M S
January-March 2010TW-34
screens in the concessions area, two
42-inch screens in the box office, two
52-inch screens in the lobby as
directionals, and one 22-inch LCD at
the entrance of each theatre for all 10
screens. Powered by VitalCAST
software, these screens can now
feature digital menu boards, movie
posters and trailers, and movie title
and show time information
automatically relayed from their
point-of-sale ticketing system.
Additionally, all screens can be
updated on-site with no downtime.
"The biggest things that drew me to
VitalCAST are the capabilities that the
system has," said Stephen Mercy. "It
basically allows us to do whatever we
wish - take content from Texas Digital
or get it from somewhere else. We
enjoy the flexibility."
Yakima Theatres General Manager
Dale Carpenter is excited about the
implementation of digital signage.
"Obviously it looks attractive. When
people look at something that's easy
on the eyes, they tend to look at it
longer," he said. By featuring
concessions products and movie
offerings on digital screens with
eyecatching videos and imagery,
Yakima Theatres hopes to promote
interest and remind people of what
they're selling.
"VitalCAST is an excellent solution for
an independent theatre chain like
Yakima Theatres because it allows for
quick and complete control of their
theatre's total signage by their existing
in-house personnel - there is no need
for an IT staff in order to manage the
system," said Dennis Davidson,
president and CEO of Texas Digital.
C I N E M A S Y S T E M S
January-March 2010 TW-35
The CineMec complex in Holland is a
state-of-the-art cineplex which
doubles as a conference centre.
Housed in a contemporary building
with striking architecture, the award-
winning enterprise, owned by Gerben
Kuipers, is located in Ede, just 50
minutes from Amsterdam.
Ostentatious cinema, as it is, CineMec
made its boldest statement in summer
this year when it opened a new 3D
screen - called CineMec XL - as the
largest 3D cinema auditorium in the
Dutch domain. The cinema is
characterised by, among others, an
awesome 20,000-watt (RMS) of
purpose-designed QSC cinema
surround sound.
The architectural speciality of the
cinema is that the auditorium can host
over 1,000 visitors and some seats can
be lifted to the ceiling to convert the
cinema into a multi-purpose hall for
concerts, congresses or similar events.
Dutch cinema installation specialists
FTT Filmtronics B.V. (FTT) - who were
entrusted with the task of installing
the audio system - based their
specification around a matched system
from QSC Audio, using no fewer than
44 loudspeakers.
This includes a combination of their
SR-46 4 x 6.5in two-way surround
speakers, SB-7218 dual 18in
subwoofer, SC-444 four-way (4 x 15in)
screen channel speakers. These are
powered by ten QSC DCA2422 and
four QSC DCA1222 two-channel
digital cinema amplifiers, controlled
through an advanced DCM30
processor.
This device provides signal processing
and monitor functions in a single
integrated system, optimising
loudspeaker performance and covering
cinema systems ranging from three to
five screen channels, 5.1 and 7.1
systems. DCM Digital Cinema Monitors
are also compatible with all cinema
processor formats including Dolby
Digital Surround-EX and DTS-ES.
Thomas Ruettgers, General Manager
of FTT's head office Film Ton Technik
in Germany, says: "There are quite a
number of special features that have
to be taken into account when
implementing such an extraordinary
project. QSC products are perfectly
designed to meet all these special
requirements - that is why we decided
to install their audio systems at
CineMec in Ede."
Danny Pickett, Key Accounts Manager
QSC Audio Products LLC, stated that it
had been a pleasure to work with FTT
to satisfy the client's unique needs.
Three-D cinemas are nothing new today, thanks to the emergence of new genre of
entertainment technologies. However, making a 3D digital cinema out of a convention centre
and elevating the audio ambience with awesome sound system is what differentiates the
unique from the ordinary. This time, it is the CineMec, the largest 3D screen in Holland, and
the honour of making it distinct is with QSC's new, purpose-designed audio system.
Extra Large Audiofor XL Cinema
C I N E M A S Y S T E M S
January-March 2010TW-36
"Working in this exciting space has
really paid off for all involved -
especially the audiences attending
shows there."
With a seating capacity for 1050
people, 160m2 (20m x 8.10m) of silver
screen and two Christie digital
projectors, CineMec XL has
immediately established itself as the
leading digital 3D cinema in Holland.
Having also been the first company in
Holland to go digital - which was
done in 2003 - CineMec today boasts
as many as eight modern digital
theatres.
The CineMec-XL is also proving to be
an important venue for hosting key
conferences for national corporations -
offering facilities ranging from live
satellite transmissions in high
definition format on the big screen to
infinite digital sound and image
potential for audio-visual
presentations. In fact, part of the
International Cinema Technology
Association (ICTA) seminar took place
there in June this year.
CineMec XL kicked off the 2009
summer with a specially-constructed
3D programme - including 'U2 3D' to
coincide with the band's concert in
Amsterdam Arena on July 20-21. It is
using its new 3D system with passive
3D glasses (each eye served by its own
projector, each equipped with a
circular polarisation system). This
means that both the left and the right
eye receive only the images provided
by its respective projector.
The demand for 3D films in Holland is
increasing rapidly they say, and spread
over a seven week period, CineMec
registered 3836 visitors to the film
'Bolt' in 2D as opposed to 5168 to the
3D version of the same film. This
developing worldwide trend was
confirmed during this year's
International Cannes Film Festival,
when the latest 3D animation film 'Up'
from Pixar opened the festival to
positive press reviews.
C I N E M A S Y S T E M S
In Part-I of Unit-VII published in the last issue, we discussed
various aspects of the work environment that the
projectionists get engaged with as part of their job, and few
measures how it can be made better for overcoming the
periodical challenges. In this issue, as Part-II of the same Unit,
we various issues of projection job that come with legal
implications, and how projectionists need to handle them,
besides their actual job of movie projection.
Keeping withinthe law
Projection Series - XXVII
Every cinema operates within a legal
framework, and it is always a good idea
to know a bit about it. Before a cinema
prepares to open up to the public, it is
mandatory for it to obtain a licence from
the local authority. In order to get the
licence, and keep it all through the
cinema's existence, the cinema manager
has to be able to furnish evidence of the
safety and efficiency of the cinema's
operative systems in the form of
certificates issued by various authorities.
Different local authorities would have
different requirements. However, there
are certain areas of cinema operations
that are common for all the
moviehouses, irrespective of the territory:
• Lighting
• Ventilation
• Electrical installation
• Building/Structural safety
• Fire
• Boiler
Because projectionists are normally
required to carry out routine
maintenance on such systems, it is
worth knowing what the minimum
requirements are to obtain these
certificates, which have to be annually
renewed following inspections. It is
also worth noting that the licence is
held by one named person and that
either that person or some other audit
nominated by him or her "… shall be
present in the premises at all times
when the public are on the premises."
The main ways in which the need for a
licence will affect you will be in
facilitating the necessary inspections,
in helping to make sure that the
various systems are passed and in
enforcing the provisions of each film's
classification, which affects who may
or may not be admitted to a film
showing.
Most people know about the british
system of film classification, as
cinemagoers, but people who work in
cinemas have a special responsibility to
be completely iamiliar with it, as they
have to police it.
The classification system is currently
administered nationally by the british
board of film classification, which is an
independent, non-governmental
body which views all films due for
release, and classifies them according
to a set of agreed categories. It has
itself no regulatory or legislative
powers, but can only persuade. The
power to regulate what films are
shown, and to whom, resides solely in
local authorities, who grant your
cinema's licence. Having earned the
trust of local authorities, the BBFC
provides a convenient framework for
the authorities to exercise their
statutory powers.
Local authority powers are wide
ranging, including cutting films,
baning them altogether, waiving cuts
or altering the recommended
classification. They can do any of these
things against the recommendations
of the BBFC if they see fit.
Naturally, the conditions imposed by
cinema licences differ form one
C I N E M A S Y S T E M S
January-March 2010TW-38
Film classification notices outside the cinema
authority to another, but many adopt
model licensing conditions suggested
by the home office, which include:
• No film, other than a current
newsreel, shall be exhibited unless
it has received a certificate of the
British Board of Film classification
or is the subject of the licensing
authority's permission
• No young people shall be
admitted to any exhibition of a
film classified by the BBFC as
unsuitable for them, unless with
the local authority's permission
• No film shall be exhibited if the
licensing authority gives notice in
writing prohibiting its exhibition
on the ground that it "would
offend against good taste or
decency or would be likely to
encourage or incite crime or lead
to disorder or to be offensive to
public feeling"
• The nature of the certificate given
to any film shall be indicated in
any advertising for the film, at the
cinema entrance (together with an
explanation of its effect), and on
the screen immediately before the
film is shown
• Displays outside the cinema shall
not depict any scene or incident
not in the film as approved
• No advertising shall be displayed
at the premises if the licensing
authority gives notice in writing
objecting to it on the same
grounds as apply to the
prohibition of films
(There are extra recommendations for
cinemas in London.)
For people who work in cinemas the
practical outcomes of such principles
are fairly obvious. If your local
authority accepts the BBFC
classification (and most of the time it
does,) it is tantamount to the law, as far
as your cinema is concerned. This
means for instance that your must
enforce the exclusion of young people
as and when the classification indicates.
It means that your manager, who may
delegate to you, is responsible for the
advertising of the film in the press and
outside the cinema.
It means that you must make sure the
classification certificate appears
immediately before the film, and that
you should make sure it is the right
one.
On occasion, projectionists may be
required either to cut sections of a
film, or to splice back in sections which
have been removed previously, when
ordered by the local authority, when it
requires a different version from the
BBFC recommended version. Such
alterations must be checked by the
authority before showing.
The current classification categories
will be well know to you, but for the
record they are:
U Universal. Suitable for all.
Uc Particularly suitable for
young children
PG Parental Guidance. Some scenes
may be unsuitable for children
12 Suitable only for persons of
twelve years and over
15 Suitable only for persons of
fifteen years and over
18 Suitable only for persons of
eighteen years and over
R18 For restricted distribution only,
through specially licensed
cinemas or sex shops to which
no one under eighteen is
admitted.
As with other aspects of doing the
job, polices and provisions for
training and development vary
widely between companies. In
general, until recently, training for
projectionists has not been
considered a priority, and there are
no full time courses in colleges in
England. There is instead a long and
honorable tradition of "learning
from Nellie", and apprenticeships,
where the emphasis is on learning on
the job.
Some companies do provide off-the-
job courses, such as induction courses
and courses concerned, such as
induction courses and courses
concerned with new technology.
Equipment and system suppliers also
run courses as a serviced to the
industry, in support of their
products. This manual, sponsored by
the Cinema Exhibitors' Association
represents the first systematic
attempt to provide projectionists
with knowledge about their job on a
distance learning basis, to provide an
alternative way to learn about the
job. The BKSTS also have a very
active and successful training unit
which runs regular courses and
publishes much useful support
material. For those who wish
broaden their understanding of the
film production industry, the British
film institute have a range of
valuable publications on the history
of the cinema, and publish a guide
to public media courses.
Many manufacturers also publish free
technical literature in support of their
products, and a library of such
information can be built up over time,
C I N E M A S Y S T E M S
January-March 2010 TW-39
BKSTS projectionists’ sound training course
just for the asking, to form a very
valuable learning and reference resource.
The industry training Organisation for
the "broadcasting, film and video
industry" is Skillset. It is not itself a
training provider, but does have
responsibilities to introduce industry-
wide quality standards and
competence-based qualifications
(NB|VQ), research training needs, raise
awareness of training and
development issues, and negotiate
funding for training in the UK.
Another useful learning resource is the
BKSTS journal "cinema Technology",
which regularly carries all kinds of
information about issues of concern to
projectionists, often written by
professional experts. The projectionist
has two areas of interest in training. The
first is to get trained yourself, and the
second is to help others get it. In both
cases, opportunities will depend very
much on whether or not your company
encourages training, and is willing to
pay for it. Even if training is not
systematic in your company, there is
quite a lot you can do about it yourself:
• Adopt a positive attitude towards
your own learning you are never
too old to learn
• Make it clear to your management
when you have real training need
• Find out what courses are available
before you request off-the-job
training
• Make the vest use of more
experienced colleagues as prime
learning resource
• Do not pretend you know how to
do something when you don't ask
to be shown
• Learn from your mistakes
• When you are experienced, help
others by taking on a training role
yourself
• Read widely about all aspects of
your craft
• Join a professional association
It is generally agreed that assessment
of how you do your job is a good
thing, along, with training and
development, motherhood and apple
pie, but again, how much of it is one,
and how effective it is , varies from
company to company.
Experiencedprojectionists cantrain on-the-job...
...and carry out jobassessments
C I N E M A S Y S T E M S
January-March 2010TW-40
REVIEW
26-29 OctoberOrlando World Center Marriott,Orlando, Florida
2009
The ProgrammingThe seminars and tech sessions at
ShowEast this year were geared
mostly towards digital cinema
topics, with the odd broad industry
speech thrown in for good
measure. Traditionally, the first day
of ShowEast has always been
dedicated to International Day to
give exhibitors from around the
world an opportunity to discuss
emerging trends and to preview
product reels from major studios.
The Monday session began with a
keynote address from Tom Molter,
Warner Bros. Senior Vice- President
of International Distribution. His
slick presentation was chock full of
statistical figures about the growth
of digital cinema around the globe.
Molter focused a large percentage
of his presentation on the Latin
America region where the digital
conversion is expected to pick up
steam, especially in countries such as
Mexico and Brazil. It was thus no
surprise Warner Bros. and other
studios were keeping an eye on Latin
America. For, while the region only
contains 9 per cent of the world's
movie screens, it accounts for 16 per
cent of movie ticket sales and 13 per
cent of worldwide box office revenue.
In 2009, till end September, the
region's box office was found to be up
5 per cent, and is only behind India
and China as the fastest growing
territory. Movies such as Fox's Ice Age:
Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and Warner
Bros.' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince have been counted among the
top grossing films of all time in the
region.
"Digital growth is expected to be
particularly robust in Mexico and
Brazil," Molter noted in his address.
The 2009 edition of ShowEast was held at the Orlando Marriott in Orlando, Florida, from October 26th
through October 29. This year's conference marked the 25th anniversary of the exhibitor trade show which
is often referred to as a sister convention to ShoWest, held each spring in Las Vegas. This year's event took
place amidst one of the worst economic downturns in over 80 years. There was, indeed, a great deal of talk
about how the recession was affecting the motion picture exhibition industry.
As usual, the four-day confab gave attendees a sneak peek at some much anticipated fall movie titles some
of which are probably headed for Oscar nominations. The event, which has also become known for having a
heavy Latin American presence, this year was no different. Most, if not all, of the major Latin American
exhibitors turned up to seek information as digital cinema begins to be rolled out in earnest within the
territory. The hot subject, obviously, was none other digital 3D content, not only because of high profile
releases such as Avatar but also because the 3D is clearly driving the adoption of digital cinema technology.
Another interesting fact from
Molter's presentation was the
growing percentage of box office
revenue earned in foreign (non-
North American) territories. In 2000,
foreign box office made up 46 per
cent of worldwide grosses, and by
2008, the figure increased to 65 per
cent raking in $9.67 billion.
International Day also featured a
panel discussion titled 'Working
Together: Using New Media and
Market Best Practices to Attract
Moviegoers' where executives from
some of Latin America's biggest
circuits and largest distributors took
to the dais to talk about how the
Internet was becoming more
important in attracting moviegoers.
Laura Rama, Walt Disney
International's Vice-President of
Studio Marketing said though the
TV was still the largest medium for
January-March 2010 TW-41
introducing a new film to
audiences, the studio had shifted a
large portion of its movie
marketing budget to the Internet.
Alejandro Ramirez Magana, the
CEO of Cinepolis, says his circuit
uses Facebook to reach out to over
100,000 customers, informing them
of upcoming releases and special
promotions.
The second day's focus was on
'Financing the Move to Digital
Cinema in an Uncertain Economy.
Moderated by Michael Karagosian,
President of MKPE consulting, the
panel discussion included some big
names in the North American digital
cinema rollout, including the CEO's
from two of the continent's largest
integrators, Bud Mayo of Cinedigm
and Travis Reid of Digital Cinema
Implementation Partners (DCIP). Reid
mentioned that DCIP was very close
to getting the $525 million it needs
to commence the rollout at AMC,
Regal and Cinemark, while Mayo
pitched exhibitors on the increased
revenue that can be earned by
showing digital 3D films. "It's not just
to have cool technology up on your
screens," said Mayo. "We've seen the
incremental increase in revenue that
3D allows."
Mayo went on to mention
Cinedigm's new programme which
allows exhibitors to pay for the
equipment on their own, letting
the integrator administer a circuit's
virtual print fees.
Financial contribution toward a
digital conversion seems to be
important to lenders such as
JPMorgan. Andy Sriubas, Managing
Director of JPMorgan said that
banks want theatre owners to have
a little "skin in the game" when
converting their venues to digital.
The third day's tech session was
sponsored by Technicolor. The motion
picture lab recently announced a film-
based 3D system that would allow
exhibitors to show 3D content without
the expensive cost of converting to
digital. The programme has some
skeptics, with some claiming it will hold
up the worldwide rollout of digital
cinema equipment. However, several
major studios have pledged their
support of the system with Fox and
Disney being notably absent from the
list. To help defray the cost of the silver
screens required for Technicolor's
system, the company announced the
Silver Screen Fund, a joint-venture with
Kodak, Fuji and Deluxe set up to equip
500 auditoriums with the special screens.
Movies
The first day of ShowEast featured
Overture Films' The Men Who Stare At
Goats, starring George Clooney. The
film, which is likely headed toward
numerous award nominations was
featured on Tuesday along with
Lionsgate's vampire fest Daybreakers
starring Ethan Hawke and Willem
Dafoe. The third day presented three
titles to those attending the trade show,
including Freestyle Releasing's period
piece 'Me and Orson Welles, 'Warner
Bros. Pictures' 'The Blind Side' starring
Sandra Bullock and Sony's tent-pole
effects driven '2012' from director
Roland Emerich. Screening on the last
day of the event was the much praised
Lionsgate release 'Precious' based on
the novel 'Push' by Sapphire as well as
Apparation's historical costume drama
The Young Victoria".
Awards
ShowEast had been awarding several
executives with special prizes during
the International Day proceedings.
Over the past decade most of the
awards have gone to those working
in Latin America as was the case this
year. Jose "Pepe" Victoria, General
Manager of UIP Panama was
conferred upon with International
Distributor of the Year award, while
Caribbean Cinemas head film buyer
Mike Moraskie (formerly of
Cinepolis) was honoured with an
award for Outstanding
Achievements in International
Exhibition. The Anti-Piracy Latin
American Government Leadership
Award was handed out to Jorge
Amigo, the Director General of The
Mexican Industrial Property
Institute. He had a great laugh line
in his acceptance speech when he
joked, "The only kind of pirates we
like are 'Pirates of the Caribbean'."
Inducted into the ShowEast Hall Of
Fame during an annual luncheon
moderated by Clark Woods of
Marquee Cinemas was MaryAnn
Anderson of Anderson Consulting,
Jerry Brand of Brand Booking, Mike
Mihalich of MJR Theatres and Bill
Towey of National Amusements.
Two inductees have been entered
posthumously; Bob Capps of
Columbia/TriStar and Wayne
Lewellen, the former head of
domestic distribution for
Paramount Pictures.
The final night's award ceremony
saw Warner Bros. Pictures' Kelly
O'Connor win the Al Shapiro
Distinguished Service Award. The
evening's other big winners were
Stewart Harnell of Cinema Concepts
who was presented with the Show
"E" Award and AMC Theatres' head
film buyer Sonny Gourley who was
honoured with the Salah M.
Hassanein Humanitarian Award.
January-March 2010TW-42
Tradeshow
The exhibit floor was filled by 190
companies from all over the world.
Conference mainstays such as
Ballantyne Strong, Barco, Christie,
Cinedigm, Cinema Concepts,
Doremi, Harkness Screens, JBL/
Crown, Mars Snackfood, NEC,
Osramp, Philips, QSC Audio, Qube
Cinema, Radiant Systems, Schneider
Optics, Sony Electronics and Vista
Entertainment Solutions were
joined by such newcomers as D-Box
Technologies, Danley Sound Labs,
Look3D and ZhetaPricing.
Notably absent from this year's
tradeshow floor were Dolby and
DTS (now Datasat Digital
Entertainment) who chose to host
customers in private suites.
New Products
Announcements of new products
started out with a bang on the very
first day with NEC launching three
new digital cinema projectors with
three brightness levels for screens up
to 105 feet wide. The NC1200C
provides 9,000 lumens of brightness
for screen sizes of up to 46 feet wide,
the NC2000C throws 17,000 lumens
for screens up to 65 feet wide, and
the NC3200S blasts out 31,000 lumens
for screens up to 105 feet wide.
Sony followed by launching a new
projector of their own, the SRX-
R320 4K SXRD projector. The 4K
projector uses the LMT-300 Media
Block and measures approximately
half the size and weight allowing
an for a range of installation
options. Not to be outdone,
Christie Digital released a new series
of projectors, the Christie Solaria
product line includes the CP2210,
CP2220 and CP2230 all of which are
2K and 4L-ready and will be
available in the first half of 2010.
Doremi announced the next
version of their digital cinema
mastering hardware, the Rapid and
Rapid-2X mastering stations with
JPEG200 support for bit rates up to
250 Mbs. Datasat Digital
Entertainment upgraded their
digital cinema server, the DC20, with
two new playback formats; Flash and
QuickTime.
Datasat Digital Entertainment also
introduced the AP20 Audio Processor.
The processor boasts the flexibility of
working with either digital or 35mm
content, has 16 channels of fully
routable audio, Dirac auto room
tuning and capability of connecting
numerous non-sync devices. Golden
Link launched IML glow in the dark
drink cups. Irwin seating announced
several new options for their VIP chair,
including a retractable foot rest, swivel
tables and drink tables. Jack Roe
brought to market a new add-on to
their Jacro Premiere cinema display
system that includes a 1080p
touchscreen trailer display. Moving
iMage Technologies introduced the IS-
303 Phase Spike Arrestor to prevent AC
power surges from destroying
valuable cinema equipment. POS
vendor Omniterm has created the
ABO6300, a new ticketing kiosk.
Osram's new XBO 4200/HPS OFR lamp
was created specifically for the Sony
SRX R220 Digital Projection System to
satisfy the high luminance levels
required by the projector. Schneider
Optics announced the DiStar HD lens
which was designed for digital cinema
projectors employing the DLP 1.2" 2K
chipset.
Titan Technology launched their
Velvet Rope application which enables
exhibitors to offer presale and VIP
tickets for upcoming events. Tivoli
introduced the new Platinum Series
Full Spectrum replaceable LED lighting
system. Vista Entertainment Solutions
is now offering an application for
Facebook which allows customers to
look up showtimes and purchase
tickets directly from the popular social
networking site.
ZhetaPricing demonstrated ZP Cinemas
2.0 and ZP Management, two software
applications that allow theatre owners
to efficiently manage prices and
auditorium capacity by predicting
demand and utilizing price
differentiation to increase box office
revenue.
January-March 2010 TW-43
PREVIEW
8-10 December 2009Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
Floor Plan
CineAsia 2009 - the 17th edition of
Asia's premier convention and
tradeshow on motion picture
exhibition industry - will be held from
8-10 December at the Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Centre,
Hong Kong. Hoping to beat the
recessive pressures and be in tune with
wider participants' demand, the three-
day convention has moved back to
Hong Kong, after almost a decade.
Notwithstanding the global market
pressures, this year's CineAsia promises
in-depth deliberations on digital
cinema and 3D, besides other
important subjects- but with a prime
focus on the Chinese exhibition
industry that had been one of the
biggest promises of the global
industry.
The three-day convention will open
with a focused seminar on 'A New
Dimension to China,' that will have as
its panellists Michael Archer, vice-
president-Doremi Digital Cinema;
Yang Buting, Chairman-China Film
Distribution and Exhibition
Association; Dr. Man-Nang Chong,
CEO- GDC Technology; Y.C. Chu,
Deputy General Manager, Media Asia
Group; and Dr. David Chung, Head of
Information Technology Operations-
Hong Kong Cyberport Management
Company Ltd.
The opening day will have product
presentations from United
International, Paramount Pictures, and
Universal Pictures, followed by the
post-lunch opening of the tradeshow.
The evening will have two movie
screenings- Walt Disney's 'The Princess
and the Frog,' followed later in the
night by Paramount Pictures' 'Up in
the Air.'
Day two will open with a joint seminar
by CineAsia and ICTA (International
Cinema Theatres' Association). The
technical session titled 'A Digital
Update,' will have the industry
updates brought to the forum by Tony
Adamson, manager-worldwide
customer marketing, DLP Cinema; Ray
M. C. Seok, general manager-Digital
Cinema of Korea; Ranjit Thakur, CEO,
January-March 2010TW-44
Barco NV 301
Changzhou Yuyu Electric Light Appliance Co., Ltd. 501
CHRISTIE 201
Cinemeccanica SPA 107
Dolby Laboratories 205
Doremi Cinema 305
Ferco Seating Systems 314
First Audio Manufacturing (HK) LTD 505
GDC Technology 311
Golden Link Inc. 112
Guangdong Pearl River Cine & Video Equipment Co. 810
Harbin Cinema Equipment 415
Harkness Screens 214
International Cinema Technology Association 106
Jos. Schneider Optische Werke Gmbh 405
K.C.S. Kelonik Cinema Sound 115
Kendar Engineering 315
Kinoton GmbH 806
Monee & Company Private Limited 108
Nissin Optical 104
OSRAM Asia Pacific Limited 304
Philips Specialty Lighting 404
Preferred Popcorn 802
Qingdao Fuyi Flame Retardant Acoustical Materials 812
Qsc Audio Products 100
Quantas Popstar Int'l Co. Ltd. 511
Qube Cinema Inc. 803
Star Screen (Anhui Ma'anshan) Co.,Ltd 811
Strong International 101
Tianjin Cineprojector Factory 515
TheatreWorld
Ultra Stereo Labs 206
Ushio Inc. 804
Vista Entertainment Solutions 215
Zhang Jia Gang Century Union Audio & Visual Equip 503
ExhibitorsScrabble Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.,
India; and Naoshi Yoda, managing
director, T-Joy, Tokyo.
In the following ICTA session, Andrew
Robinson of Harkness Hall would
provide 'screen facts,' Bill Mead of
DCinema Today, and Jason Brenek of
Disney would present the 3D
dynamics, while Michael Archer of
Doremi would dwell on maintenance
of digital cinema servers.
The day-two evening would be
marked by trailer presentations from
the footages of the much anticipated
Avatar, besides Alice in Wonderland,
How to Train Your Dragon, and Shrek
Forever After on the Imax 3D digital
format.
The much sought after programme of
the event of Awards Nite this time, like
the previous editions, will have a
distinct profile. The CineAsia Exhibitor
of the Year Award for 2009 would be
conferred upon the Golden Screen
Cinemas. Irving Chee, chief general
manager of the Malaysian cinema
major would receive the award.
The most interesting award this time,
however, is the DLP Market
Achievement Award, being given to
Sathyam Cinemas of India. The
Chennai-based cinema operator had
been making big waves in Indian
exhibition business for some time now,
and has ambitious expansion plans.
Besides, Sunder Kimatrai, of 20th
Century Fox has been chosen for the
'Distributor of the Year' award, while
Media Asia Group Ltd. Chairman Peter
Lam would be honoured with the
Producer of the Year award. The 'Asia-
Pacific Copyright Educator Award'
would be presented to noted
producer Raymond Wong.
Overall, CineAsia 2009 is expected to
debate and look for some directions to
the global and the Asian industry for a
recession-proof march ahead.
January-March 2010 TW-45
EVENT CALENDER
WINTER 2009
DECEMBER 8-10
CINEASIA,HONG KONG
www.cineasia.com
SPRING 2010
FEBRUARY 12-14
CINEMA TODAY,HYDERABAD, INDIA
www.cinematoday.in
MARCH 15-18
SHOWEST,LAS VEGAS, USA
www.showest.com
MARCH 16-18
FRAMES,MUMBAI, INDIA
www.ficci-frames.com
SUMMER 2010
JUNE 21-24
CINEMA EXPOAMSTERDAM, HOLLAND
www.cinemaexpo.com
AUGUST 15-19
AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONALMOVIE CONVENTION
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIAwww.movieconvention.com.au
AUGUST
BIRTV,BEIJING, CHINAwww.birtv.com
SEPTEMBER
KINO EXPO,ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
www.kinoexpo.ru
AUTUMN 2010
OCTOBER 11-14
SHOWEAST,FLORIDA, USA
www.showeast.com
Cinema Today 2010, the fourth
edition of convention and
tradeshow on Indian cinema
entertainment and associated
industry segments would be held in
Hyderabad from 12-14 February,
2010, at the Hyderabad
International Convention Centre,
Hyderabad. After hosting two
editions of the event in its
birthplace Chennai and the one in
Mumbai, Cinema Today is travelling
to Hyderabad for the fourth
outing.
The expo, as is now known to the
industry for its programming, will
showcase the latest technology,
equipment and services of cinema,
including digital cinema, and non-
cinematic entertainment like
broadcast, pro sound and light,
besides media industry.
That the entertainment
industry had been
undeterred by the
recession pressures –
despite the economic
down turn keeping the
business spirit low in
most industry streams – is expected
to augur well for the Cinema Today
2010. With the kind of explosive
growth taking place across all the
segments of the entertainment
industry in the region, the event is
expected to live up to the
expectations of the industry.
Visitors from all over India, with a
majority from South Indian states,
and from neighbouring Sri Lanka
are expected to attend the three-
day event. The show has gained a
lot of momentum and has become
a familiar event in the industry
circles. The support of industry
related associations, media
partnerships and a focused
promotional campaign is hoped to
ensure that the target visitors do
not the miss the event.
12-14 FEBRUARY 2010HYDERABAD, INDIA
PREVIEW
Ram and Raghav at Cinema Today 2009at Sandy Media Stall
January-March 2010TW-46
TW - What exactly Smartjog is all
about?
CD-ND SmartJog is a global leader in
secure electronic delivery services for
the entertainment industry and in
Digital Cinema distribution to cinemas
in Europe. It offers a fully managed
distribution and file transfer platform
for secure, fast and reliable digital
delivery of content. It's a technology
platform that interconnects different
content sourcing and receiving
centres. In other words, we are
connecting US Studios, international
distributors, cinemas, post-production
and mastering facilities; digital cinema
service providers as well as TV stations,
VOD platforms and we facilitate the
exchange of data from point to point
and point to multipoint between all
these facilities. We are present in as
many as 65 countries and over 800
sites.
A subsidiary of TDF, a French based
telecommunications Group, Smartjog
was created in Paris in 2002 with a
focus on electronic distribution of
Since the time digital cinema emerged onto the theatrical exhibition scene, dozens of
solutions and technology models have come to play a role in the 'big screen show.' While
each of them had their own value proposition, none was totally indispensable. However, here
is one technology player whose solution is apparently indispensable - SmartJog, the global
leader of managed network delivery services. Its unique technology platform and the value
proposition that it boasts to bring through its electronic delivery solutions to digital cinema
user communities appears to be crucial in today's technology cinema era.
TW, always an assiduous follower of technology, this time, talks to SmartJog's Sales Directors,
Christiane Ducasse (CD), Director of Sales USA and Nicolas Dussert (ND), European Theatrical
Sales Director on what makes it so crucial.
A SmartTechnology
content to entertainment venues,
particularly TV stations and post-
production centres globally. We
expanded our service offering to
digital cinema distribution to theatres
over one year ago, initially in the
French market. Leveraging our
strengths at home, we are spreading
across Europe with deployments
underway to cinemas in the
Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland,
Spain, Finland, etc.
In a nutshell, SmartJog is a content
management, delivery, and
integration company, enabling
transmission of content of any size,
any type from and to any point.
TW - How does it work?
CD-ND We enable secure transmission
of content between our gateways
servers installed at each sending and
receiving sites. The platform supports
all forms of connectivity for data
transfer. We use Intelsat network for
the delivery of content over satellite;
or we use terrestrial channel (ADSL,
fibre), through which we are able to
transmit content.
The content producer-distributor
usually asks its mastering facility to
upload DCP content to our network
using their SmartJog server. Once
uploaded, the DCPs can be sent to a
final destination or are stored into the
distributor's catalog at our data centre.
The distributor can then logon our
platform using a secure USB token and
password and initiate the transfer of
media files to distant locations. Files
are then transmitted via our mirrored
data centres to the final sites.
The user cans track in real time the
status of the delivery via our web-
based tracking application and upon
delivery, an email notification is sent
to the sender and to the cinema as a
proof of delivery.
We have permanent satellite capacity
in Europe and DCPs can be sent at any
time to cinemas.
At the theatre, it is easy for the
projectionist to ingest received DCPs
SmartJog
January-March 2010TW-48
into the digital cinema playback
server. We are fully integrated with
most players in the market, Doremi,
Dolby, QuBe, XDC, Kodak and several
TMS.
The SmartJog Network Operations
Team manages and monitors the
network and we offer 24/7 support
service via phone and e-mail.
TW - What market geographies are
addressed by SmartJog?
CD-ND All the US Studios in
Hollywood currently use our service to
send theatrical elements to several
territories. DCPs are already being sent
between post houses across the globe
for localization. We continue to
expand our network to Digital cinema
mastering facilities in several countries
in Asia Pacific Rim, Japan, India and
other parts of Asia. So, almost all
territories across the globe can be
reached via the SmartJog network..
TW - By which time you expect to
offer digital cinema distribution to
cinemas in these markets?
CD-ND Outside Europe, our strategy is
to work with partners and we are now
offering our Digital Cinema Solutions
and technology to 3rd party digital
cinema network operators, leveraging
our systems already installed at
mirrored data centers in North
America and Europe.
SmartJog's offering combines
software licensing and a service
agreement for network monitoring,
traffic scheduling and supervision,
allowing Digital Cinema Network
Operators to keep their start-up costs
very low while benefiting from
reliable digital cinema solutions
vetted and used by the entertainment
industry.
While SmartJog provides tools and
managed network supervision and
transmission services, the Digital
Cinema Network Operator remains
responsible for providing bandwidth
to the cinema sites with the platform
of his choice (satellite and back
channel connectivity and/or
terrestrial fibre).
We are in discussion with several
players right now, particularly from
the Asian markets towards helping the
exhibitors deploying satellite delivery
solutions using our core technology
platform and applications.
TW - How many cinema sites are
operational now?
CD-ND Our installations in cinemas
are, of course, in Europe and
particularly in France, where we have
more than 100 cinema sites deployed
with access to over 500 digital screens.
And we have been adding around five
sites every week. This is primarily
because we have recently signed an
agreement with Europalaces, a theatre
circuit who operates a network of 86
sites and with Kinepolis, with 23 sites.
We also have signed locations in
Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, etc.
We have enabled over 25,000 DCP
deliveries so far in 2009 that include
movies, trailers, pre-show advertising,
alternative content like concerts.
January-March 2010 TW-49
TW - The market is crowded with
too many players. Where and how
SmartJog figures itself?
CD-ND The very fact that we already
have over 100 cinema locations with
500-plus screens running on our
network and another 500-plus lined
up for the next few months, the
competitive advantage is already
there. And in today's world,
distributors would want to be with a
service provider that has a wider
presence and is professionally
competitive. SmartJog is the best
choice for both.
TW - There are potential and
competitive players in both the US
and Europe - how does SmartJog
make its ground?
CD-ND We need to continue to be a
key player. We have a sister company
called Media Broadcast, based in
Germany, and we have been working
together. They will deploy in Germany,
Austria and other territories, and we
will focus on France, Benelux and
other European countries. Having said
that, there will be probably a co-
existence of three to four players. But
what matters here is who has the
credibility in the marketplace. We
already have won the confidence of
the Hollywood majors and leading
European Distributors and they have
been sending their content through
our platform.
What is really unique in the SmartJog
services is that we are connected with
all the major digital cinema mastering
facilities in the world today. Over 65
DCP mastering facilities and digital
cinema service providers are currently
sending DCPs to one another using
the Smartjog network. No other
service provider today has this
competency. When you want to send
your movie to be beamed over
satellite via a satellite service provider
in the US, you need to send to them a
hard drive. On the other hand, with
SmartJog, if a post-production house
or studio in Mumbai wants a movie to
be beamed to a cinema in Europe,
they only have to logon to our
platform; upload the DCP; select the
receiving site on our web based
interface; and just press the send
button. They don't need to ship the
hard drive across the seas. SmartJog
truly eliminates physical media and
enable the industry to keep a file
based workflow from the mastering
facility to the cinema.
The fact that we are connected to all
the mastering facilities is a huge
advantage that Hollywood sees as a
real value to distribute its movies to
cinemas globally. This is a big edge for
us over the competition. We also offer
unique features that enable content
providers to check the integrity of
DCPs prior sending. Distributors of
feature films and alternative content
can also store their content at our
secure data centres into a catalog for
easy media asset management and
rapid access for future deliveries.
From a technical point of view, we
know how to manage a network and
optimize transmissions; this is our core
business and we have experience in
monitoring traffic on a complex
network. We also develop our own
software and provide innovative
workflow management solutions.
We also bring to the market a cost-
effective digital cinema central library
solution for local storage at the
cinema with 3 to 12 Terabytes
available. That's another huge
advantage of SmartJog.
TW - How much an exhibitor needs
to invest to get into SmartJog
network?
CD-ND Technically speaking, nothing
for the basic installation (gateway
server and satellite dish). The exhibitor
only needs to invest in their hardware
installation cost and Internet
connectivity. We work with all the
leading installers in Europe. We do not
charge anything to the exhibitor for
movie delivery. If more storage is
needed, the exhibitor can also buy our
digital cinema library.
TW - Then who pays for your
service and system usage?
CD-ND We charge the distributor a
fixed price per DCP and per trailer.
The distributor pays us for using our
network. It is the DCP and trailer
traffic that brings our return on
investment. The pre-show
commercials that are sent over our
platform are another source of
revenue. Alternative content can be
yet another.
TW - How about the popular VPF?
CD-ND Our service is not part of the
VPF model. The studios do not
include electronic delivery as part of
the VPF model. We are just selling our
network capabilities to enable Motion
Picture Studios and distributors to
send digital content seamlessly and
securely in a cheaper and faster
format. However, the Central Library
server we propose to exhibitors for
local storage is eligible for financing
via a VPF deal.
January-March 2010TW-50
entertainworld
That the DCI-compliant digital cinema has come to India to stay goes without saying. Indian
cinema has (finally) begun to elevate itself in sync with the global trend and demand.
However, enabling a cinema with globally acknowledged digital cinema system is one, and
creating the same with an imposingly artful design ambience is the other. While most
upcoming cinemas have been trying their best to make their latest cinematic expressions
unique than the rest, some cinemas have been able to stand apart with some truly
'distinctive' style of expression.
Two multiplex cinemas that have come onto the big screen entertainment domain in the
recent weeks have become noted for their entertaining design as well as their cinematic
technology. That both the cinemas come from the same enterprise - the Fun Cinemas of the
Mumbai-based multiplex major E-City - may be just a coincidence, but what stands out
distinctly is the design quotient that had been merged so delectably into the entertainment
package at both the venues.
Entertain World, this time, presents a pictorial fiesta of two DCI-compliant digital multiplexes,
including a 3D, that is an awesome expression of the 'art' of a modern cinema. Feast your eyes.
Digital'Fun' Art
January-March 2010 TW-51
entertainworld
Fun CinemasChembur, MumbaiWhen the K Star Mall, near the
Diamond Garden in Chemur East,
Mumbai, opened a few months
ago with a 5-screen, all digital
multiplex, including a 3D screen,
it opened also opened an
altogether new domain of
entertainment- not just for three-
dimensional movie watching
inside an auditorium but also for
a similar appreciation of the
artistic architecture that is weaved
The wonderment begins right
from the moment the visitor steps
into the lobby and moves
towards the concessions. The
designers apparently attempted
to amplify the illusions by
destabilizing a stable geometric
form of the hexagon into a
harmonious and functionally
stable design, and
accommodating all the functional
requirements.
A slide by the concessions is a
thrill of a kind as the stretching
around the whole setting.
Designed by Thane, Mumbai-
based Arris Architects, the five-
screen multiplex - with an
aggregate of 1253 seats - is a
wonderment for the design
techniques it employed. "It's a
wonderment of the extent of
disillusionment yet finding it
upfront," was the appreciation of
a connoisseur. "It's an abstract
notion. We enjoy stretching and
twisting our mind to the extents
of disillusionment."
January-March 2010TW-52
entertainworld
and twisting forms take the
visitor to a different dimension of
space. The design exploits the 15
feet -high linear space of the
concessions lobby by
accommodating the circulation
and service spaces - such as the
entrances to the cinema,
concessions and administration
wings - within a dynamic
hexagonal form that acts as the
focal point of the whole design,
creating an ambience of a walk in
art-exhibit.
The location of the recessed
seating lobbies would provide
excellent vantage points for the
patrons to appreciate the massive
scale of the dynamic form. Well
identified niches within the form
create a dramatic entrance to the
screens. The spatial treatment of
the double height entrance lobby
is charactertised by a geometrical
relief work and travertine
cladding, respecting the
proportionate volume of the
entire space. The Fun Cinema
signage, integrated intelligently in
the mesh, compliments the overall
harmony of the space.
The design axis-like hexagonal
form is a 'fine art' of a balanced
contract between acrylic solid
surface finished shell and the stark
Belgium black flooring. It also is
finished in solid wood planks
emerging out of the white 'duco'
painted plane whereas Italian
marbles form the back drop for
the seating niches and lift lobbies.
Intelligently employed LED
lighting aids in achieving not only
low-energy consumption but also
the different moods and effects.
The auditoria simply carry the
wonderment of the design, but
with the addition of a three-
dimensional movie watching
experience. While all the five
screens are equipped with DCI-
compliant 2K digital projection
system, one of them is elevated
still higher with 3D system.
The sound and projection system
was supplied and installed by MRH
Digital Systems while the acoustics
was done by Jal Mistry.
January-March 2010 TW-53
entertainworld
Fun Cinemas JaipurThe Fun Cinemas that has come
up as part of the massive Triton
Mega Mall at Jhotwara in Jaipur,
is yet another expression of
dynamism in art and architecture
blended into cinematic
entertainment. This four-screen
multiplex has a total of 959 seats
that include Business Class
Recliner Seats- a unique feature
brought to the movie-crazy Pink
City for the first time.
Designed again by Arris
Architects, the dynamic fine art experience begins right from the
entrance to
the mall,
whose
central
atrium is
characterised
by the box
office set up in the centre of a
large space. The experience only
goes up, as the visitor moves up
the cinema area and through the
concessions- a 3500 square feet
massive recreational space. The
attempt here again is for a new
spatial experience by means of
January-March 2010TW-54
entertainworld
visual negotiation of different
functional elements is achieved
through the use of neutral
materials, gushes of rich colour
and focal graphics. Extensive use
of red coloured back painted
glass and granites in the floor
reflects a warmth that invites the
patrons into the cinema.
The sound and projection system
was again done by MRH Digital,
while the acoustics was done by
Neville Daruwala.
some radical expressions. The
dynamism of the entire design is
made evident in the grey
coloured veneered envelope that
articulates the concessions as the
point of confluence. A sense of
motion is created by the fluid like
orange element, discreetly used
in the backdrop of the
concessions.
Use of Light
coves and
patterns
accentuates
the motion
further. A
January-March 2010 TW-55
ProductionParamount
DirectorChristian Alvart
StarringRenée Zellweger,Jodelle Ferland
GenreHorror
Case 39
ProductionLionsgate
DirectorPeter Spierig
StarringEthan Hawke,Willem Dafoe
GenreHorror
Daybreakers
ProductionDimension Films
DirectorMiguel Arteta
StarringMichael Cera,Portia Doubleday
GenreComedy
Youth in Revolt
ProductionLionsgate
DirectorBrian Levant
StarringJackie Chan,Madeline Carroll
GenreAction, Comedy
The Spy Next Door
ProductionScreen Gems
DirectorScott Stewart
StarringPaul Bettany,Dennis Quaid
GenreAction
Legion
ProductionCBS Films
DirectorTom Vaughan
StarringHarrison Ford,Brendan Fraser
GenreDrama
Extraordinary Measures
A glimpse of movies coming to Asia this spring or later…
F U T U R E R E L E S E SA
January-March 2010TW-56
Production20th Century Fox
DirectorMichael Lembeck
StarringDwayne Johnson,Ashley Judd
GenreComedy, Family
Tooth FairyProductionLionsgate
DirectorPierre Morel
StarringJohn Travolta,Jonathan Rhys
GenreThriller
From Paris With Love
ProductionWarner Bros.
DirectorMartin Campbell
Starring Mel Gibson, RayWinstone
GenreThriller
Edge of DarknessProduction20th Century Fox
DirectorChris Columbus
StarringLogan Lerman,Brandon T. Jackson
GenreAdventure, Fantasy
Percy Jackson & The Olympians:The Lightning Thief
ProductionTouchstone
DirectorMark Steven
Starring Kristen Bell,Josh Duhamel
GenreComedy
When in RomeProductionUniversal
DirectorJoe Johnston
StarringBenicio Del Toro,Anthony Hopkins
GenreAction, Horror
The Wolfman
ProductionScreen Gems
DirectorLasse Hallstrom
StarringChanning Tatum,Amanda Seyfried
GenreDrama, Romance
Dear JohnProductionNew Line
DirectorGarry Marshall
StarringJulia Roberts,Anne Hathaway
GenreComedy
Valentine's Day
F U T U R E R E L E S E SA
January-March 2010 TW-57
F U T U R E R E L E S E SA
ProductionParamount
DirectorMartin Scorsese
StarringLeonardo DiCaprio,Mark Ruffalo
GenrePsychologicalThriller
Shutter Island
ProductionOverture
DirectorBreck Eisner
StarringTimothy Olyphant,Radha Mitchell
GenreDrama, Horror
The Crazies
ProductionScreen Gems
DirectorJohn Luessenhop
StarringMatt Dillon,Paul Walker
GenreAction
Takers
ProductionIndieVest
DirectorHue Rhodes
StarringSteve Buscemi,Sarah Silverman
GenreComedy, Drama
Saint John of Las Vegas
ProductionWalt Disney
DirectorTim Burton
StarringJohnny Depp,Anne Hathaway
GenreFamily, Fantasy
Alice in Wonderland
ProductionCBS Films
DirectorAlan Poul
StarringJennifer Lopez,Alex O’Loughlin
GenreComedy, Romance
The Back-Up Plan
ProductionUniversal
DirectorPaul Greengrass
StarringMatt Damon,Greg Kinnear
GenreThriller
Green Zone
ProductionWarner Bros.
DirectorLouis Leterrier
StarringSam Worthington,Liam Neeson
GenreAction, Adventure
Clash of the Titans
January-March 2010TW-58
ProductionDharma
DirectorKaran Johar
StarringShahrukh Khan,Kajol
GenreSocial
My Name is Khan
ProductionFilmkraft
DirectorAnurag Basu
StarringHrithik Roshan,Kangna Ranaut
GenreThriller / Romance
KitesProductionYash Raj
DirectorJugal Hansraj
StarringUday Chopra,Priyanka Chopra
GenreComedy / Romance
Pyaar Impossible
ProductionVistaar Religare
DirectorRam Gopal Varma
StarringAmitabh Bachchan,Ritesh Deshmukh
GenreSocial
RannProductionASA Film
DirectorVikram Bhatt
StarringAditya Narayan,Shweta Agarwal
GenreHorror
Shaapit
ProductionUTV Motion
DirectorKen Ghosh
StarringShahid Kapoor,Genelia Dsouza
GenreMusical
Chance Pe DanceProductionSerendipity
DirectorLeena Yadav
StarringAmitabh Bachchan,Sir Ben Kingsley
GenreDrama
Teen Patti
F U T U R E R E L E S E SA
ProductionDreamWorks
DirectorChris Sanders,
StarringJay Baruchel,Gerard Butler
GenreAnimation, Fantasy
How to Train Your Dragon
January-March 2010 TW-59
A D V E R T I S E R S ’ I N D E X
Company Name Page no. Product Email / Website
Amar AV TM-15 Screens [email protected]
Anutone TW-62 Interiors [email protected] / www.anutone.com
Barco TM-7 Projectors [email protected] / www.barco.com
Big Cinemas TW-3 Cinema [email protected] / www.bigcinemas.com
Blue Star TM-9 Cooling Systems [email protected] /www.bluestarindia.com
Christie Digital TW-7 Projectors [email protected] / www.christiedigital.com
Cinema Today TW-47 Tradeshow [email protected] / www.cinematoday.in
Darbari TM-21 Lighting [email protected]
Datasat Digital TW-2 Audio Processor [email protected] /www.datasatdigital.com
Dolby TW-13 3D www.dolby.com/3dcinema
Doremi TW-5,33 Digital Cinema [email protected] / www.doremicinema.com
E-City TM-36 Cinema [email protected] / www.esselgroup.com
Fun Cinemas TM-13 Cinema [email protected] /www.funcinemas.com
Galalite TM-23 Screens [email protected] / www.galalitescreens.com
Harkness TW-11 Screens [email protected] /www.harkness-screens.com
HDIL TM-3 Cinema [email protected] / www.hdilbroadway.in
Hi Tech Audio TM-5 Sound [email protected] /www.hitechaudiosystems.com
Imax TW-9 Cinema [email protected] / www.imax.com
Meyer Sound TW-37 Sound www.meyersound.com/cinema
Niranjan TM-2 Consultants [email protected]
Real Image TM-27 Digital Cinema [email protected] / www.realimage.com
Sathyam TM-11 Cinema www.sathyamcinemas.com
Scrabble TW-64 3D [email protected] /www.scrabbleentertainment.com
Shri Krishnashray TM-35 Signage [email protected] / www.shrikrishnashray.com
USL TW-15 Sound [email protected] / www.uslinc.com
The next issue of TheatreWorld is our Spring Special. It will be promoted at Showest - Las Vegas.The last date for advertising orders is 20 February 2010. Email [email protected]
This issue of TW has two sets of page numbers - International pages TW-1 to TW-64 for TW, and India pages TM-1 to TM-36 for TM.TM is inserted between pages TW-50 and TW-51 of TW.
January-March 2010TW-60