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SORRY BUT NO CHANCE IN HELL WILL THAT HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME. And I will never die so it will never happen ever ever ever. Sound is analog, images are analog, and conversion to digital would be the equivalent of having your eyes replaced with laser scanners. Just isn't the same thing. Film will have the advantage in true color and light reproduction for then next 50 plus years at least. I think our resident Kodak man can attest to that can't you?

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Kodak's business is not only film. It is not only digital. It is PICTURES. Right now, I firmly believe that film is the best way to put high quality images on a large theatre screen. It is certainly the most cost-effective way.

A typical brand new release print costs about 1200 to 1500 dollars (US). If the picture is shown five times a day for two months, that is about 300 runs, which works out to only 4 or 5 dollars per show. Shipping costs may add a few dollars more.

No one has set a price for all of the equipment needed for digital cinema, or the infrastructure needed to support it. Sending 40 or so gigabytes of compressed data over a satellite or fiber optic line is not free, and neither is the mastering, authoring and duplication costs for optical disks. Today, the costs to amortize and operate a digital cinema system would certainly be greater than the cost of providing film prints and maintaining existing film equipment.

Digital cinema will happen. Kodak technology will help make it much better than it is today, perhaps even better than film. But I believe it will co-exist with film for years, and not completely replace film for decades.

BTW, I am not on Kodak's large digital cinema team. My job is to help make film presentation as good as it can be, to "set the bar higher for digital", and make the other guys work even harder .

I know it's been said before, but it is so nice to have someone from a major company with so much to do with what it is we do so interested in contributing so often.

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I still have my doubts, though. At the one digital seminar I've attended, the rep said that the charge for rental would be affordable enough that every exhibitor, large and small, could take part. I forget the exact rental percentage formula used, but it worked out that my single screen theatre would be paying about $5000 per year in equipment rental. That would be no problem, but I just cannot imagine any company wanting to put $100-grand worth of equipment in a place that's only going to return $5000 per year to them. That doesn't make economic sense does it? Or am I just missing something?

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Mike Blakesley
www.goforsyth.com/roxy

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quote:

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I hate, hate, HATE commercials

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News Bulletin!

"DALLAS PATRONS OBJECT TO ADVERTISING SLIDES"

"Dallas movie fans are starting a petition which they will send to the managers of several theatres which go strong on displaying advertisements on the screen between reels. The petition is for the benefit of several moving picture shows as well as vaudeville houses.

"Fans say that they have no objection to learning through screen advertisements what is coming to the playhouse during the next week but they object to having to twiddle their thumbs while stale and musty slides advertising Old Doc Saphead's Hair Tonic and other similar delicacies are flashed before them day after day, week after week ad infinitum. They have decided it is a waste of time and will patronize advertisement-free shows unless it is discontinued.

"The matter has been taken up by the dramatic critics of local newspapters, who are unanimously opposed to overdoing this kind of advertising.

"Moving Picture World", 9/13/1919
p. 1611

I agree with that 100%! I think there are two things going on here: 1) Control of the movies, showtimes and advertising. 2) They just plain old don't want to PAY people to process film and operate projectors. (They just want to keep ALL the money!)

They don't make MOVIES in Hollywood anymore, they make DEALS!