Digital cinema
Encyclopedia
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital
technology to distribute and project
motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks (such as DVDs and Blu-ray Discs) or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector
. Digital cinema is distinct from high-definition television
and, in particular, is not dependent on using television or high-definition video
standards, aspect ratios, or frame rates. Digital projectors capable of 2K resolution began deploying in 2005, and since 2006, the pace has accelerated (2K refers to images with 2,048 pixels of horizontal resolution).
controls for managing and displaying content in multiple theaters, and movie studio
s want their content encrypted
with secure delivery, playback, and reporting of playout
times to the film distribution
company.
Digital Cinema Initiatives
(DCI), a joint venture of the six major studios
, published a system specification for digital cinema. Briefly, the specification calls for picture encoding using the ISO/IEC 15444-1 "JPEG2000" (.jp2) standard and use of the CIE XYZ
color space at 12 bits per component encoded with a 2.6 gamma
applied at projection, and audio using the "Broadcast Wave" (.wav) format at 24 bits and 48 kHz or 96 kHz sampling, controlled by an XML
-format Composition Playlist, into an MXF
-compliant file at a maximum data rate of 250 Mbit/s. Details about encryption, key management
, and logging are all discussed in the specification as are the minimum specifications for the projectors employed including the color gamut, the contrast ratio
and the brightness of the image. While much of the specification codifies work that had already been ongoing in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the specification is important in establishing a content owner framework for the distribution and security of first-release motion picture content.
Digital cinema conforming to the DCI Standard is referred to within the film industry as D-Cinema while all other forms of digital cinema are referred to as E-Cinema. Thus, while D-Cinema is a defined standard, though one that is still partly being framed by SMPTE as of 2007, E-Cinema may be anything, ranging from a DVD
player connected to a consumer projector to something that approaches the quality of D-Cinema without conforming to some of the standards. Even D-Cinema itself had evolved over time before the DCI standards were framed. However, the current DCI standards were made with the intention of standing the test of time, much like 35 mm film
which has evolved but still retained compatibility over a substantial part of a century.
In addition to DCI's work, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) released its Digital Cinema System Requirements.
The document addresses the requirements of digital cinema systems from the operational needs of the exhibitor, focusing on areas not addressed by DCI, including access for the visually impaired and hearing impaired, workflow inside the cinema, and equipment interoperability. In particular, NATO's document details requirements for the Theatre Management System (TMS), the governing software for digital cinema systems within a theatre complex, and provides direction for the development of security key management systems. As with DCI's document, NATO's document is also important to the SMPTE standards effort.
scanned and processed at 2K (2048×1556) or 4K (4096×2160) resolution via digital intermediate
. Most digital features to date have been shot at 1920×1080 HD resolution using cameras such as the Sony CineAlta
, Panavision
Genesis
or Thomson Viper. New cameras such as the Arri Alexa can capture 2K resolution images, and the Red Digital Cinema Camera Company's Red One can record 4K. The marketshare of 2K projection in digital cinemas is over 98%. Currently in development are other cameras capable of recording 4K RAW, such as Dalsa Corporation's Origin
and Canon's 4K "Multipurpose", and cameras capable of recording 5K, such as the RED EPIC, and cameras capable of recording 3K (for budget filmmakers) such as the RED SCARLET. The Dalsa Origin was terminated by Dalsa in 2008.
. Data from digital motion picture cameras may be converted to a convenient image file format for work in a facility. All of the files are 'conformed' to match an edit list created by the film editor, and are then color corrected under the direction of the film's staff. The end result of post-production is a digital intermediate
used to record the motion picture to film and/or for the digital cinema release.
(DCP).
, used limited 1280×1024 resolution or the equivalent of 1.3 MP (megapixels). They are still widely used for pre-show advertising but not usually for feature presentations. The DCI specification for digital projectors calls for two levels of playback to be supported: 2K (2048×1080) or 2.2 MP at 24 or 48 frames per second
, and 4K (4096×2160) or 8.85 MP at 24 frames per second.
Three manufacturers have licensed the DLP Cinema technology developed by Texas Instruments
(TI): Christie Digital Systems
, Barco
, and NEC
. Christie, long established in traditional film projector technology, is the maker of the CP2000 line of projectors—the most widely deployed platform globally (approximately 5,500 units in total). Barco designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets including digital cinema. Their DP2K-32B digital cinema projector holds a Guinness World Record for the brightest projector with a brightness of 43,000 center lumens. Next to the DP series of 2K digital cinema projectors, Barco has a range of 4K digital cinema projectors, including the DP4K-32B (for screens up to 32 meters), the first - and still only - DCI-compliant enhanced 4K DLP cinema® projector on the market. NEC currently manufactures the Series II NC1200C, NC2000C and NC3200S 2K projectors for large, medium and small screen respectively, and the NC3240 in 2011 to represent the first generation 4k NEC DCI projector. Starus Digital Cinema Server system, as well as other equipment to connect PCs, analog/digital tape decks and satellite receivers, DVD, and off-air broadcast, and so on, for pre-show and special presentations. While NEC is a relative newcomer to Digital Cinema, Christie is the main player in the U.S. and Barco takes the lead in Europe and Asia. In addition Digital Projection Incorporated (DPI) designed and sold a few DLP Cinema units when TI's 2K technology first debuted but then abandoned the D-Cinema market while continuing to offer DLP-based projectors for non-cinema purposes. Although based on the same 2K TI "light engine" as those of the major players they are so rare as to be virtually unknown in the industry. As of January, 2009, there are more than 6,000 DLP-based Digital Cinema systems installed worldwide, of which 80% are located in North America.
The other technology is made by Sony
and is labeled "SXRD
"(LCOS) technology. The projectors, SRXR220 and SRXR320, offer 4096×2160 (4K) resolution and produce four times the number of pixels of 2K projection. Included in the system is a playback server (LMT-300) along with the ability to show alternative content through the system's 2 input options. Sources could be anything from a Blu-ray Disc player to satellite feeds, yet Sony's systems are priced competitively with the lower resolution 2048×1080 (2K) or 2.2 MP (megapixels) DLP projectors.
Other manufacturers have been developing digital projector technology, but these have not yet been deployed into cinemas and are not commercially available in versions that conform to the DCI specification.
from performances or events. For example, there are regular live broadcasts to movie theaters of Metropolitan Opera performances.
In February 2009, Cinedigm screened the first live multi-region 3D broadcast through a partnership with TNT. Previous attempts have been isolated to a small number of screens.
(Los Angeles and New York) for the release of Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. International field testing of DLP Cinema® technology begins.
, in North America
, initiates first standards group dedicated towards developing Digital Cinema.
On February 2, 2000 : Philippe Binant (Gaumont) realized the first digital cinema projection in Europe
(Paris) with DLP CINEMA technology.
In December 2000, there are 15 digital cinema screens in North America, 11 in Western Europe, 4 in Asia, and 1 in South America.
(DCI) was formed in March 2002 as a joint project of many motion picture studios (Disney, Fox
, MGM, Paramount
, Sony Pictures Entertainment
, Universal
and Warner Bros. Studios) to develop a system specification for digital cinema.
, DCI created standard evaluation material (the ASC/DCI StEM material) for testing of 2K and 4K playback and compression technologies.
DCI selects JPEG2000 as the basis for the compression in the system.
In February 2005, Arts Alliance Media was selected to roll out the UK Film Council’s Digital Screen Network (DSN), a $20M contract to install and operate Europe’s largest 2K digital cinema network. By March 2007, 230 of the 241 screens had been installed on schedule, with the remaining 11 to be installed later in 2007 when cinemas have completed building works or construction.
In China, an E-Cinema System called "dMs" was established on June 2005, and is used in over 15,000 screens spread across China's 30 provinces. dMS estimates that the system will expand to 40,000 screens in 2009.
Chicken Little
from Disney, with its experimental release of the film in digital 3D, increased the number of projectors using the 2K format.
Several digital 3D films surfaced in 2006 and several prominent filmmakers have committed to making their next productions in stereo 3D.
In August 2006, the Malayalam
digital movie Moonnamathoral
, produced by Mrs. Benzy Martin, was distributed via satellite to cinemas, thus becoming the first Indian digital cinema. This was done by Emil and Eric Digital Films, a company based at Thrissur using the end-to-end digital cinema system developed by Singapore-based DG2L Technologies.
As of March 2007, with the release of Disney's Meet the Robinsons
, about 600 screens have been equipped with 2K digital projectors that feature Real D Cinema
's stereoscopic 3D technology, marketed under the Disney Digital 3-D
brand.
In June 2007, Arts Alliance Media announced the first European commercial digital cinema VPF (Virtual Print Fee) agreements (with Twentieth Century Fox and Universal Pictures
).
As of July 2007, there are some cinemas in Singapore showing digital 4K films to public using Sony's 4K digital projector. They are located at Golden Village Cinema in Vivocity
(Hall 11), Eng Wah Cinema in Suntec (Hall 3), Shaw Cinema in Bugis (Hall 1 & 3) and at Cathay Cineplex (Hall 7).
In September 2007, Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, Illinois
became the first theater in North America to have Sony's 4K digital projectors for all 18 screens.
In January 2007, "Guru" became the first Indian movie mastered in the DCI compliant Jpeg2000 Interop format and also the first Indian film to be previewed digitally, internationally, at the Elgin Winter Garden in Toronto. "Guru" was digitally mastered at Real Image Media Technologies, India.
By October 2007, DG2L Technologies was reported to have supplied 1500 Digital Cinema Systems to UFO Moviez Ltd. in India and Europe.
As of October 2007, there are over 5,000 DLP-based Digital Cinema Systems installed.
announced that it closed on a $315 million deal with Sony
to replace all of its movie projector
s with 4K digital projectors starting in the second quarter of 2009 and completing in 2012.
Considering an article written by David Hancock (http://www.isuppli.com/media-research/marketwatch/pages/digital-screen-numbers-and-forecasts-to-2015-are-finalised.aspx), the total number of d-screens worldwide came in at 36,242, up from 16,339 at end 2009 or a growth rate of 121.8 percent during the year. There were 10,083 d-screens in Europe as a whole (28.2 percent of global figure), 16,522 in North America (46.2 percent of global figure) and 7,703 in Asia (21.6 percent of global figure). As regards digital 3D screens, there were a total of 21,936 3D screens, which equals 60.5 percent of all d-screens. This is a rise from the 55 percent in 2009 but is expected to drop slightly in 2011 to 57.5 percent.
for digital cinema), a feature-length movie can be stored on an off the shelf
300 GB
hard drive for $150 and a broad release of 4000 'digital prints' might cost $600,000. In addition hard drives can be returned to distributors for reuse. With several hundred movies distributed every year, the industry saves billions of dollars.
The film industry has been dominated by a small number of distributors
for many years due to a high barrier of entry
for new competition. This is caused by high costs and a lack of access to well-established production and distribution networks. By replacing film prints with hard disks the barrier to entry is significantly reduced, opening the market to competition.
The digital cinema rollout was stalled (as can be seen by major equipment purchases and future commitments to new equipment during this time); exhibitors acknowledged that they would not purchase equipment to replace projectors since the savings would be seen not by themselves but by distribution companies. The Virtual Print Fee model was created to address this (some claim by Frank Stirling at Boeing - Boeing was involved in digital cinema deployment at that time) and this was successfully done, accelerating the rollout of this technology and with it the reduction of the barrier to entry. Given that digital projectors make low volume distribution at last an economic possibility it is the studios' support of the VPF model that has accelerated the introduction of competition, both in terms of alternative distributors and also alternative content including cinematic series.
success previously out of their reach.
Alternate content is also finding a market in 3rd world countries in which the higher costs and quality of DCI equipment are not yet affordable.
. With traditional film prints, distributors typically stagger the film's release in various markets, shipping the film prints around the globe. In the subsequent markets, pirated copies of a film (that is, a cam) may be available before the movie is released in that market. A simultaneous worldwide release would mitigate this problem to some degree. Simultaneous worldwide releases on film have been used on The Da Vinci Code
, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
and Mission: Impossible III
amongst others. With digital distribution, a simultaneous worldwide release would not cost significantly more than a staggered release.
s. A solution is a temporary Virtual Print Fee system, where the distributor (who saves the money of producing and transporting a physical copy) pays a fee per copy to help finance the digital systems of the theaters.
While a theater can purchase a film projector for US$50,000 and expect an average life of 30–40 years, a digital cinema playback system including server/media block/and projector can cost 3–4 times as much, and is at higher risk for component failures and technological obsolescence. Experience with computer-based media systems show that average economic lifetimes are only on the order of 5 years with some units lasting until about 10 years before they are replaced.
Archiving digital material is also turning out to be both tricky and costly. In a 2007 study, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
found the cost of storing 4K digital masters to be "enormously higher - 1100% higher - than the cost of storing film masters." Furthermore, digital archiving faces challenges due to the insufficient temporal qualities of today's digital storage: no current media, be it optical disc
s, magnetic hard drives or digital tape, can reliably store a film for a hundred years, something that properly stored and handled film can do.
s feeding custom frame buffer systems with large memories. Content was usually restricted to several minutes of material.
Transfer of content between remote locations was slow and had limited capacity. It wasn't until the late 1990s that feature length projects could be sent over the 'wire' (Internet or dedicated fiber links).
There were many prototype systems developed that claim a first in some form of digital presentation. However, few of these had a significant impact on the advance of the industry. Key highlights in the development of digital cinema would likely include: demonstrations by TI
of their DMD
technology, real-time playback of compressed hi-resolution files by various vendors, and early HD presentations from D5
tape to digital projectors.
Digital Cinema Initiatives
(DCI) was formed in March 2002 as a joint project of many motion picture studios (Disney, Fox
, MGM, Paramount
, Sony Pictures Entertainment
, Universal
and Warner Bros. Studios) to develop a system specification for digital cinema. In April 2004, in cooperation with the American Society of Cinematographers
, DCI created standard evaluation material (the ASC/DCI StEM material) for testing of 2K and 4K playback and compression technologies. DCI published their specification in 2005.
[There is insufficient context and verified history to determine the influence and impact of many of these early demonstrations. However, presented herein are claims for significant developments]
. On March 19, 1998, they collaborated on a digital presentation at a cinema in London
. Several clips from popular films were encoded onto a remote server, and sent via fibre optic for display to a collection of interested Industry parties.
The Last Broadcast
apparently made cinematic history on October 23, 1998, when it became the first feature to be theatrically released digitally, via satellite download to theaters across the United States. An effort headed by Wavelength Releasing, Texas Instruments, Digital Projection Inc. and Loral Space, it successfully demonstrated what would become a template for future releases. In 1999, it was repeated utilizing QuVIS technology across Europe, including the Cannes Film Festival
, making The Last Broadcast the first feature to be screened digitally at the Cannes Film Festival.
Several feature films were shown in 1999 using DLP prototype projectors and early wavelet based servers. For example, Walt Disney Pictures
Bicentennial Man
was presented using a Qubit server manufactured by QuVIS of Topeka, Kansas
. DVD ROM was used to store the compressed data file. The DVD ROMs were loaded into the QuBit server hard drives for playout. The file size for Bicentennial Man was 42 GB with an average data rate of 43 Mbit/s.
, Texas Instruments
and Technicolor
with the cooperation of several U.S. and international exhibitors, began to deploy prototype Digital Cinema systems in commercial theatres. The systems were assembled and installed by Technicolor
using the TI mark V prototype projector, a special Christie
lamphouse, and the QuBit server with custom designed automation interfaces.
On February 2, 2000, Philippe Binant, technical manager of Digital Cinema Project at Gaumont
in France
, realized the first digital cinema projection in Europe
with the TI mark V prototype projector.
Technicolor manufactured the DVDs for uploading on these test systems and was responsible for sending technicians out to the locations for every new feature film that was played. The technicians would typically spend ten or so hours to load the files from the DVD to the QuBit, set up the server to play the files, and then set up the projector. A full rehearsal screening of the feature was mandatory as was the requirement to have back up DVDs and backup QuBits available should something fail.
The systems were eventually replaced or upgraded after TI made improvements to the projectors and Technicolor developed a purpose-built digital cinema server in a venture with Qualcomm
. The new systems were called AMS for Auditorium Management Systems and were the first digital cinema servers designed to be user friendly and operate reliably in a computer-hostile environment such as a projection booth. Most importantly, they provided a complete solution for content security.
The AMS used removable hard disk drives as the transport mechanism for the files. This eliminated the time required to upload the DVD ROMs to the local hard drives and provided the ability to switch programs quickly. For security, the AMS used a media block type system that placed a sealed electronics package within the projector housing. The server output only Triple DES
encrypted data and the media block did the decryption at the point just before playout.
The first secure encrypted digital cinema feature was Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
by Cinecomm Digital Cinema (then led by Russell J. Wintner
). This first digital delivery and exhibition of a full-length feature film to paying audiences is widely considered to be the defining moment for digital cinema's commercial viability. The film was transmitted and then shown digitally in theatres both in Paramus, New Jersey
and Los Angeles, California
. The system functioned well but was eventually replaced because of the need to create a standard data package for D-cinema distribution.
The First Digital Cinema Network enabling digital delivery directly to the theaters was built by Digital Cinema Solutions in 2002. The company was founded by James Steele. The network was built as a vehicle to play the BMW Film Series The Hire in movie theaters http://digitalcontentproducer.com/news/video_microsoft_bmw_artisan/. In a partnership with Microsoft http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-preps-for-digital-film-close-up/2100-1025_3-963987.html, Steele connected 28 of the top Independent Art Houses in the United States including many Landmark Theaters, The Angelikas in New York and Houston, The Charles in Baltimore and many others. The first film to be distributed through the network was Artisan Entertainment's STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN. MOTOWN had its digital debut at the historical Apollo Theater in New York City http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/14/movies/using-a-hard-drive-to-show-films-in-theaters.html?pagewanted=1. Following MOTOWN, Digital Cinema Solutions electronically distributed over a virtual private network close to 100 films until it was sold in 2005.
The first DCI-compliant DCP to be delivered Universal Pictures
used their film Serenity
as the first DCI-compliant DCP to be delivered shown to an audience at a remote theater, although it was not distributed this way to the public. Inside Man
was their first DCP cinema release, and was transmitted to 20 theatres in the United States
along with two trailers
.
In April 2005, DG2L Technologies announced that it had been awarded the multi-million dollar contract for the world's largest satellite based MPEG4 digital cinema deployment to be done in India
, which encompassed 2000 theaters for UFO (United Film Organizers), a subsidiary of the Valuable Media Group. In March 2006, United Film Organizers Moviez (UFO Moviez), had reached a significant milestone—surpassing 30,000 shows using the DG2L Cinema System platform. This figure increased to 100,000 shows in August 2006. In September 2006, UFO Moviez acquired 51% stake in DG2L Technologies in a deal estimated at around $50 million.
projection has led to a new willingness on the part of theaters to co-operate in installing a limited number of 2K stereo installations to show Disney's Chicken Little
in 3-D film
. Six more digital 3-D movies were released in 2006 and 2007 (including Beowulf, Monster House
and Meet the Robinsons
). The technology combines a single digital projector fitted with either a polarizing filter (for use with polarized glasses
and silver screens), a filter wheel or an emitter for LCD glasses. RealD uses a "ZScreen" for polarisation and MasterImage uses a filter wheel that changes the polarity of projector's light output several times per second to alternate quickly the left-and-right-eye views. Another system that uses a filter wheel is Dolby 3D
. The wheel changes the wavelengths of the colours being displayed, and tinted glasses filter these changes so the incorrect wavelength cannot enter the wrong eye. XpanD makes use of an external emitter that sends a signal to the 3D glasses to block out the wrong image from the wrong eye.
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
technology to distribute and project
Video projector
A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks (such as DVDs and Blu-ray Discs) or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
. Digital cinema is distinct from high-definition television
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
and, in particular, is not dependent on using television or high-definition video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
standards, aspect ratios, or frame rates. Digital projectors capable of 2K resolution began deploying in 2005, and since 2006, the pace has accelerated (2K refers to images with 2,048 pixels of horizontal resolution).
Technology
To match or improve the theater experience of movie audiences, a digital cinema system must provide high-quality image and sound. Additionally, theater managers require video serverVideo server
A video server is a computer based device dedicated to delivering video.Unlike personal computers, being multi-application devices, a video server is designed for one purpose; provisioning video, often for broadcasters. A professional grade video server records, stores, and playout of multiple...
controls for managing and displaying content in multiple theaters, and movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
s want their content encrypted
Encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
with secure delivery, playback, and reporting of playout
Playout
In broadcasting, playout is a term for the transmission of radio or TV channels from the broadcaster into broadcast networks that delivers the content to the audience...
times to the film distribution
Film distribution
The distribution of a film is the process through which a movie is made available to watch for an audience by a film distributor...
company.
Digital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios, formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems.The organization was formed in March 2002 by the following studios:* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(DCI), a joint venture of the six major studios
Major film studios
A major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant share of box-office revenues in a given market...
, published a system specification for digital cinema. Briefly, the specification calls for picture encoding using the ISO/IEC 15444-1 "JPEG2000" (.jp2) standard and use of the CIE XYZ
CIE 1931 color space
In the study of color perception, one of the first mathematically defined color spaces is the CIE 1931 XYZ color space, created by the International Commission on Illumination in 1931....
color space at 12 bits per component encoded with a 2.6 gamma
Gamma correction
Gamma correction, gamma nonlinearity, gamma encoding, or often simply gamma, is the name of a nonlinear operation used to code and decode luminance or tristimulus values in video or still image systems...
applied at projection, and audio using the "Broadcast Wave" (.wav) format at 24 bits and 48 kHz or 96 kHz sampling, controlled by an XML
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
-format Composition Playlist, into an MXF
MXF
Material eXchange Format is a container format for professional digital video and audio media defined by a set of SMPTE standards.- A brief summary of MXF :...
-compliant file at a maximum data rate of 250 Mbit/s. Details about encryption, key management
Key management
Key management is the provisions made in a cryptography system design that are related to generation, exchange, storage, safeguarding, use, vetting, and replacement of keys. It includes cryptographic protocol design, key servers, user procedures, and other relevant protocols.Key management concerns...
, and logging are all discussed in the specification as are the minimum specifications for the projectors employed including the color gamut, the contrast ratio
Contrast ratio
The contrast ratio is a property of a display system, defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest color to that of the darkest color that the system is capable of producing...
and the brightness of the image. While much of the specification codifies work that had already been ongoing in the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the specification is important in establishing a content owner framework for the distribution and security of first-release motion picture content.
Digital cinema conforming to the DCI Standard is referred to within the film industry as D-Cinema while all other forms of digital cinema are referred to as E-Cinema. Thus, while D-Cinema is a defined standard, though one that is still partly being framed by SMPTE as of 2007, E-Cinema may be anything, ranging from a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
player connected to a consumer projector to something that approaches the quality of D-Cinema without conforming to some of the standards. Even D-Cinema itself had evolved over time before the DCI standards were framed. However, the current DCI standards were made with the intention of standing the test of time, much like 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
which has evolved but still retained compatibility over a substantial part of a century.
In addition to DCI's work, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) released its Digital Cinema System Requirements.
The document addresses the requirements of digital cinema systems from the operational needs of the exhibitor, focusing on areas not addressed by DCI, including access for the visually impaired and hearing impaired, workflow inside the cinema, and equipment interoperability. In particular, NATO's document details requirements for the Theatre Management System (TMS), the governing software for digital cinema systems within a theatre complex, and provides direction for the development of security key management systems. As with DCI's document, NATO's document is also important to the SMPTE standards effort.
Digital capture
As of 2009, the most common acquisition medium for digitally projected features is 35 mm film35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
scanned and processed at 2K (2048×1556) or 4K (4096×2160) resolution via digital intermediate
Digital intermediate
Digital intermediate is a motion picture finishing process which classically involves digitizing a motion picture and manipulating the color and other image characteristics. It often replaces or augments the photochemical timing process and is usually the final creative adjustment to a movie...
. Most digital features to date have been shot at 1920×1080 HD resolution using cameras such as the Sony CineAlta
CineAlta
Sony's CineAlta 24P HD Cameras are a series of professional digital video cameras that offer many of the same features of a 35mm motion picture film camera.- Concept :...
, Panavision
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product...
Genesis
Genesis (Panavision)
The Genesis is Panavision's high-end digital movie camera, which uses a proprietary, full frame 35mm-width, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, 12.4-megapixel, RGB filtered CCD. It was first used by a feature crew to shoot Bryan Singer's Superman Returns and was shortly followed up thereafter by the World War I...
or Thomson Viper. New cameras such as the Arri Alexa can capture 2K resolution images, and the Red Digital Cinema Camera Company's Red One can record 4K. The marketshare of 2K projection in digital cinemas is over 98%. Currently in development are other cameras capable of recording 4K RAW, such as Dalsa Corporation's Origin
Dalsa Origin
The Dalsa Origin was the first camera designed and built by Dalsa Corporation to be used specifically for digital cinematography.- Overview :...
and Canon's 4K "Multipurpose", and cameras capable of recording 5K, such as the RED EPIC, and cameras capable of recording 3K (for budget filmmakers) such as the RED SCARLET. The Dalsa Origin was terminated by Dalsa in 2008.
Digital post-production
In the post-production process, camera-original film negatives (the film that physically ran through the camera) are scanned into a digital format on a scanner or high-resolution telecineTelecine
Telecine is transferring motion picture film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process....
. Data from digital motion picture cameras may be converted to a convenient image file format for work in a facility. All of the files are 'conformed' to match an edit list created by the film editor, and are then color corrected under the direction of the film's staff. The end result of post-production is a digital intermediate
Digital intermediate
Digital intermediate is a motion picture finishing process which classically involves digitizing a motion picture and manipulating the color and other image characteristics. It often replaces or augments the photochemical timing process and is usually the final creative adjustment to a movie...
used to record the motion picture to film and/or for the digital cinema release.
Digital mastering
When all of the sound, picture, and data elements of a production have been completed, they may be assembled into a Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) which contains all of the digital material needed for projection. The images and sound are then compressed, encrypted, and packaged to form the Digital Cinema PackageDigital Cinema Package
A Digital Cinema Package is a collection of digital files used to store and convey Digital cinema audio, image, and data streams.The term has been defined by Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC in their recommendations for packaging of DC contents...
(DCP).
Digital projection
There are currently two types of projectors for digital cinema. Early DLP projectors, which were deployed primarily in the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, used limited 1280×1024 resolution or the equivalent of 1.3 MP (megapixels). They are still widely used for pre-show advertising but not usually for feature presentations. The DCI specification for digital projectors calls for two levels of playback to be supported: 2K (2048×1080) or 2.2 MP at 24 or 48 frames per second
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
, and 4K (4096×2160) or 8.85 MP at 24 frames per second.
Three manufacturers have licensed the DLP Cinema technology developed by Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
(TI): Christie Digital Systems
Christie (company)
The Christie group of companies are part of the Ushio group of companies, the ultimate parent of which is Ushio Inc., a publicly traded Japanese company, Japan...
, Barco
Barco
Barco N.V. is a display hardware manufacturer specialising in video projectors, LCD projectors, DLP projectors, LCoS projectors, LED displays, video walls, flat panel displays, automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls....
, and NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
. Christie, long established in traditional film projector technology, is the maker of the CP2000 line of projectors—the most widely deployed platform globally (approximately 5,500 units in total). Barco designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets including digital cinema. Their DP2K-32B digital cinema projector holds a Guinness World Record for the brightest projector with a brightness of 43,000 center lumens. Next to the DP series of 2K digital cinema projectors, Barco has a range of 4K digital cinema projectors, including the DP4K-32B (for screens up to 32 meters), the first - and still only - DCI-compliant enhanced 4K DLP cinema® projector on the market. NEC currently manufactures the Series II NC1200C, NC2000C and NC3200S 2K projectors for large, medium and small screen respectively, and the NC3240 in 2011 to represent the first generation 4k NEC DCI projector. Starus Digital Cinema Server system, as well as other equipment to connect PCs, analog/digital tape decks and satellite receivers, DVD, and off-air broadcast, and so on, for pre-show and special presentations. While NEC is a relative newcomer to Digital Cinema, Christie is the main player in the U.S. and Barco takes the lead in Europe and Asia. In addition Digital Projection Incorporated (DPI) designed and sold a few DLP Cinema units when TI's 2K technology first debuted but then abandoned the D-Cinema market while continuing to offer DLP-based projectors for non-cinema purposes. Although based on the same 2K TI "light engine" as those of the major players they are so rare as to be virtually unknown in the industry. As of January, 2009, there are more than 6,000 DLP-based Digital Cinema systems installed worldwide, of which 80% are located in North America.
The other technology is made by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and is labeled "SXRD
SXRD
SXRD is Sony's proprietary variant of liquid crystal on silicon, a technology used mainly in projection televisions and video projectors. In the front and rear-projection television market, it competes directly with JVC's D-ILA and Texas Instruments' DLP...
"(LCOS) technology. The projectors, SRXR220 and SRXR320, offer 4096×2160 (4K) resolution and produce four times the number of pixels of 2K projection. Included in the system is a playback server (LMT-300) along with the ability to show alternative content through the system's 2 input options. Sources could be anything from a Blu-ray Disc player to satellite feeds, yet Sony's systems are priced competitively with the lower resolution 2048×1080 (2K) or 2.2 MP (megapixels) DLP projectors.
Other manufacturers have been developing digital projector technology, but these have not yet been deployed into cinemas and are not commercially available in versions that conform to the DCI specification.
Live broadcasting to cinemas
Digital cinemas can deliver live broadcastsBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
from performances or events. For example, there are regular live broadcasts to movie theaters of Metropolitan Opera performances.
In February 2009, Cinedigm screened the first live multi-region 3D broadcast through a partnership with TNT. Previous attempts have been isolated to a small number of screens.
Development and Deployment Milestones
Divided by year, this section discusses the development of the technology and installation of digital projection systems in commercial theaters.1999
On June 18, 1999 : DLP CINEMA projector technology is publicly demonstrated for the first time on two screens in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
(Los Angeles and New York) for the release of Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. International field testing of DLP Cinema® technology begins.
2000
On January 19, 2000 : Society of Motion Picture and Television EngineersSociety of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE , founded in 1916 as the Society of Motion Picture Engineers or SMPE, is an international professional association, based in...
, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, initiates first standards group dedicated towards developing Digital Cinema.
On February 2, 2000 : Philippe Binant (Gaumont) realized the first digital cinema projection in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(Paris) with DLP CINEMA technology.
In December 2000, there are 15 digital cinema screens in North America, 11 in Western Europe, 4 in Asia, and 1 in South America.
2002
Digital Cinema InitiativesDigital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios, formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems.The organization was formed in March 2002 by the following studios:* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(DCI) was formed in March 2002 as a joint project of many motion picture studios (Disney, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, MGM, Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
, Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and Warner Bros. Studios) to develop a system specification for digital cinema.
2004
In April 2004, in cooperation with the American Society of CinematographersAmerican Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film...
, DCI created standard evaluation material (the ASC/DCI StEM material) for testing of 2K and 4K playback and compression technologies.
DCI selects JPEG2000 as the basis for the compression in the system.
2005
DCI publishes their specification v1.0.In February 2005, Arts Alliance Media was selected to roll out the UK Film Council’s Digital Screen Network (DSN), a $20M contract to install and operate Europe’s largest 2K digital cinema network. By March 2007, 230 of the 241 screens had been installed on schedule, with the remaining 11 to be installed later in 2007 when cinemas have completed building works or construction.
In China, an E-Cinema System called "dMs" was established on June 2005, and is used in over 15,000 screens spread across China's 30 provinces. dMS estimates that the system will expand to 40,000 screens in 2009.
Chicken Little
Chicken Little (2005 film)
Chicken Little is a 2005 computer-animated science fiction family comedy film loosely based on the fable The Sky Is Falling. It was the 46th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation...
from Disney, with its experimental release of the film in digital 3D, increased the number of projectors using the 2K format.
2006
In mid 2006, about 400 theaters have been equipped with 2K digital projectors with the number increasing every month.Several digital 3D films surfaced in 2006 and several prominent filmmakers have committed to making their next productions in stereo 3D.
In August 2006, the Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
digital movie Moonnamathoral
Moonnamathoral
Moonnamathoral is the first digital Malayalam movie. It was created by Martin Sebastian, produced by Benzy Martin, distributed by Emil & Eric Digital Films, and directed by V. K. Prakash. The movie, which falls into the genre of suspense thrillers, was shot primarily at Peerumedu in Idukki, Kerala...
, produced by Mrs. Benzy Martin, was distributed via satellite to cinemas, thus becoming the first Indian digital cinema. This was done by Emil and Eric Digital Films, a company based at Thrissur using the end-to-end digital cinema system developed by Singapore-based DG2L Technologies.
2007
The UK is home to Europe's first DCI-compliant fully digital multiplex cinemas. Odeon Hatfield and Odeon Surrey Quays (London) have a total of 18 digital screens and were both launched on Friday 9 February 2007.As of March 2007, with the release of Disney's Meet the Robinsons
Meet the Robinsons
Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American computer-animated family film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures on March 30, 2007. The forty-seventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, the film was released in both the United States and the...
, about 600 screens have been equipped with 2K digital projectors that feature Real D Cinema
Real D Cinema
RealD Cinema is a digital stereoscopic projection technology made and sold by RealD Inc. It is currently the most widely used technology for watching 3-D films in theatres.-Technology:...
's stereoscopic 3D technology, marketed under the Disney Digital 3-D
Disney Digital 3-D
Disney Digital 3-D is a brand used by the Walt Disney Company to describe three-dimensional films made and released by the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and shown exclusively using digital projection....
brand.
In June 2007, Arts Alliance Media announced the first European commercial digital cinema VPF (Virtual Print Fee) agreements (with Twentieth Century Fox and Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
).
As of July 2007, there are some cinemas in Singapore showing digital 4K films to public using Sony's 4K digital projector. They are located at Golden Village Cinema in Vivocity
VivoCity
VivoCity is the largest shopping mall in Singapore. Located in the HarbourFront precinct, it was designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito. Its name is derived from the word vivacity...
(Hall 11), Eng Wah Cinema in Suntec (Hall 3), Shaw Cinema in Bugis (Hall 1 & 3) and at Cathay Cineplex (Hall 7).
In September 2007, Muvico Theaters Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, Illinois
Rosemont, Illinois
Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States located immediately northwest of Chicago. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before that...
became the first theater in North America to have Sony's 4K digital projectors for all 18 screens.
In January 2007, "Guru" became the first Indian movie mastered in the DCI compliant Jpeg2000 Interop format and also the first Indian film to be previewed digitally, internationally, at the Elgin Winter Garden in Toronto. "Guru" was digitally mastered at Real Image Media Technologies, India.
By October 2007, DG2L Technologies was reported to have supplied 1500 Digital Cinema Systems to UFO Moviez Ltd. in India and Europe.
As of October 2007, there are over 5,000 DLP-based Digital Cinema Systems installed.
2009
In March 2009 AMC TheatresAMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
announced that it closed on a $315 million deal with Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
to replace all of its movie projector
Movie projector
A movie projector is an opto-mechanical device for displaying moving pictures by projecting them on a projection screen. Most of the optical and mechanical elements, except for the illumination and sound devices, are present in movie cameras.-Physiology:...
s with 4K digital projectors starting in the second quarter of 2009 and completing in 2012.
2010
As of June, 2010, there are close to 16,000 digital cinema screens, with over 5000 of them being stereoscopic setups.Considering an article written by David Hancock (http://www.isuppli.com/media-research/marketwatch/pages/digital-screen-numbers-and-forecasts-to-2015-are-finalised.aspx), the total number of d-screens worldwide came in at 36,242, up from 16,339 at end 2009 or a growth rate of 121.8 percent during the year. There were 10,083 d-screens in Europe as a whole (28.2 percent of global figure), 16,522 in North America (46.2 percent of global figure) and 7,703 in Asia (21.6 percent of global figure). As regards digital 3D screens, there were a total of 21,936 3D screens, which equals 60.5 percent of all d-screens. This is a rise from the 55 percent in 2009 but is expected to drop slightly in 2011 to 57.5 percent.
Impact on distribution
Digital distribution of movies has the potential to save money for film distributors. To print an 80-minute feature film can cost US$1,500 to $2,500, so making thousands of prints for a wide-release movie can cost millions of dollars. In contrast, at the maximum 250 megabit-per-second data rate (as defined by DCIDigital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios, formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems.The organization was formed in March 2002 by the following studios:* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
for digital cinema), a feature-length movie can be stored on an off the shelf
Commercial off-the-shelf
In the United States, Commercially available Off-The-Shelf is a Federal Acquisition Regulation term defining a nondevelopmental item of supply that is both commercial and sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace, and that can be procured or utilized under government contract...
300 GB
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
hard drive for $150 and a broad release of 4000 'digital prints' might cost $600,000. In addition hard drives can be returned to distributors for reuse. With several hundred movies distributed every year, the industry saves billions of dollars.
The film industry has been dominated by a small number of distributors
Oligopoly
An oligopoly is a market form in which a market or industry is dominated by a small number of sellers . The word is derived, by analogy with "monopoly", from the Greek ὀλίγοι "few" + πόλειν "to sell". Because there are few sellers, each oligopolist is likely to be aware of the actions of the others...
for many years due to a high barrier of entry
Barriers to entry
In theories of competition in economics, barriers to entry are obstacles that make it difficult to enter a given market. The term can refer to hindrances a firm faces in trying to enter a market or industry - such as government regulation, or a large, established firm taking advantage of economies...
for new competition. This is caused by high costs and a lack of access to well-established production and distribution networks. By replacing film prints with hard disks the barrier to entry is significantly reduced, opening the market to competition.
The digital cinema rollout was stalled (as can be seen by major equipment purchases and future commitments to new equipment during this time); exhibitors acknowledged that they would not purchase equipment to replace projectors since the savings would be seen not by themselves but by distribution companies. The Virtual Print Fee model was created to address this (some claim by Frank Stirling at Boeing - Boeing was involved in digital cinema deployment at that time) and this was successfully done, accelerating the rollout of this technology and with it the reduction of the barrier to entry. Given that digital projectors make low volume distribution at last an economic possibility it is the studios' support of the VPF model that has accelerated the introduction of competition, both in terms of alternative distributors and also alternative content including cinematic series.
Alternative content
An added incentive for exhibitors is the ability to show alternative content such as live special events, sports, pre-show advertising and other digital or video content. Some low-budget films that would normally not have a theatrical release because of distribution costs might be shown in smaller engagements than the typical large release studio pictures. The cost of duplicating a digital "print" is very low, so adding more theaters to a release has a small additional cost to the distributor. Movies that start with a small release could scale to a much larger release quickly if they were sufficiently successful, opening up the possibility that smaller movies could achieve box officeBox office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
success previously out of their reach.
Alternate content is also finding a market in 3rd world countries in which the higher costs and quality of DCI equipment are not yet affordable.
Greater protection for content
A last incentive for copyright holders for digital distribution is the possibility of greater protection against piracyCopyright infringement of audio-visual works
Copyright infringement of audio-visual works, often referred to as piracy or warez, occurs when unauthorized copies are made of music, movies and similar works. Incidence of copyright infringement has grown dramatically since the late 1970s, as technology has facilitated the unauthorized...
. With traditional film prints, distributors typically stagger the film's release in various markets, shipping the film prints around the globe. In the subsequent markets, pirated copies of a film (that is, a cam) may be available before the movie is released in that market. A simultaneous worldwide release would mitigate this problem to some degree. Simultaneous worldwide releases on film have been used on The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code (film)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code...
, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 American action comedy film. It is the sequel to 2000's Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of $259.2 million.The cast again includes Cameron...
and Mission: Impossible III
Mission: Impossible III
Mission: Impossible III is a 2006 spy film, the third based on the spy-themed television series Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise who reprises his role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt....
amongst others. With digital distribution, a simultaneous worldwide release would not cost significantly more than a staggered release.
Costs
On the downside, the initial costs for converting theaters to digital are high: $150,000 per screen on average. Theaters have been reluctant to switch without a cost-sharing arrangement with film distributorFilm distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
s. A solution is a temporary Virtual Print Fee system, where the distributor (who saves the money of producing and transporting a physical copy) pays a fee per copy to help finance the digital systems of the theaters.
While a theater can purchase a film projector for US$50,000 and expect an average life of 30–40 years, a digital cinema playback system including server/media block/and projector can cost 3–4 times as much, and is at higher risk for component failures and technological obsolescence. Experience with computer-based media systems show that average economic lifetimes are only on the order of 5 years with some units lasting until about 10 years before they are replaced.
Archiving digital material is also turning out to be both tricky and costly. In a 2007 study, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
found the cost of storing 4K digital masters to be "enormously higher - 1100% higher - than the cost of storing film masters." Furthermore, digital archiving faces challenges due to the insufficient temporal qualities of today's digital storage: no current media, be it optical disc
Optical disc
In computing and optical disc recording technologies, an optical disc is a flat, usually circular disc which encodes binary data in the form of pits and lands on a special material on one of its flat surfaces...
s, magnetic hard drives or digital tape, can reliably store a film for a hundred years, something that properly stored and handled film can do.
History
Digital media playback of hi-resolution 2K files has at least a 20 year history with early RAIDRAID
RAID is a storage technology that combines multiple disk drive components into a logical unit...
s feeding custom frame buffer systems with large memories. Content was usually restricted to several minutes of material.
Transfer of content between remote locations was slow and had limited capacity. It wasn't until the late 1990s that feature length projects could be sent over the 'wire' (Internet or dedicated fiber links).
There were many prototype systems developed that claim a first in some form of digital presentation. However, few of these had a significant impact on the advance of the industry. Key highlights in the development of digital cinema would likely include: demonstrations by TI
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
of their DMD
Digital micromirror device
A digital micromirror device, or DMD, is an optical semiconductor that is the core of DLP projection technology, and was invented by Dr. Larry Hornbeck and Dr. William E. "Ed" Nelson of Texas Instruments in 1987....
technology, real-time playback of compressed hi-resolution files by various vendors, and early HD presentations from D5
D5 HD
D-5 is a professional digital video format introduced by Panasonic in 1994. Like Sony's D-1 , it is an uncompressed digital component system , but uses the same half-inch tapes as Panasonic's digital composite D-3 format...
tape to digital projectors.
Standards development
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers began work on standards for digital cinema in 2000. It was clear by that point in time that HDTV did not provide a sufficient technological basis for the foundation of digital cinema playback. (In Europe and Japan however, there is still a significant presence of HDTV for theatrical presentations. Agreements within the ISO standards body have led to these systems being referred to as Electronic Cinema Systems (E-Cinema).)Digital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios, formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems.The organization was formed in March 2002 by the following studios:* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
(DCI) was formed in March 2002 as a joint project of many motion picture studios (Disney, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, MGM, Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
, Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and Warner Bros. Studios) to develop a system specification for digital cinema. In April 2004, in cooperation with the American Society of Cinematographers
American Society of Cinematographers
The American Society of Cinematographers is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with distinguished credits in the film...
, DCI created standard evaluation material (the ASC/DCI StEM material) for testing of 2K and 4K playback and compression technologies. DCI published their specification in 2005.
Claims to significant events
The development of Digital Cinema was a broad-based industry project involving many companies and development teams. Many instances of video or digital playback occurred during the early 2000's and claims to significance for the development of the industry vary.[There is insufficient context and verified history to determine the influence and impact of many of these early demonstrations. However, presented herein are claims for significant developments]
Technology Demonstrations
One claim for the first digital cinema demonstration comes from JVCJVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
. On March 19, 1998, they collaborated on a digital presentation at a cinema in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Several clips from popular films were encoded onto a remote server, and sent via fibre optic for display to a collection of interested Industry parties.
The Last Broadcast
The Last Broadcast (film)
The Last Broadcast is a 1998 American horror film made by Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler. The film was produced digitally using inexpensive PC-based hardware and software.-Synopsis:...
apparently made cinematic history on October 23, 1998, when it became the first feature to be theatrically released digitally, via satellite download to theaters across the United States. An effort headed by Wavelength Releasing, Texas Instruments, Digital Projection Inc. and Loral Space, it successfully demonstrated what would become a template for future releases. In 1999, it was repeated utilizing QuVIS technology across Europe, including the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, making The Last Broadcast the first feature to be screened digitally at the Cannes Film Festival.
Several feature films were shown in 1999 using DLP prototype projectors and early wavelet based servers. For example, Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
Bicentennial Man
Bicentennial Man (film)
Bicentennial Man is a 1999 American drama and science fiction film starring Robin Williams and Sam Neill. Based on the novel The Positronic Man, co-written by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg which is itself based on Asimov's original novella titled The Bicentennial Man, the plot explores issues...
was presented using a Qubit server manufactured by QuVIS of Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. DVD ROM was used to store the compressed data file. The DVD ROMs were loaded into the QuBit server hard drives for playout. The file size for Bicentennial Man was 42 GB with an average data rate of 43 Mbit/s.
System Prototyping
In 2000, Walt DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
, Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
and Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
with the cooperation of several U.S. and international exhibitors, began to deploy prototype Digital Cinema systems in commercial theatres. The systems were assembled and installed by Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
using the TI mark V prototype projector, a special Christie
Christie (company)
The Christie group of companies are part of the Ushio group of companies, the ultimate parent of which is Ushio Inc., a publicly traded Japanese company, Japan...
lamphouse, and the QuBit server with custom designed automation interfaces.
On February 2, 2000, Philippe Binant, technical manager of Digital Cinema Project at Gaumont
Gaumont Film Company
Gaumont Film Company is a French film production company founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont . Gaumont is the oldest continously operating film company in the world....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, realized the first digital cinema projection in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with the TI mark V prototype projector.
Technicolor manufactured the DVDs for uploading on these test systems and was responsible for sending technicians out to the locations for every new feature film that was played. The technicians would typically spend ten or so hours to load the files from the DVD to the QuBit, set up the server to play the files, and then set up the projector. A full rehearsal screening of the feature was mandatory as was the requirement to have back up DVDs and backup QuBits available should something fail.
The systems were eventually replaced or upgraded after TI made improvements to the projectors and Technicolor developed a purpose-built digital cinema server in a venture with Qualcomm
Qualcomm
Qualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
. The new systems were called AMS for Auditorium Management Systems and were the first digital cinema servers designed to be user friendly and operate reliably in a computer-hostile environment such as a projection booth. Most importantly, they provided a complete solution for content security.
The AMS used removable hard disk drives as the transport mechanism for the files. This eliminated the time required to upload the DVD ROMs to the local hard drives and provided the ability to switch programs quickly. For security, the AMS used a media block type system that placed a sealed electronics package within the projector housing. The server output only Triple DES
Triple DES
In cryptography, Triple DES is the common name for the Triple Data Encryption Algorithm block cipher, which applies the Data Encryption Standard cipher algorithm three times to each data block....
encrypted data and the media block did the decryption at the point just before playout.
The first secure encrypted digital cinema feature was Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of the series' internal chronology...
by Cinecomm Digital Cinema (then led by Russell J. Wintner
Russell J. Wintner
Russell J. Wintner is an American Hollywood executive who co-founded CineComm Digital Cinema, which focused on digital cinema delivery of motion pictures to movie theatres around the world via satellite...
). This first digital delivery and exhibition of a full-length feature film to paying audiences is widely considered to be the defining moment for digital cinema's commercial viability. The film was transmitted and then shown digitally in theatres both in Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The system functioned well but was eventually replaced because of the need to create a standard data package for D-cinema distribution.
The First Digital Cinema Network enabling digital delivery directly to the theaters was built by Digital Cinema Solutions in 2002. The company was founded by James Steele. The network was built as a vehicle to play the BMW Film Series The Hire in movie theaters http://digitalcontentproducer.com/news/video_microsoft_bmw_artisan/. In a partnership with Microsoft http://news.cnet.com/Microsoft-preps-for-digital-film-close-up/2100-1025_3-963987.html, Steele connected 28 of the top Independent Art Houses in the United States including many Landmark Theaters, The Angelikas in New York and Houston, The Charles in Baltimore and many others. The first film to be distributed through the network was Artisan Entertainment's STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN. MOTOWN had its digital debut at the historical Apollo Theater in New York City http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/14/movies/using-a-hard-drive-to-show-films-in-theaters.html?pagewanted=1. Following MOTOWN, Digital Cinema Solutions electronically distributed over a virtual private network close to 100 films until it was sold in 2005.
The first DCI-compliant DCP to be delivered Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
used their film Serenity
Serenity (film)
Serenity is a 2005 space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of the short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly, taking place after the events of the final episode. Set in 2518, Serenity is the story of the captain and crew of a cargo ship...
as the first DCI-compliant DCP to be delivered shown to an audience at a remote theater, although it was not distributed this way to the public. Inside Man
Inside Man
Inside Man is a 2006 crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster. The film's screenplay was written by Russell Gewirtz and produced by Brian Grazer...
was their first DCP cinema release, and was transmitted to 20 theatres in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
along with two trailers
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
.
In April 2005, DG2L Technologies announced that it had been awarded the multi-million dollar contract for the world's largest satellite based MPEG4 digital cinema deployment to be done in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, which encompassed 2000 theaters for UFO (United Film Organizers), a subsidiary of the Valuable Media Group. In March 2006, United Film Organizers Moviez (UFO Moviez), had reached a significant milestone—surpassing 30,000 shows using the DG2L Cinema System platform. This figure increased to 100,000 shows in August 2006. In September 2006, UFO Moviez acquired 51% stake in DG2L Technologies in a deal estimated at around $50 million.
Stereo 3-D images
In late 2005, interest in digital 3-D stereoscopicStereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
projection has led to a new willingness on the part of theaters to co-operate in installing a limited number of 2K stereo installations to show Disney's Chicken Little
Chicken Little (2005 film)
Chicken Little is a 2005 computer-animated science fiction family comedy film loosely based on the fable The Sky Is Falling. It was the 46th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation...
in 3-D film
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
. Six more digital 3-D movies were released in 2006 and 2007 (including Beowulf, Monster House
Monster House (film)
Monster House is a 2006 computer animated motion capture horror/comedy film produced by ImageMovers and Amblin Entertainment, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Executive produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, this is the first time since Back to the Future Part III that they have...
and Meet the Robinsons
Meet the Robinsons
Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American computer-animated family film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures on March 30, 2007. The forty-seventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, the film was released in both the United States and the...
). The technology combines a single digital projector fitted with either a polarizing filter (for use with polarized glasses
Polarized glasses
Polarized 3D glasses create the illusion of three-dimensional images by restricting the light that reaches each eye, an example of stereoscopy which exploits the polarization of light....
and silver screens), a filter wheel or an emitter for LCD glasses. RealD uses a "ZScreen" for polarisation and MasterImage uses a filter wheel that changes the polarity of projector's light output several times per second to alternate quickly the left-and-right-eye views. Another system that uses a filter wheel is Dolby 3D
Dolby 3D
Dolby 3D is a marketing name for a system from Dolby Laboratories, Inc. to show three-dimensional motion pictures in a digital cinema.- Technology :...
. The wheel changes the wavelengths of the colours being displayed, and tinted glasses filter these changes so the incorrect wavelength cannot enter the wrong eye. XpanD makes use of an external emitter that sends a signal to the 3D glasses to block out the wrong image from the wrong eye.
List of digital cinema companies
- ArriArri-History:Arri was founded in Munich, Germany as Arnold & Richter Cine Technik in 1917, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter. They produce professional motion picture equipment, digital and film cameras and cinematic lighting equipment...
— digital cinema camera manufacturer - BarcoBarcoBarco N.V. is a display hardware manufacturer specialising in video projectors, LCD projectors, DLP projectors, LCoS projectors, LED displays, video walls, flat panel displays, automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls....
— digital projector manufacturer - ChristieChristie (company)The Christie group of companies are part of the Ushio group of companies, the ultimate parent of which is Ushio Inc., a publicly traded Japanese company, Japan...
— digital projector manufacturer - Deluxe Digital Studios — distributor and theater system integrator
- Dolby LaboratoriesDolby LaboratoriesDolby Laboratories, Inc. , often shortened to Dolby Labs, is an American company specializing in audio noise reduction and audio encoding/compression.-History:...
— theater system integrator - IMAXIMAXIMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
— digital projector manufacturer - Kodak — theater system integrator
- NECNEC, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
— digital projector manufacturer - MasterImage 3DMasterImage 3DMasterImage 3D is a company that develops stereoscopic 3D systems for theaters and auto-stereoscopic 3D displays for mobile devices.-Technology:...
— 3D cinema and mobile display technology - RealD Cinema — 3D cinema display technology
- RED Digital Cinema Camera Company — digital cinema camera manufacturer
- Silicon ImagingSilicon ImagingThe Silicon Imaging is a 2K digital video camera based around a single 16mm-sized CMOS sensor. It can record direct to disk in the compressed CineForm RAW format, and is notable for its tiny detachable camera head, which can be positioned up to 100m from the recording unit...
— digital cinema camera manufacturer - SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
— manufacturer of 4K digital projector, cinema camera manufacturer and digital cinema servers and theater system integrator - TechnicolorTechnicolorTechnicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
— distributor and theater system integrator - Texas InstrumentsTexas InstrumentsTexas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
— developers of DLP projector technology - XDCXDCXDC, a member company of EVS, was created in 2004 by Laurent Minguet. It is a digital distribution company based in Liège but it also has offices in France, Spain and Germany...
— theater system integrator & digital server manufacturer
See also
- 4K resolution4K resolution4K is an emerging standard for resolution in digital film and computer graphics. The name comes from its approximately 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution. The fact that it describes the horizontal resolution is contrary to the standard resolutions 720p and 1080p, which represent the number of...
- Digital cinematographyDigital cinematographyDigital cinematography is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images, rather than on film. Digital capture may occur on video tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data. As digital technology has improved, this practice has become increasingly common...
- Digital projector
- Digital intermediateDigital intermediateDigital intermediate is a motion picture finishing process which classically involves digitizing a motion picture and manipulating the color and other image characteristics. It often replaces or augments the photochemical timing process and is usually the final creative adjustment to a movie...
- Digital Cinema InitiativesDigital Cinema InitiativesDigital Cinema Initiatives, LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios, formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems.The organization was formed in March 2002 by the following studios:* Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
- Display resolutionDisplay resolutionThe display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
- Digital 3DDigital 3DDigital 3D is a non-specific 3D standard in which films, television shows, and video games are presented and shot in digital 3D technology or later processed in digital post-production to add a 3D effect....
- 3-D film3-D filmA 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
- Color suiteColor suiteColor suite also called a Color bay or a Telecine suite or Color correction bay. Color suite is the control room for color grading video in a post production environment. The video source could be from: a telecine, a Video tape recorder , a motion picture film scanner, virtual telecine or a Direct...
- List of film-related topics (extensive alphabetical listing)