Digital Cinema & The Digital Projectionist
Introduction
This part of the website is designed to embrace and help the Digital Projectionist
Digital cinema has now well and truely arrived across the world. Everyday there is a new story about a digital cinema development of some sort or nothing. In fact most of the major cinema chains in the UK have made their poisitions known.
Digital cinema is seen as providing the industry with a number of advantages, such as always providing the same quality of presentation screening after screening. However there is a new reasurrance and interest in the concept 3D films.
How Digital Cinema Works
The Dolby website has a very good example of how digital cinema works:
Dolby's Digital Cinema Demonstration
How Stuff Work's desription on Digital Cinema
Wikipedia's version of Digital Cinema
Kodak Digital Cinema — An Overview
Digital Cinema Initiatives
The Digital Cinema Initiative LLC (DCI) "was created in March, 2002, and is a joint venture of Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. Studios. DCI's primary purpose is to establish and document voluntary specifications for an open architecture for digital cinema that ensures a uniform and high level of technical performance, reliability and quality control".
Wikipedia: Digital Cinema Initiatives
Number of Digital Screens
After a number of years while there were very few digital screens across the world, there is now a constantly growing number with more being announced practically every day. According to Media Salles there were 4,205 digital screens at the end of June 2007. List of Christie Digital Screens
The Digital Projectors
Digital Servers
Kodak Theatre Management System
Dolby
Doremi
Digital Economics
Pre-Show
Digital Cinema Building Design
Digital Cinema Timeline
Digital Cinema Training
Digital Cinema Societies
Digital Cinema Manuals
3D Cinema
From Across MCP
Beaming Bowie Book Review
Digital Cinema - An Update
Future Cinema Essay - Some Thoughts
Digital Film Releases
Currently there is no difinateive source providing a complete list of films being released digitally. However, the following sites provide lists, as a useful starting place.
Alternative Content
One of the biggest advantages to having a digial projector in a cinema is it's ability to be able to screen, what has become known as alternative content - this can be anything from video, DVD, computer presentations or even sports or music events.
This alternative conetne can be a tricky thing to deal with - where as once there was one format - film, there is now hundreds of different formats and variations within those formats. Below are some useful links and information which will hopefully help when dealing with alternative content.
Below I have listed some useful tools and applications which may help with setting up the alternative content
Video Monitor Test Patterns
If you are setting up for alternative content it is good to understand about test patterns either for video/dvd content or if it is from a computer. This allows you to see if you are getting the best possible picture. The following links are either for tools or further information on testing and resoultions.
>- Resolution Test Patterns
- Video Test Bench\ Monitor Test Pattern Generator
- Joe Kane Productions
- Video Monitor Test Pattern Tutorials
- Techmind LCD
Video Formats
Video Codecs
WIKIPEDIA: Video Codecs
HOW STUFF WORKS: Video formats
WIKIPEDIA: Video Formats
Aspect Ratios
Everyone is use to the aspect ratios associated with film, and the ways in which to identify them, but it it is not always so easy in the digital world.
HOW STUFF WORKS: Video Format
WIKIPEDIA: Aspect Ratio
S-Video
Composite
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
WIKIPEDIA: High Definition Multimedia Interface
SCART
Colour Space
RGB
HD SDI
Audio
WIKIPEDIA: Audio Codecs
WIKIPEDIA: Balanced Audio
Dolby DM8
Folsom
Christie
Digital Cinema News Stories
Below are the most recent digital news sotires which have appeared across the internet:
If you would like to view other digital news stories then please click here.
Help & Support
WIKIPEDIA: List of Film Topics
WIKIPEDIA: Film and Video Technology
WIKIPEDIA: PAL
WIKIPEDIA: NTSC
Downloads
Barco Downloads, inc manuals, brochures and white papers
Christie's Digital Lens Calculator
Links
The Stereoscopic Cinema:From Film to Digital Projection
These are a selection of digital cinema related links from a cross the internet of various sources of information
Digital Cinema (DLP)
2nd Name - 2ndname.com is a group of young professional artists who feel to be specialized enough in cinema, music theme and experimental movie to guarantee a sort of “New Digital Cinema magazine”. For more details you can read the press release here.
AccessIT - Has an interesting video relating to the Digital Cinema, which is worth having a look at.
Arri Digital Cinema - This is a section on Arri's website about Digital Cinema, with some nice examples of workflow.
Avica Technology - This site is full of technical informaiton on digital cinema, an dincludes descriptions on how it is likely to work in the multiplex world.
Barco Projection systems - digital cinema, home theatre, presentation and more.
Beaming David Bowie - this book is due to be published in August 2005. For the launch of Bowie’s 2003 album, Reality, author Marc John organised a groundbreaking satellite broadcast of a specially produced David Bowie concert which was shown exclusively in digitally equipped cinemas around the world.This marked the first time ever that a live & interactive event had been beamed to cinemas world-wide.
Christie Digital - This website is great. There is so much information to look at and read that you could be there for a while. This site gives full details of all of Christie's projectors both domestic and professional and cinema and non cinema related. There is still a section which shows the traditional 35mm equipment which is still available. This site is worth a visit.
DCinema Today - This site is a fantastic source of information relating to Digital Cinema. Highly Reommended.
DCinema Today - Internet Articles - This page provides links to Internet Articels on Digital Cinema.
Digital Cinema Naming Convention - This site is designed to help everyone involved in Digital Cinema exhibition understand how to use the Digital Cinema Naming Convention when naming (or locating) Digital Cinema Packages.
Digital Cinema System Specification - This a direct link to the Digital Cinema System Specification's which were agreed in July 2005. They are published on the Digital Cinema Initiatives website.
Digital Projection - a very good website on digital projectors, providing lots of information.
Digital-Exhibition.co.uk - This is the website for Simon Walker who is researching Digital Exhibition for his PhD.
Dolby Digital Cinema - information on a digital system created by Dolby for digital cinema.
Doremi Cinema - is a leading developer and manufacturer of mastering and playback solutions for the digital cinema market.
EDCine Portal - The EDCine project is focussing on the optimisation, enhancement and interoperability issues of JPEG 2000 based Digital Cinema.
Electrohome - a small invester in Immersion Studios, a digital cinema business. Also has links to Christe, its former projection systems division.
Electronic Cinema Study Group (ECSG) - Description to Follow
European Digital Cinema Forum - an organisation which is made up of a number of other cinema organisations. This site provides quite a lot of information on the subject.
Hughes-JVC - provide and market a range of video and data storage products to professional users.
JPEG2000 - All about the JPEG2000 standard. Also has this link to a system about digital cinema. There are a couple of interesting presentaitons on this site as well.
Kino - Kino, the UK's first purely digital cinema, is delighted to be opening in Hawkhurst, Kent in February 2006.
Kodak - Description to Follow
Kodak Digital Cinema - This site from Kodak has loads of information relating to Digital Cinema including Content Management Services and the Cine Server
NEC - Description to Follow
Pioneer - Description to Follow
Preparing for Digital Cinema - is an article looking at the current projectionists role in a digital cinema age.
Principia Optics - ecinmea optics manufactures.
Qualcomm - Has an item on digital cinema, under products and technologies, worldwide.
Quantum Digital - was launched in November 2001 and organises live and pre-recorded programming in cinemas using state-of-the-art digital technology.
Seleco - manufactures of digital projectors and olther multimedia applications.
Simac Company - Description to Follow
Texas Instruments (Digital Light Processing) - - has a number of articles on Digital Light Projection (DLP)
The IEE - article on Digital Cinema
THX - The website includes details of the THX certificate and allows you to view THX trailers.
UK Digital Screen Network - This website is the official site run by the Arts Alliance Digital Cinema and includes information on the basics of digital cinema along with a list of the completed installations.
USA lags in digital cinema stakes - Summary of research by Dodona Research into Digital Cinema
