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Technology
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June 20, 2011
NY Times discusses best movie apps
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June 13, 2011
Gothamist: “AMC Empire: Where You Pay $13 To See The Wrong Movie With The Wrong Lens”
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June 6, 2011
Terrence Malick’s Instructions for Projectionists Showing ‘Tree of Life’
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May 27, 2011
Cinema chains dimming movies “up to 85%” on digital projectors
It’s been reported that AMC, National Amusements and Regal Cinema chains are leaving 3D projector lenses on for 2D movies. This means that the projected image is polarized and far dimmer than it should be. The 3 chains are mum but an insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, says it’s “unspoken” corporate policy.
Delving deeper, a possible reason for this is it’s too much work after each film to accurately swap lenses but also because a certain security feature could be disabled; DRM (or Digital Rights Management) that is the bane of privacy issues to most internet users.
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April 27, 2011
Pressure on exhibitors to go digital increases; financing, filmprint availability decreases
LOS ANGELES, CA — As reported earlier smaller theater chains and independent operators are finding it difficult to make the change to digital projection if they want to keep showing first run films. Even with financing provided by the major studios, the cost to some operators is prohibitively expensive. Making the situation worse, this special financing is reportedly only going to be available for about another year and a half or so and securing prints of first run films is getting harder as studios are cutting back on ordering print copies. Some within the industry are predicting that print availability will esentially cease in the U.S. by the end of 2013.
“Simply put, if you don’t make the decision to get on the digital train soon, you will be making the decision to get out of the business,” Fithian told attendees. “That would be tragic because digital cinema and 3-D have so much to offer.”
Overseas, theater operators also are rapidly converting to digital, although studios are expected to continue shipping film prints to some smaller countries for the foreseeable future.
There is more in the Los Angeles Times.
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January 13, 2011
Imax, Cinemark settle issues regarding big-screen formats
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Imax Corporation and Cinemark Theatres have settled a lawsuit regarding Cinemark’s XD format and IMAX’s digital theatres. The result is that Cinemark will upgrade its film-based IMAX theaters to the digital version while installing Digital IMAX screens at some of its theaters.
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November 8, 2010
RealD Cinema reporting smaller loss as shares rise
According to the L.A. Business Journal, RealD Cinema, a leader in digital 3D cinema, reported earnings that beat estimates.
Late Tuesday, the Los Angeles company reported a net loss of $5.1 million (12 cents per share) for its fiscal 2011 second quarter ended Sept. 24, compared with a net loss of $5.4 million (-22 cents) a year earlier.
Net revenue increased 69 percent to $65.3 million. RealD, which went public in July, develops and licenses stereoscopic technology used in 3D motion pictures, video games and other multimedia content. The company as of the end of the quarter had deployed approximately 9,300 RealD enabled screens, most of them in the United States and Canada. That’s 182 percent more than a year earlier.
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July 16, 2010
Avatar re-release date set
According to Entertainment Weekly 20th Century Fox will re-release “Avatar”, the highest grossing movie of all time unadjusted for inflation, in an extended version that will have 8 more minutes of action and sfx scenes set in Pandora. The film will play exclusively in digital 3D and IMAX 3D theaters on August 27 in select theaters.
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June 30, 2010
Sony to deploy 4k to AMC’s in UK
According to DCinema Today , Sony Professional will install 4K projectors in AMC’s UK theaters, which will be done by autumn 2010, following a similiar deal that AMC did to US and Canadian theaters.
AMC currently operates two sites in the UK, the Broadway Plaza 12 in Birmingham and Great Northern 16 in Manchester. The deal in the UK follows the success of Sony’s agreement with AMC in the United States and Canada via DCIP (a joint venture owned equally by exhibition industry leaders AMC, Cinemark Holdings, Inc. and Regal Entertainment Group). Deployment of the 4K projector system in the UK is expected to be finished by autumn 2010.
“Our agreement with Sony is a prime example of our strong advocacy of the industry’s move to a digital platform. Digital cinema provides a new world of programming flexibility and opportunities for cinemas,” said Mark McDonald, executive vice president, global development, AMC. “Sony 4K projection systems enable us to deliver an enhanced entertainment experience to our guests.”
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June 17, 2010
Child-size 3D glasses for Toy Story 3 release
According to MSNBC, RealD Cinema will ship smaller sized 3D glasses for children 8 and younger in time for the release of Toy Story 3 in 3D on June 18th.