Scotiabank Theatre goes digital

[JasonParis]

Digital Cinema Test at Toronto Theatre
Broadcaster Magazine
Wednesday, March 12, 2008.

The first Technicolor Digital Cinema installation in Canada will support a new range of content offerings, like 3-D features and live events on the big screen.

Thomson and its Technicolor Digital Cinema business will install digital cinema projection systems at Cineplex Entertainment's Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, ON, the companies have announced.

The Technicolor systems promise to deliver crystal-clear digital images and pure uncompressed digital sound to Cineplex moviegoers.

"We are delighted to participate in this initial beta test with Technicolor Digital Cinema," Ellis Jacob, president and CEO, Cineplex Entertainment, said in a release. "As the industry moves closer to converting to digital projection, the Scotiabank Toronto installations will provide us an opportunity to evaluate the Technicolor solution and enable us to gain valuable operating insight. Our guests will also benefit as they will enjoy enhanced images on screen and the ability to experience some of the 3D movies that will be playing during this test period."

"We're proud to have been selected by Cineplex Entertainment to bring the digital cinema to their flagship Scotiabank Theatre Toronto," added Curt Behlmer, executive vice president of Technicolor Theatrical Services and COO of Technicolor Digital Cinema. "Cineplex is an industry leader in quality and innovation, and we are pleased to be working together. We look forward to playing a leading role in the industry transition to digital cinema across Canada."

Thomson and Technicolor have approximately 1,400 employees across Canada with operations in Vancouver, British Columbia; Brampton, Ontario; Don Mills, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario; Mirabel, Quebec; and Montreal, Quebec.

Each theatre installation will feature Technicolor's fully integrated networked systems, which includes a satellite system for content delivery and the Technicolor Theatre Management System (TMS). The Technicolor TMS is a software solution that enables exhibitors to control theatre automation and manage all content such as trailers, advertisements, and features with simple drag-and-drop technology.

The digital cinema systems will be supported by Technicolor's maintenance services with 24/7 remote monitoring to ensure system health.

The Scotiabank Theatre installation is part of Thomson's previously announced North American digital cinema beta test. Technicolor Digital Cinema has installed digital cinema systems with several prominent exhibitors in North America and Europe including ArcLight Cinema Company, Cinemaworld, Clearview Cinemas, iPic Entertainment, Mann Theatres, National Amusements, Wehrenberg Theatres, Zyacorp's Cinemagic Stadium Theatres, and Kinepolis Group in Belgium.

All hardware and software placed in each site will conform to industry-standard specifications published by Digital Cinema Initiatives LLC (DCI). Furthermore, the Technicolor Digital Cinema plan is technology agnostic, enabling both exhibitors and studios to benefit from the best available technology.

As previously announced, Thomson has signed digital cinema equipment usage agreements with DreamWorks SKG, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. to facilitate the roll-out of up to 5,000 digital projection systems in North America. Under the separate, long-term accords which began in late 2006, each of these studios has agreed to distribute content digitally throughout the United States and Canada and pay a virtual print fee to Thomson for screens equipped with Technicolor Digital Cinema systems.

Based in Burbank, California, Technicolor Digital Cinema offers the most comprehensive set of digital cinema services and solutions, including compression, encryption, key management, secure distribution, storage, scheduling and playback, and maintenance and support.

Thomson rovides technology, services, and systems and equipment to help its Media & Entertainment clients – content creators, content distributors, and users of its technology – realize their business goals and optimize their performance in a rapidly-changing technology environment.

Headquartered in Toronto, Cineplex Entertainment LP owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 131 theatres with 1,327 screens serving approximately 60 million guests annually. Cineplex Entertainment LP is the largest motion picture exhibitor in Canada operating the following brands: Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous Players (including Coliseum, Colossus and SilverCity, Cinema City and Scotiabank Theatres.

 

[Cast_Member]

Cineplex will also install digital projectors in their 25 Famous Players, Cineplex Odeon and Galaxy Cinemas locations across Canada. Even with the new digital projectors, people still view the movie theatre as an oddity in today's world.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Even with the new digital projectors, people still view the movie theatre as an oddity in today's world.

Going to the movies is a part of our culture, how is that an oddity?

 

[Cast_Member]

Going to the movies is a part of our culture, how is that an oddity?

Yeah, people going to the movies for years but on the business and operation side of multiplex cinemas is quite weird to some people. To some people, I meant those who goes to the cinemas sometimes, not film nerds or theatre buffs, etc. They don't know there are people who are paid to clean theatres or multiplex cinemas have to meet provincial building safety codes for example.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Yeah, people going to the movies for years but on the business and operation side of multiplex cinemas is quite weird to some people. To some people, I meant those who goes to the cinemas sometimes, not film nerds or theatre buffs, etc. They don't know there are people who are paid to clean theatres or multiplex cinemas have to meet provincial building safety codes for example.

Ah OK.
I sure hope one of these digital projection systems has a real "WOW" factor to it, or I see the business continuing to decline.

 

[MetroMan]

I've seen digital. The quality is like watching a huge hi-definition tv. If you've been wowed by the difference between standard and HD tv's, think about the same factor on a much larger level.

You'll be able to see every pore and hair on an actor's neck. Also, you'll get the film quality picture without all the hickups, hairs and other quirks of film.

It's an excellent upgrade, although I'm not sure it will save the industry from the sky rocketing home theatre biz.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I've seen digital. The quality is like watching a huge hi-definition tv. If you've been wowed by the difference between standard and HD tv's, think about the same factor on a much larger level.

You'll be able to see every pore and hair on an actor's neck. Also, you'll get the film quality picture without all the hickups, hairs and other quirks of film.

It's an excellent upgrade, although I'm not sure it will save the industry from the sky rocketing home theatre biz.

I've seen various cinema video/digital projection incarnations over the past 20 years but have never been too impressed. One exception was a 4K digital presentation at the Ziegfeld theatre in NYC which was breathtaking. There are several digital systems out there now so my hope is that the cinema chains don't cheap out and install inferior systems with average quality projection. It needs to be good. Movie technology has come so far in the past 40 or so years but very little has advanced in terms of picture quality in the cinemas, in fact the quality has been, and continues to decline. THX certified theatres were a step in the right direction but in the end it simply became too expensive for the exhibitors to maintain.

Movie-going attendance continues to weaken but I think people will always go to the cinema if the movies are good and if the experience is fun, or pleasant.

 

[marcus_a_j]

There's a digital projector at Conestoga Mall (Galaxy) in Waterloo. I would always try to watch whatever movie was being shown on it when I worked there as a projectionist. There is a difference in the quality of presentation vs. 35mm film. The sound is crisper without any slipping from stereo to mono that sometimes happens. There are no scratches, oil spots or dirt on the film. The images do not jump up and down when splices go through the projector. On-screen images will remain in frame and in focus. As well the chances of a disruption (film melting, splice breaking) are reduced a lot. Mind you, digital projectors rely on computers and are not problem free (but still an improvement over human and mechanical errors associated with threading projectors wrong and bad/worn out splices).

When I moved back to Scarborough from Waterloo in 2005, there were 5 digital projectors across Canada (maybe more, but not many). It was only a matter of time before more theatres implemented them as the costs came down as a result of economies of scale and more studios distributed digital copies. Before we only received digital copies from Dreamworks and Beuna Vista (Disney, and the Pixar movies especially Finding Nemo were amazing to watch in digital). Now I assume all studios release digital versions.