EXAMINING digital cinema
Jun 1, 2000 12:00 PM, Josh Kairoff
You might be wondering what cinema anything is doing in a video column. You also might be wondering about the apparent oxymoron of "digital cinema." Hopefully, everyone is wondering what new bit of digital wonder is going to come along and once again reinvent all those things that seemed to have been working just fine before and now stand to be improved. Well, hold on to your popcorn because before too long, attending the cinema will be different from going to the movies. Improvements in display and distribution technology are now making it possible to change the most fundamental elements of what makes up a current movie experience in your local cinema. These changes will result in higher quality, increased capabilities and some new opportunities for cinema owners.
A historical perspective
Some 100 years ago Thomas Edison's motion picture viewing device was introduced into a theatrical environment. Then, as now, light was projected through moving film via a lens and shutter system on a screen in a dark room. People watched and heard the reproduction of images and sound. While many components within movie theaters have evolved, the method of showing an image has remained essentially the same since its introduction.
Cinema was originally the only way to see a reproduced moving image. Over time, however, new technologies were introduced, and customers began to have choices. Movie theaters needed to find ways to compete for customers' business. Having exclusive content and higher quality color images proved successful in keeping people interested in going out to the movies. On the other hand, competition from television, sporting events, movie rental, video games, satellite and cable programs presents people with many entertainment options. The movie theater industry has always been under pressure to keep ahead in quality and features without raising prices. One way to accomplish this is to update some of the core technologies used in movie theaters.
Recently, it has became possible and cost effective to use digital storage and projection technology instead of film to show movies. Toy Story 1 and 2, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Tarzan and The Ideal Husband all have been shown in both film (analog) and prototype digital cinemas. Average moviegoing audiences watching the digital cinema versions have ranged in opinion from unaware of the digital change to pleased with the difference between digital and traditional film. Digital cinema takes our current understanding of cinematic experience as the starting point. Going digital offers benefits that are simply not possible with analog film, and the advantages of digital cinema are many.
Digital advantages
There is little doubt that the issue of film cinema vs. digital cinema quality will be debated for some time. What is not debatable, however, is the clear superiority of digital in maintaining constant quality with use. In much the same way vinyl records degrade with use due to stylus contact with the substrate, and CDs do not degrade due to laser-light contact as the method used in decoding the digital information, the first showing of a digital movie will be identical in quality to the 1,000th. Digital movies do not get scratches or break the way regular film does. Every copy of a movie is identical to the master reference print. Normal movie film becomes slightly damaged with each showing. After enough showings, it will become too damaged for use. Digits, on the other hand, do not ever wear out.
Although digital cinema involves complex technology, using it should be much easier than film. Film is heavy, hard to work with and fragile. The process of receiving, prepping, showing, dismantling and returning a movie requires skilled labor and resources. Digital cinema movies can be managed with the simplicity of basic computer commands and operated just like a VCR.
Additionally, a typical movie mastered onto film today costs around $2,000 for each copy. Each copy of a movie requires secure transportation and storage from the time it is made until it is returned to the distributor for storage or destruction. This whole process adds cost and liability to the process. Digital movie source materials are data stored on reusable media, so costs are for the storage media and are amortized over the length of usefulness of that storage medium, ultimately a much lower cost per movie than film. Distribution of movie data in digital form is relatively inexpensive as well when compared to shipping costs of bulky and heavy film in containers.
Another point to consider is that film distributors make educated guesses when determining how many prints of a movie to make. If too few prints are made, there is the danger of not having enough screens to show the movie while it is in demand. Too many prints, and money is wasted on unneeded film. Either way, if a movie does not perform as predicted, it can waste money. Supply can conflict with demand. Using electronic distribution and localized data storage, a cinema house can adjust the schedule and number of screens at anytime. Additionally, delivering a single copy or 100 copies ends up costing exactly the same amount for the cinema.
Show schedules and screen placements are not limited by the presence of physical film. If a multiplex cinema has two copies of a movie, then it cannot show on more than two simultaneous screens. In the digital medium, the demands of the customers and the agreements with the studios are the controlling factors.
In digital cinema, movies also do not have to be physically shipped, stored or returned. Movies cannot get lost or stolen. Digital copies of movies can be released with robust copy protection and watermarking. Unlike the copy protection systems used with consumer electronics, digital movie distribution can be strong, proprietary and bidirectional. The likelihood of a movie's being shown or copied without authorization would be negligible.
With digital cinema, the movie studios have the ability to modify their content whenever it is found desirable. Movies can be changed even after they are released. Anything from language to brand product placement to scene selection can be controlled based on market demand. If mistakes are discovered, they can be corrected by downloading new content. A movie theater could even select which language or version (PG or R) of a movie to show and when.
Digital cinema uses solid-state projectors that are generally smaller than film projectors. Content storage and playback is accomplished with hard drives, data networks or digital VTRs, not large platters of heavy, fragile film. Projection booth design and location can be more flexible as a result.
Digital movies can be distributed over satellite, high-speed data networks, the Internet, DVD-ROMs, digital tape, or any other data path. Non-prime time and non-real time transition can increase the flexibility and decrease the cost.
Currently, movie theaters have a somewhat small window of time in which they can do business. Matinee showings and private screenings are about the only way to produce revenue outside of normal business hours. If the facilities could be used in off-hours with other types of images, such as boardroom meeting feeds for corporations, then movie theater owners would have another source of revenue.
High-quality display equipment in a premium viewing environment is always in demand. One potential non-cinema use for a digital cinema facility is electronic classrooms. Students could attend lectures held by instructors located across town or in another state or country. With interactive handsets at each seat, students can ask questions and take tests. Teachers can take attendance as well as get feedback on student progress. The same idea also works for corporate meetings, presentations, pay-per-view events and group teleconferencing.
Digital cinema vs. video and HDTV projection
Digital cinema systems consist of equipment that has been designed based upon the visual qualities of film and the environmental considerations of movie theaters. Most of the core imaging and storage technology comes from modified HDTV and data display products. Due to this reality, sample rate (14 bit vs. 8 bit), contrast ratio (>1,000 vs. 200 to 400), frame rate (24 fps vs. 60 Hz to 80 Hz), color capability and signal input (digital vs. analog) have all been designed to replicate and enhance the film experience.
Having achieved acceptable quality, the benefits and opportunities inherent in converting to a digital system will bring about an industry-wide changeover. There are many issues to still be resolved but one thing is certain - there are going to be a whole lot of movie theaters (37,000 screens in the United States alone) getting new digital A-V systems installed.
Currently, some projector manufactures and content-delivery services are working on ways to retrofit or replace equipment in existing theaters. Once the ball gets rolling, I would expect new theater designs to incorporate the needs of digital cinema. Movie theaters may slowly evolve into more of a media center where movies may be the primary but not the only media.
Before true multi-use capability can be achieved in the new digital cinema, some logistical considerations need to be addressed. For instance, how many theaters today have high-bandwidth RGBHV interfaces into which laptops can plug? Anyone who uses a theater for a business presentation will certainly want the ability to use his own laptop. How many theaters have A-V patchbays and routers? What about video-to-digital cinema upconverters to have the ability to show material that is not available digitally? How about PA systems or audience-response hardware? Movies require dark rooms, but speakers and conferences want controllable lighting. Who is going to design and install it? Each of these needs represents a new business opportunity for the contractor as digital cinema begins to take hold.
Hotels, convention centers, universities and colleges are all examples of institutions that have learned to accept and ultimately profit from A-V technology. It may seem silly now to have an office supply counter next to the popcorn stand, but if digital theaters begin to offer their space as high-technology presentation venues, staplers and paperclips could be placed on the condiments cart next to straws and napkins.
The Internet is one of the better sources for information on digital cinema. Texas Instruments (www.dlpcinema.com), Qualcomm (www.qualcomm.com), JVC (www.jvc.com) AndAction (www.andaction.com), NEC (nec.com or nectech.com), Real Image Digital Cinema (www.realimagedigital.com), Barco (www.barco.com), Christie Digital Systems (www.christiedigital.com), and Digital Projections (www.digital projections.com) and others provide good information on digital cinema.
Understanding the basics of digital video, computer networking and computer A-V interfacing is also important. Take a moment the next time you are at the movies to consider how you and your A-V experience can help bring technology into this new venue. It is always better to understand your customers and their needs before those people even know that they are your customers.
The economic, quality and control benefits of going digital are forcing an inevitable changeover in cinema distribution and display. With this change will come the potential for new opportunities using the movie theater's resources. A-V professionals who understand the unique needs of movie theaters could become an integral part of this evolution.
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