James Delahunty
28 Jul 2005 20:30
Major Hollywood studios have reached an agreement on digital projector technology that will change cinema throughout the world. This deal will make movie reels a thing of the past, making way for more modern methods of distributing movies like via fibre optic cables or satellite. Now that a standard is reached, the manufacturing and installation process can begin. Frank Pierson, Oscars President, said that it was an important milestone in the advancement of motion pictures.
It is not clear however who will take the bill for the new equipment. It has been reported that each projector will cost $60,000-$100,000. It is also not clear how this will affect ticket prices throughout the world. Nevertheless it's a sweet deal for the studios who now see a 75% cut on the costs of distributing movies to theatres. Of course the agreement has received praise all around in Hollywood.
"In its first hundred years, our art form made a forceful universal impression, at least partly because worldwide standards for projecting film were adopted early on," Mr Pierson said. "The next hundred years are likely to be similarly affected by DCI's work in defining how digital motion pictures will be presented to world audiences." George Lucas is also delighted with the news. "We have been advocates of digital cinema for nearly a decade, and this is a day we have long hoped would come," he said. "Digital cinema will increasingly become the standard and will change the way movies are made, seen and experienced around the world."
Source:
BBC News