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Hollywood USA... and the movie capital of the world is going digital...
For over ninety years the Technicolor company has been a leading supplier of the Hollywood film industry. But for all that time the technology of film has changed little. Cinema projectors still pass a beam of light through tens of thousands of individual frames of celluloid. Now, Technicolor is facing a challenge for the twenty first century – to replace the use of film once and for all.
The solution lies in a partnership with another industry leader, NEC, who is pioneering the transition to digital cinema projection.
Technicolor is recommending their client cinemas install NEC digital projectors as part of a test to establish a universal standard.
One of the first to do this is the famous Mann’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
Peter Dobson, CEO, MANN THEATRES:
We had a relationship with Technicolor really since digital projection came into theatres and when we realized that they were going to have the best quality light output from the NEC projector – that really sold us on going with Technicolor.
NEC’s digital projector is as bright and clear as film on opening night. The server is a state of the art high availability server used by governments, banking and hospitals, perfect for mission critical motion picture playback. It was just what Technicolor were looking for.
Joe Berchtold, PRESIDENT, TECHNICOLOR THEATRICAL SERVICES: What we were looking for was really a quality partners and quality partners in terms of both the product that is delivered by NEC as well as what we see as a real commitment for the long term to this business by NEC.
NEC has a complete cinema solutions package. As well as theatres, many post production houses and most of the major US Studios use NEC digital projectors for checking and color grading of major motion pictures. The NC800C is the world's smallest and lightest fully digital cinema projector, best suited for these spaces. And for in-lobby advertising, NEC provides its ADVA suite solution tailored for the cinema environment.
Kurt Schwenk, GENERAL MANAGER, NEC DIGITAL CINEMA DIVISION,USA:
Just as the home industry has moved to digital photography, the entire film industry and the entertainment industry as a whole is also moving to the digital age. There’s about 120,000 screens globally that are recognized today as cinema screens. And probably within the next five to seven years those will be transitioned over to digital cinema.
The NEC digital projector brings major benefits to feature producers and consumers alike: Unlike film, the digital picture will not deteriorate with the number of plays. Scratches and dust are a thing of the past. Movies reach the cinemas via hard drives, DVDs, or satellite, not in the back of trucks, so distribution costs are greatly reduced. And piracy may soon be just a memory. In the future, digital technology will enable all language versions to be released simultaneously to every cinema in the world. And all at the push of a button.
Kurt Schwenk, GENERAL MANAGER NEC DIGITAL CINEMA DIVISION,USA:
The digital cinema team was put together to extend NEC into the entertainment industry. Digital cinema needs high level of service and support in order to succeed. We are transitioning a business that has been traditionally film based for over a hundred years into a digital based deployment system.
Together, NEC and Technicolor are partners in a revolution. Digital cinema is with us now.
The majestic Mann's Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard has been an institution among the Hollywood elite since 1927. World-famous for the time-honored tradition of celebrities leaving their foot and hand impressions on the theater's courtyard, this world-class theater has hosted countless world movie premieres.
With a heritage of leading technological advancements, Grauman's Chinese Theatre is today among the first in the world to install the NEC Digital Cinema projection system - much like it was one of the first cinemas ever to screen a “talkie” film in 1927. Its new NEC Digital Cinema projector now enables the theater to deliver crystal clear images again and again, and ultimately the best possible movie-viewing experience for its audiences.
"I love it. It's just so easy to use. I just press play." These are the words of the projectionist in Hollywood's Westwood Village Theatre where NEC's Digital Cinema projection system is also installed. A revolution to deliver brilliant images is taking place inside the film industry, and NEC is leading the charge.
The implication of digital projection inside cinemas is far reaching both culturally and environmentally. With no expensive celluloid to reproduce, movies can be released and distributed over broadband Internet or satellite almost instantaneously. This approach also minimizes potential harm to the environment from both chemical film duplication processes and vehicle-based distribution.
Added benefits of digital cinema are that the security of copyright can be maintained far more easily than traditional film distribution, as well as the ability to show alternative content and advertising allowing cinemas to explore an expanded business model which can supplement their existing motion picture-based activities.
In the accelerated industry-wide adoption of digital cinema, NEC's client Technicolor Digital Cinema considers NEC's Digital Cinema projectors a standard for the industry. Technicolor Digital Cinema is now utilizing its industry expertise to develop solutions for technologies and standards that will ultimately facilitate the global commercialization of digital cinema.
NEC is unique in that it develops and markets both the projectors and the servers that store and transfer feature films. Cinemas have the option of deploying a fully integrated system from NEC, or of choosing only the specific components that they need. Either way, NEC designs systems tailored to the adoption process for its customers.
Digital cinema could herald a renaissance in independent film-making, as the cost of production falls and it becomes faster, cheaper and easier to distribute and screen films for niche markets. One reason directors like digital cinema is because it looks as pristine on the last day it is screened as it did on opening night, making every presentation a premiere!
