Comments on: Digitizing the multiplex

A years-long battle over digital cinema technical standards is over. But getting the technology into theaters could be a cliff-hanger.

[vc73]

Digital Cinema

The article fails to mention that consumers (ie. the viewing public) will ultimately determine a cinema's success or failure. Advertising that your cinema has taken the technology leap for the betterment of your theatre and ultimately, the enjoyment of the patrons will give your theatre a commercial edge. This revenue will easily pay for the cost of equipment upgrade.

[vc73]

Digital Cinema

The article fails to mention that consumers (ie. the viewing public) will ultimately determine a cinema's success or failure. Advertising that your cinema has taken the technology leap for the betterment of your theatre and ultimately, the enjoyment of the patrons will give your theatre a commercial edge. This revenue will easily pay for the cost of equipment upgrade.

[CD_ Rome]

Yeah, but will it reduce ticket costs?

The only way it will benefit the consumer is if it reduces ticket costs. If it saves the studios $800 million a year, they better lower prices. Chances are, the greedy studios are accustomed to the money generated from the current ticket prices and won't come down. They'll tell us the quality of the picture is much better.

Or...

Or they will raise it because of the quality of the picture and sound are better and because they have to come up with some way to pay for all of this equipment they are going be handing out.

Frankly I don't go to the show all that much any more. In fact once I can get a good reasonably priced 60" flat screen for home I will just wait for video releases.

Robert

[CD_ Rome]

Yeah, but will it reduce ticket costs?

The only way it will benefit the consumer is if it reduces ticket costs. If it saves the studios $800 million a year, they better lower prices. Chances are, the greedy studios are accustomed to the money generated from the current ticket prices and won't come down. They'll tell us the quality of the picture is much better.

Or...

Or they will raise it because of the quality of the picture and sound are better and because they have to come up with some way to pay for all of this equipment they are going be handing out.

Frankly I don't go to the show all that much any more. In fact once I can get a good reasonably priced 60" flat screen for home I will just wait for video releases.

Robert

Piracy is the biggest issue...

It seems that no matter how high-tech the technology is,
someone always finds a way to break into it. I was in Peru
watching the original Spiderman movie with spanish subtitles
one month before it was released in United States theaters.

So is it cheaper to buy film prints or make digital copies? I
guess it depends as to how secure the digital copies are...

Also, it is a proven fact that any multimedia technology becomes
outdated rapidly. For some reason, the motion picture film
standard (a film print can play in any 35mm projector in the
world) has worked. It will be interesting to see how theater
owners finance new technology that will need to be won't
become obsolete in a few years. Look at all the video formats
that are now obsolete. VHS, S-VHS, Video-8, Hi-8, 3/4", Beta,
Beta SP, D1, D2, Laserdisk, DiviX, etc...

As technology exponentially improves, video standards and
formats rapidly change. New video technologies tend to be very
expensive when they are new, then you practially have to give it
away to update.

It will be interesting to see what unfolds in the future with this.

Adam Berman
Cinematographer
www.bermanfilms.com

Piracy is the biggest issue...

It seems that no matter how high-tech the technology is,
someone always finds a way to break into it. I was in Peru
watching the original Spiderman movie with spanish subtitles
one month before it was released in United States theaters.

So is it cheaper to buy film prints or make digital copies? I
guess it depends as to how secure the digital copies are...

Also, it is a proven fact that any multimedia technology becomes
outdated rapidly. For some reason, the motion picture film
standard (a film print can play in any 35mm projector in the
world) has worked. It will be interesting to see how theater
owners finance new technology that will need to be won't
become obsolete in a few years. Look at all the video formats
that are now obsolete. VHS, S-VHS, Video-8, Hi-8, 3/4", Beta,
Beta SP, D1, D2, Laserdisk, DiviX, etc...

As technology exponentially improves, video standards and
formats rapidly change. New video technologies tend to be very
expensive when they are new, then you practially have to give it
away to update.

It will be interesting to see what unfolds in the future with this.

Adam Berman
Cinematographer
www.bermanfilms.com

digital cinema transition

Movies move from first run theaters to 2nd run, 3rd run, foreign theatres, on down the chain. It is wrong to say that studios save $1000 per print until the whole world goes digital. Until then, studios have to create BOTH the digital file and the film print. So going digital costs more, and gives the 2nd and 3rd run theatres less reason to go digital, because they are getting better prints!

[msims]

It will take more than digital to make a good picture

All of this digital technology is great for the theater entertainment experience such as clearer sound, high definition screens, no scratches ect but the main issue is this: the movie's plot and story realy have to be of significant worth.

To the audience point of view they don't want to sit though 20 minutes just to see commercial filler before the previews and the main feature they just want to see the previews and the main feature. We get too much of that at home on tv, newspapers, magazines, Internet and you name it.

A movie's got to have good entertainment value to justify the $8.50 price and a good picture with good sound is not enough to justify the price unless they delete all the stupid commericials and reduce the price for concessions.

Lets face it the consumers bottom line realy dictates how well a movie does at the box office which is entertainment value in terms of fun, laughter, cheap food, good acting, good plot. If a movie lacks all of these important items and the service is poor or lacking at the consession stand and all we get is a bunch of comercials to sit through before the main feature then they don't deserve my $8.50 just to see it.

As a rule of thumb I bypass the commericials by arriving at the theater 20 minutes after posted showtime to get my snaks and in that way no commericials for me to sit through. After all isn't this the reason why we go to the theater to get away from the commericials that we are constantly subjected to at home on tv everyday?

digital cinema transition

Movies move from first run theaters to 2nd run, 3rd run, foreign theatres, on down the chain. It is wrong to say that studios save $1000 per print until the whole world goes digital. Until then, studios have to create BOTH the digital file and the film print. So going digital costs more, and gives the 2nd and 3rd run theatres less reason to go digital, because they are getting better prints!

[msims]

It will take more than digital to make a good picture

All of this digital technology is great for the theater entertainment experience such as clearer sound, high definition screens, no scratches ect but the main issue is this: the movie's plot and story realy have to be of significant worth.

To the audience point of view they don't want to sit though 20 minutes just to see commercial filler before the previews and the main feature they just want to see the previews and the main feature. We get too much of that at home on tv, newspapers, magazines, Internet and you name it.

A movie's got to have good entertainment value to justify the $8.50 price and a good picture with good sound is not enough to justify the price unless they delete all the stupid commericials and reduce the price for concessions.

Lets face it the consumers bottom line realy dictates how well a movie does at the box office which is entertainment value in terms of fun, laughter, cheap food, good acting, good plot. If a movie lacks all of these important items and the service is poor or lacking at the consession stand and all we get is a bunch of comercials to sit through before the main feature then they don't deserve my $8.50 just to see it.

As a rule of thumb I bypass the commericials by arriving at the theater 20 minutes after posted showtime to get my snaks and in that way no commericials for me to sit through. After all isn't this the reason why we go to the theater to get away from the commericials that we are constantly subjected to at home on tv everyday?

[Flushls]

Bandwidth will be a big problem

If the theatres are in anything but cluster urban which many are not there is no fibre anywhere near ????
then they get to pay qworst etc $20k per month for LEC transport hmmmm.
this sounds like it was made for the RBOC's the screw more folks instead of deploying fibre.....

Ben West

[Flushls]

Bandwidth will be a big problem

If the theatres are in anything but cluster urban which many are not there is no fibre anywhere near ????
then they get to pay qworst etc $20k per month for LEC transport hmmmm.
this sounds like it was made for the RBOC's the screw more folks instead of deploying fibre.....

Ben West