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Author Topic: Regal to Implement Digital Projection by End of Next Year! John Eickhof Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 588 From: Wendell, ID USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-04-2002 07:29 PM                        Yes, it was in the LA Times today!! Regal says they are going to implement DP in 80% of their SCREENS by the end of 2003! A deal has been struck with Christie and NBC to produce and exhibit short digital productions prior to exhibition of 35mm prints! Read all about it at: http://www.latimes.com/business/ 'Seeing will be believing'!  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-04-2002 07:54 PM                        Full Story Here Just to be clear, this is for on-screen ads and other non-feature-film stuff.  |  IP: Logged John Eickhof Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 588 From: Wendell, ID USA Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-04-2002 08:01 PM                        However, it is quoted at the end of the article...."Whenever film goes away forever, we'll be ready" Cliff Marks, President of Marketing, Regal Theatres.  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-04-2002 08:05 PM                     I'm just wondering how long it will be until they try to actually project a full-length feature with this cut-rate system Regal is installing and then decide that even it (well below even current DLP standards) is "good enough." I'll bet they'll try an experiment sooner or later.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-04-2002 08:15 PM                    If they install inexpensive data grade projectors they could tap into a new revenue stream. If they are installing full blown digital cinema projectors before any standards have been set then this is a surefire way to run a business into the ground, unless there is some mechanism to have the studio foot some of the bill out of print savings. Being able to run commercials that the local Ford dealer shot on Mini-DV might pay for simple projectors but that won't pay for the big systems and what will they do when their 2003 projectors are obsolete in 2005?  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-04-2002 08:17 PM                        It's a "boardroom"-class projector: Christie RoadRunner L6 XGA Projector MSRP: $18,995 As long as its use is limited to ads & non-feature stuff, this has to beat dirty/backwards/dim/stale slides. [Cinemark has been showing the same trivia slides for so long it's getting ridiculous.]  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-04-2002 08:19 PM                        I'd love to see Regal's economic justification for doing this. If they just want to show ads, slide projectors are cheaper and will last longer. If they want to show motion pictures with this system, they are crazy, as their equipment doesn't even measure up to the current-generation DLP machines and is likely to be obsolete quite soon. The only reason for doing this that I can think of that would make economic sense would be if they wanted to rent out the theatres for non-film events like company meetings, etc., where the customers might want video and/or data projection capability (for non-film material on tape, powerpoint, etc.). But if this is what they want, then why would they bother to equip more than one or two houses in a complex? I'm all in favor of anything that saves money and anything that improves presentation quality, but this doesn't seem to serve either purpose.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 12-04-2002 09:20 PM                        To me it sounds more like an 'engineering exercise'. I'm sure Regal is getting one heck of a deal from Christie so that Christie can test out their large scale digital distribution network system. They've done similar setups (although on an extremely smaller scale) with their DLP systems. AFAIK Kodak is working on a similiar digital ad delivery network with IBM. As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather see all companies involved test out their digital distribution networks on the ads than on the features. Besides, who cares if your ads don't work for a week.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-04-2002 09:23 PM                     Microsoft has something called Windows Media player 9 out and is touting it as high definition suitable for use with cinema DLP. In fact there is a company Digital Cinema Solutions already partnering with Microsoft to install projectors very similar to the one at the link above. The entire 2 hour feature and 6 channel audio is compressed to under 5 gigs! Needless to say, it shows. Their DLP projectors have also been having "issues" across the country. I am wondering if Regal won't end up going with this Microsoft thing. The "server" is nothing more than a Dell desktop running Windows XP.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-04-2002 09:43 PM                     I wonder if their investment in these projectors wll drift away before DCinema becomes a reality. That is, the projectors will be obsolete and unacceptable by the time DCinema is established...as such it wouldn't make them any more ready than anyone else. Steve  |  IP: Logged Josh Kirkhart Expert Film Handler Posts: 165 From: Austin/Houston, TX, USA Registered: Nov 2001 posted 12-05-2002 01:57 AM                     From what I've seen and yes I've seen em' in action, they are being used between shows only. playing ads for coke and other promotions (a few trailers thrown in), they also have a flat screen in the lobby playing much of the same (could be the exact same, didn't pay too close attention) material. I suppose the system could be used for corprate meeting and such in the future. Yes, most are full motion video, not crystal clear but decent enough to sell products and entertain between shows, personally I think thier should be no ads, classical music, and full curtains but thats me. This could possibly minimize the amount of ads on film, lowering costs for advertisers and Regal themselves. The reference to being ready for digital, I believe refers to going thru the experience of introducing something new and learning more about the technology for when the Glorified video projectors of the future become widespread. Obviously between shows with a DLP you wouldn't need this system, you just run ads and such on the main projector. Every buisness wants to excell and I think this offers a couple of great avenues to do that, especially in advertizing capital.  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-05-2002 02:05 AM                     I side with Scott on this issue. I wonder if the final yield vs. cost of equipment and maintenance is going to be lopsided in the wrong direction. We use DP for ads, and the last I heard, the final profit margin is very small.  |  IP: Logged Dan Lyons Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 698 From: Seal Beach, CA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 12-05-2002 03:00 AM                     I hope this isn't off topic, but how in the heck could that dinky little thing get the ads on the screen with the auditorium lights still on, or off !? The specs on the Roadrunner talk about using a 200watt lamp. Am I missing something here? Danny  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-05-2002 03:05 AM                     Danny, we use Toshiba projectors. I forgot what the rating was on the lamps, but it does a very nice job on the screen (about 10 Foot-Lamberts) for its size. I think it is about 100 watts. However, if you get about 20 feet away from the screen, the picture "falls apart" with color fringing and pixel squares sticking out like a sore thumb.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 12-05-2002 06:57 AM                        Here's information about the Kodak Digital Cinema System: http://www.kodak.com/go/dcinema http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/digital/showEastNR.shtml http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/digital/showEastKennel.shtml http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/digital/showEastLohan.shtml http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/digital/system.shtml  |  IP: Logged

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