SMPTE New England Chapter Presents A Special Event On Digital Cinema

The Digital Movie Theatre - Much More Than Just a Digital Feature - Are Sprocket Holes an Endangered Species? General Cinema Framingham, Framingham, Massachusetts, Saturday, December 9, 2000, 8:30am to 12pm.

20-Nov-00

Perhaps you have seen ""Phantom Menace,"" ""Toy Story 2,"" ""Bicentennial Man,"" ""Fantasia 2000"" or even ""The Perfect Storm"" digitally presented in your favorite multi-screen cinema complex. The conversion of big-screen movies from celluloid motion picture film to digital data is more than a change in technology, it's a revolutionary departure from a business model that's existed since moving images first flickered on a movie screen. This digital technology is changing the moviegoing experience, the medium and the industry. Replacing the physical film print with digital data allows theatre chains more flexibility in meeting the demand for a popular feature film. Running film in two theatres requires interlocking which must be planned and requires a five-minute time differential in show times between auditoriums. Interlocking is fragile and fails periodically - when it does, two shows go down. Digital will provide anytime access to movies on a video server which allows a theatre manager to make last-minute schedule changes to optimize ticket sales. This could mean higher utilization for the theatre and the moviegoer may be less likely to encounter a sold-out show. In other words, the ""just- in-time"" business concept comes to a theatre near you. Elimination of physical media (the film print) creates greater opportunities for ""short run"" films and simulcasts to particular markets. The cost of distribution goes down with the elimination of physical media. This opens the door for ""testing"" films in small markets. If the film is successful, it can be distributed over night to a much larger number of theatres. If the film flops, the distributor isn't left with a bunch of physical copies to destroy.Preshow content, formerly composed of slides, rolling stock advertising, institutional and theatrical trailers, will become a dynamic, fresh, coherent, stream of ""near real-time"" information.These are just a few of the changes we will cover as the December meeting explores the evolving digital movie theatre. We will also examine:- What underlying technologies enable this digital conversion? We'll discuss digital projectors, content encryption, transmission and management.- What underlying applications enable the convergence of different forms of content?- We'll look at time slots as franchisees, the Web-to-cinema-to-Web connection, alternative uses and private uses.- Will the proposed digital experience meet moviegoer's expectations?- Will the moviegoer enjoy or have to endure the next generation of preshow?- Are there other uses for the digital theatre?Many operations within the circuit will change with the introduction of technology. The projectionist will become a technologist who no longer threads film, but maintains and troubleshoots equipment.Studios - The studios appear to be the big winner in terms of reduced distribution costs. Will they be the entity which bears the estimated $4 billion to convert? What is the expected break-even and what are the risks?The presenters: Dave Sprogis, President, Cinecast, LLC. Hugh Heinsohn, General Manager, Xtech Systems Corporation John Allen, President, High Performance Stereo Chapin Cutler, Principal, Boston Light and Sound David Sprogis, President, CEO of CineCast LLC - In the past two years, Mr. Sprogis founded and has led CineCast which delivers a next-generation movie preshow using Internet technologies and digital projection. In the prior ten years, Mr. Sprogis served in the capacities of Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer and Project Leader at Rational Software, Powersoft (Sybase), and TASC (Litton). Mr. Sprogis received a BS in Computer Graphics from University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Northeastern University.Hugh Heinsohn, General Manager, Xytech Systems Corporation - Hugh has 25 years of entertainment industry experience and joined Xytech in July 2000. He holds a BA degree in media production and presentation from Indiana University. Before joining Xytech, he was General Manager for the U.S. office of Digital Vision AB of Sweden, a maker of image processing system for post production and broadcast applications. He is active in various industry organizations, including the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).John F. Allen, President of High Performance Stereo - John is the founder and president of High Performance Stereo in Newton, Massachusetts. He is also the inventor of the HPS-4000Æ cinema sound system and in 1984 was the first to bring digital sound to the cinema. Chapin Cutler, Jr., President and a principal of Boston Light & Sound, Inc. (BLSI), Boston, Massachusetts - For 23 years, BLSI has been a leader in the design and installation of studio quality motion picture projection and sound systems on a permanent and temporary basis, internationally. He is the Technical Director of the Sundance Film Festival and Director of Technical Operations for the Telluride Film Festival. Prior to forming BLSI, he was the Film Facilities Supervisor at WGBH.For more information contact Phil Ozek of SMPTE New England at 781 205 7293.