p2pnet - rss feed: US cinema chain goes digital
p2p news / p2pnet: Carmike, America’s third-largest cinema chain, plans to have 2,300 digital cinema projection systems installed across the US by October 2007.
The company has signed an agreement with Access Integrated Technologies’ Christie/AIX unit, reports the Financial Times.
"It would be hard to exaggerate the significance of today’s development as a major milestone for the industry and for our respective companies," it has Bud Mayo, chief executive of AccessIT, saying.
The roll-out will begin next month and follows the launch of Walt Disney’s Chicken Little, which was shown in 3D in 84 US cinemas last month using a Dolby Digital Cinema system, says the FT, adding, "Studios estimate digital could save them $1bn a year by eliminating the need to print and ship films to cinemas.
"However the adoption of digital projection systems has been delayed because the six largest studios only came to an agreement on digital standards during the summer."
The move that is likely to force the transition to digital projection in movie theaters, says IMDb, emphasising that at the moment, only about 100 theaters in the US have digital systems.
Also See:
Financial Times - Carmike moves to digital projection, December 19, 2005
IMDb - Theaters To Go Digital — By the Thousands, December 20, 2005
December 21st, 2005 at 4:29 pm
“Studios estimate digital could save them $1bn a year by eliminating the need to print and ship films to cinemas.”
A billion a year? .. Do you think the cost of ticket prices is also going to go down? … yeah, didn’t think so either.
December 21st, 2005 at 4:55 pm
The “$1bn a year” savings would admittedly be an ongoing thing. I don’t see ticket prices going down though. I’d say up if anything. All those theatres are going to have to pay for all that new projection equipment. Lots of it. This is what corporations call “externalizing” costs…
December 21st, 2005 at 6:18 pm
They could be fighting a looing battle. Or, too little too late.
Soon the question will be asked, why not deliver the movies directly to the homes? That will really be a time, money, oil, environmental saver.
This is what legislators should be looking into. How to spread the entertainement and education at the least cost to society, using the best method possible to pay artists and forgetting the economic interests of a few nationless businesses that one day are of one country and the next day belong to another.
Thats the way to go.
Rafael Venegas
http://www.gvenegas
December 21st, 2005 at 8:26 pm
“…the economic interests of a few nationless businesses…” is the current US administration’s top priority. If an inititive does not appear to be of direct benefit to the economic elite it will not see the light of day here in the US. I do see the logic and benifits of your idea. Contrary to the prevailing mentality of most P2Pnet posts and articles (and in spite of hollywood sculduggery) I consider seeing a film in a real theatre to be an experience that cannot be duplicated in one’s living room. My brain just processes a 50′ wide picture differently than a 50″. I like the big screen.
December 21st, 2005 at 8:27 pm
Can’t wait to see the cracked full rez theatrical versions of movies showing up on line!
December 21st, 2005 at 9:46 pm
I agee that some may prefer big screens and some may prefer big sound. Some may also prefer $50 wine bottles. Some prefer to visit the Caribbean on a $3,000 cruise. Each one has a right to part with his money in the manner he/she chooses and government has no business in dictating all the options we shall all have.
But government also has a responsibility to its constituents and the constituent’s environment and economy. This is where the laws could help. Perhaps the movie companies could be paid by government (the people) so that all movies go directly to high definition television (when it finally comes-more on this below) in a manner that it can be copied by all. This is the total economy approach and not the good for the cartel’s aproach.
A note on high defition television: It is evident that the American congress has been foot dragging in the adoption of standards and now puts a threat over it with new technology based brakes to HD television. More foot dragging. Why? Look to lobby efforts, the submarine one.
Rafael Venegas
http://www.gvenegas.com
December 21st, 2005 at 10:20 pm
S–t!
Just when Bush was about to authorize the FBI in the USA and CIA in foreign countries to become the custodians of films so they could not be made into digital files by theater employees, the ones that are financing terrorism.
Weel, a few more millions down the drain in a non working Bush-Congress-MPAA coordinated plan.
December 22nd, 2005 at 8:40 am
“My brain just processes a 50′ wide picture differently than a 50″. I like the big screen.”
It’s all a matter of viewing distance. The experience can be similar between a 50′ and 50″ screen. It all depends on where you sit. I’ll agree though that I do like the theater. It’s something I grew up with after all. But at what point does that big picture and big sound no longer make it worth the high price and many inconveniances you have to go through? As much as I like the theater, I generally don’t bother to go there in winter for example as it’s just way too much hassle, and I’m not getting any younger lol. Personally, I think I could live with direct to DVD releases (or something similar) and do away with theaters altogether (except IMAX of course hehe). It’s just not that hard to emulate the theater experience these days, and good audio visual equipment is getting cheaper all the time. I already have a good sound system for example, and as soon as I buy a house some time within the next year I plan on building my dream home theater, complete with a projector and everything (the images at the AVS forums, if they still host them, are a great source of inspiration if anyone is curious). Once it’s built I highly doubt I’ll prefer the theater over my home theater. Big screen, big sound, extremely comfortable seating, and zero distractions. Plus the movie can be paused if absolutely a must. What more could a true movie enthusiast want?