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- BloodJunkie, on 10/12/2007, -8/+47They might win me back if they use them to show non-***** movies. But even something as unlikely as that probably couldn't beat my home theatre. If theatres want to win back audiences then I they're going to have to offer an unparalleled movie-watching experience (a.k.a. in-seat blowjobs).
- spydrlink, on 10/12/2007, -0/+23They'd win me back if they stopped charging $9.50 for a movie plus $3.50 for a small soda and $4 for a bag of licorice.
- tokyopimp, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20Thats not getting me back, I have had way to many crap experiences in the theater. People not shutting the ***** up, talking on cell phones, and kicking of your ***** seat.
The only way I'm going to go back to the theater on a regular basis, is if they higher ***** ushers to shut people the ***** up, and kick out rude people. - RichPowers, on 10/12/2007, -2/+20This might get people back to the theater if a.) they stopped making ***** movies b.)stopped showing 20 minutes of ads before the movie c.)cell phones were triggered to explode if they rang during the movie d.)rude people were punched in the throat by a burly usher with brass knuckles.
- Paktu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15Back in high school, I used to be the projection booth manager at a theater which got one of the first DLP projectors. I cannot even describe what a nightmare this thing was. Every time we got a new movie in digital, they had to fly out someone from LA to upload the movie to the attached server. This would take anywhere from 4-12 hours. Roughly one out of ten showings we'd have to give out free passes to everyone because the projector would inexplicably shut down. Sometimes, the projector would decide to stop working for days (and in one case, weeks) on end. Oh, and every time the previews before the movie were done and the feature was about to begin, I'd have to stand there and babysit it, since about 50% of the time, it would shut down due to a DRM/Content protection error on the computer.
The image and sound quality on DLP is superior, but they need to make these things more user friendly. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14Still wouldn't make me see a movie in a Non-Alamo Drafthouse theater. Once you watch a movie at a theater with beer on tap and good food, you question why you ever put up with the old fashoned theaters with overpriced popcorn and soda.
- sinner0423, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Going to the movies is great, if there aren't any people in the theater.
Theaters will *never* be able to compete with the average consumer and their home entertainment systems.
Show me a theater I can walk in with just my boxer shorts on, drink a beer, pause the movie so I can take a piss, then yell or laugh at the screen without being a giant ***** to everyone else around me, and I'll start paying for movie tickets. Until then, my house > their business. - Sabin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10actually, the film reels are the propert of the studios. The cinema show them and send them back. Second run cinemas get the ones that have been sent back or if they are part of a cinema chain they would get them after a first run cinema is done with them....then they get sent back to the studios distribution centre. At least thats how it worked when I was employed at one about 7 years ago.
- TheLoweringTide, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10It's about time. They've only been talking about making the transition to digital for like 8 years now.
The long term implications of moving to digital are pretty significant. The lifespan of a film reel is remarkably short...currently theaters buy a film, play it for a few weeks and send it off to a second run theater, by which time the quality has already taken an enormous plunge. If you want to see a good quality 35mm print of a classic movie, your pretty much have to reprint it yourself, which can be prohibitively expensive. For older movies that don't attain a Star Wars-esque level of popularity, once their initial run is over, you can all but rule out ever being able to experience the big screen sensation again.
With the nigh-infinite shelf life and replayability of digital media, I can see the potential for a renaissance in the movie theater world, not just in the superior quality you'll experience when you watch Spider-Man 8, but in all sorts of specialty/niche theaters and performances. Imagine that after your local theater finishes up its run of Lord of the Rings, instead of throwing away an all but useless film reel, they catalog it and once a year they have an all-day marathon screening for fans. Or a smaller theater buys up copies and has nightly shows. Or someone throws a film festival or other special event and wants to show a cult hit like Donnie Darko. Digital media would make that possible.
So just do it already, studios/theater execs. - jfujita, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"Anyone speak Japanese? I heard Sony stands for "doesn't work right." Can anyone translate?"
They named it based on the english word "sunny" but it's ironic that In Japanese soh-nee means "business goes bad". - Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12"Anyone speak Japanese? I heard Sony stands for "doesn't work right." Can anyone translate?"
I dunno about what it means in Japan, but here in the US it stands for "***** you, consumers." - Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Dude.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph - n8r0n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I cannot agree with you more! The Drafthouse is by far one of the best theatres on the planet. Instead of being forced to put up with ads and pointless trivia before a show, you get to watch old shorts and random videos. You get a waitress to tend to all your needs and some of the best theatre food in the world. I will never go to another Santikos again!
- walkingcrow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I got to see a 4K projector at the sony booth when I went to nab last month, and you could really see how hard it is to keep every thing in focus when the resoltion is so high. 1080p on a 60inch screen looks just as or sharper than the 4k 60 foot screen.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10"Anyone speak Japanese? I heard Sony stands for "doesn't work right." Can anyone translate?"
Sony:
Soo' Nee: Noun, Verb, Adjective
1. Verb: To screw consumers with DRM (aka C.R.A.P.) To make otherwise usefull product into proprietary and useless media.
2. Noun: Leader of the fight for DRM against consumers.
3. Adjective: Describing a method of restricting all access to product which was purchased. - cybershoplifter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Talk, talk and more talk out of these companies and no action. You could go back 10 years and I am sure Popular Science had articles about something like this being just around the corner. Went to a Cedia show a few years ago and they had movie screen size digital projectors show true hi-def and it was unreal. I think the only problem is this stuff the theaters are getting probably is not even close to what I saw. Add to that the movies are to long, writing sucks for the most part and movies look more like ***** amusement rides than a film. Last but not least the ingrates that work and go to the show ruin it, the popcorn sucks and the candy costs way to much. Hollystupid and the theater owners can go ***** themselves for the craptastic job they do.
- FishyJoe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I remember as a kid goint to a second run theater for a buck and watching two movies without ads. I could have cared less about the picture quality. It was the best thing in the world to get cheap movies.
- interiot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Umm, 1080p home displays = 2 megapixel = "2K", so... the article is saying that movie projectors will catch up to (some) home displays? How is that supposed to win back viewers?
- rolypolyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4THAT'S supposed to get me back in the theaters? Call me back in about ten years if you've started enforcing your no-talking/no-cell phone rules. And that's coming from someone who doesn't mind paying for overpriced concessions for convenience / supporting the theater.
- Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Here's some ideas for getting people back to the theaters. Notice that DLP isn't on this list:
1. Tickets that cost less than $12.
2. Normally-priced concessions.
3. No ***** commercials. If it's not a trailer, I don't want to see it. Ever.
4. Ushers that actually kick people out for talking or turning on any sort of bright-ass glowing phone/PDA/toy that distracts everyone in the theater sitting behind them. It's illegal to jam cell phones in the US, but if ushers did their job it wouldn't be necessary. I mean I want a usher permanently stationed in every theater, watching for any crap like a hawk.
Now, some apologists might argue that 1, 2, and 3 are unreasonable these days.. well that's just too ***** bad. If your business model depends on that crap, it's time you went out of business. And hey look, that's what's happening now! Adapt or die, dinosaurs. - cybershoplifter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I do not see the potential for a renaissance in the movie theater world and I don't see how digital media alone helps. What I do see is more and more consumers buying digital projectors and very large screen TVs and using the digital media they already have and the new ones coming for big screen movies and screw the exhibitors. You want a big screen Movie Theater experience, got to Frye's plop $600-$2000 on a projector hang a sheet in the backyard and have more fun than you could ever have at a theater. I think revenues will tail off for exhibitors and movies will only be at themes parks or stand alone IMAX theaters. That should be the state of the Cineplex in 2016.
- ender78, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I saw Over The Hedge last night on a Sony Digital Projector [dont know which one] about one hour into the movie, the picture freezes, resumes for a minute , freezes again. Lights go on, theater manager comes into the theater stating that they are having "issues with the hard drive". He further states that as a precaution, the run the "film" version at the same time in case they have issues with the digital version. Digital Version was vastly superior in quality. I got a free pass out of it so I can't really complain.
- PhilTheRed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4As a displaced Austinite, The Drafthouse will always have a place in my heart. Good luck finding anything that cool in Maryland.
- jboi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Kinepolis Group already plays High Definition Digital Cinema (HDDC) for 2 years now.
http://www.kinepolis.com/index.cfm?KSID=41&PageID=2044 - buildmaster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4only thing going to bring me back to watch films is if they stop charging £10 ($19) to watch a film.
- TheRationa1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I agree that they need to block cell phones. If someone is worried about receiving a call, they shouldn't be going to a movie. It would also help if the employees actually did there jobs and monitored the audience. It's not my job to tell someone to shut the hell up or leave, it's theirs.
- interiot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah, agreed, the higher the resolution you watch things at, the more camera problems you can see. Even at 720p, for football and things like that, you can see camera guys struggling to focus much more than you could notice with SD (granted, it's definitely not easy to accurately track sports shots with a camera).
- peazley, on 10/12/2007, -1/+42k has a little better quality, not much though, than 1080p, check out the differences:
http://www.red.com/product/format-sizes/ - rm999, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5"movie theaters and studios are finally rolling out digital projectors that show sharper, brighter images without cracks, pops or hisses."
I don't use my home theater because of the cracks, hisses and pops. I use it because it is cheaper, more convinient, there are no jerks on cellphones, no jerks yelling to the protagonist of the movie that they are the man or to not go in the closet, no ads at the beginning of the movie, I can eat and drink what I want, I can pause the movie when I have to go to the bathroom, and because my couch is more comfortable than a theater seat. - scott88008, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The article wasn't very well written but the emphasis was on Sony's new 4K projector, not 2K.. I live in LA and will definitely check it out once I find the location.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Christie Digital Systems had already signed with 9/10 Major Movie theater companies, I dont see how sony will come to a theatre near you. Marked as innacurate.
- Mitchl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I think digital in the theaters is a great thing, much improved picture and of course no degredation over time-- BUT today I experienced a negative when watching DaVinci code in digital. The theater I was in is pretty new (about 5 years old), and one of the premier theaters in my city. However, it is run during Saturday afternoons by nincompoops who clearly do not monitor the projectors or replace one when it is on the blink. The red kept going out of whack from being normal to being half or twice the intensity of the Blue and Green. The weird thing was, the first few times, it seemed to be occuring almost in time with certain moments in the movie, but then as it became more random later on, it was clear that this was not a decision that Ron Howard made-- or it was a really weird one.
- snorkle256, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Is it just me or do I remember reading a few months back that the reason they wanted to get the digital projectors into theaters what to stop movie pirating? Seems the digital projectors would be able to run a quick overlay every so often, unnoticable to viewers, that would identify the time, date, and movie theater. So to me it seems that nobody really cares about projecting high definition, but protecting high definition.
- TheRationa1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Higher resolution is a great step, but the advantage of a theater over home is you can get lost in the movie due to the size and the sound. What they need to do next is work on rear projecting systems that will enable the theater to better utilize the vertical space and have people sit closer to the screen. Now, if you want sit close, you have to actually look up to see the screen. When using a rear projection system, you can start the front row just below the middle of the screen and can get rid of that problem. You then could set the first row about 20ft from the screen and have the back row about 40ft. Using a steep stadium setup would also provide an unobstructed view no matter how tall the person in front of you is.
- aristofeles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Actualy they based it on the latin for "sound".
- IstariSkoda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3They made 2k sound a little more special than it is. In 16:9 resolution 1080p is 1920x1080 = 2,073,600 pixels.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2do you guys get any broadcasts in 1080p over there? here in australia we have only just gotten 720p and 1080i broadcasting, my understanding is it's because of the amount of bandwidth needed for 1080p ?
you can't buy 1080p content anywhere either, closest you can get is dvd's and those are 576 - 720p - n3tfury, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3whozyodaddy said: "I'm not going to ***** shell out $10 on some stupid comedy, rather an action film such as King Kong, X-Men, where the movie relies on 3D."
if a movie has to RELY on 3D, then it's not worth watching now, is it? - 3dge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No, the new Sonys are 4k not 2k. Of course the article says that 4k displays 8 million pixels horizontally which is pretty funny.
- n3tfury, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i used to love the theaters, but nowadays with everyone and their ***** sister on the cell phone and yammering about, i don't have the patience to enjoy a movie there any longer. thank goodness i'm set up at home.
once they deploy cell phone blockers and duct tape, i'd go back for select flicks. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I actually think this might be good, since the film is digital we wont have to settle for those bad "cams" when we torrent movies maybe?
- superal1394, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3umm, I think the current film ones are just as unreliable. The past 4 times i've gone to the theatre, the show inexplicably stopped 2 of the 4 times. It happened during the previews to Da'Vinci code actually, though i think some one hit the projecter, cause the tracking got screwed up, then it shut off for a minute. Thank god it was during the previews.
- aegis9975, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Personally, I go to movies to hang out with friends and just to be out. I rarely go to a movie anymore just because I want to see a particular film.
I have a good HD setup at home with a good sound system, but they are totally different experiences. For me, the theater is more a social event (something to do with friends and an excuse to eat out, praising or panning the movie we just saw at dinner), and watching it at home is more a personal experience (stay at home, relax, drink some beers).
I wouldn't want theaters to dissapear completely. - 15charmaxwtf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Thats nice and all, but isn't 3D the only major thing that will get more people to goto the cinema?
- Gerz1219, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I agree, 24fps is so familiar and so standardized as the proper frame rate for film that I can't see it changing any time in the near future. Everyone, even the most ignorant technophobe, can immediately tell the difference between film and video, and the primary reason for this is the frame rate. Anything shot higher than 24fps appears "real", and therefore distracts from the artifice of film. This is why I can never get into recent movies shot on digital video at 30fps -- it always seems like a bunch of kids playing around with a camcorder, and not an immersive theatrical experience (there are many good technical reasons for this as well, but I believe the primary one is the frame rate). While 60fps might be a more accurate representation of reality as perceived by the human eye, we don't go to the movies to see reality, we go to enter a dreamworld. A big part of that illusory dreamworld is the fact that things don't quite move the same way, which enhances our suspension of disbelief. Not to mention, switching to 60fps would be dramatically more expensive for effects-heavy movies. CGI would cost a lot more, because it would increase the workload for animators, what with all the extra frames to fill.
I love the look of film, and I'd like to see everything shot and projected on film. Add this to the long list of technical "advances" which are actually cost-conscious degradations. - cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It appears that many are unaware they have been watching High Definition Video for decades, its called film.
Yes my friends, film is capable of absolutely phenomenal picture quality. However as a print ages, the specs video distortion that appears on a film print becomes annoying. That's why the best theaters take care of their projection equipment, keep it clean and aligned, and the prints look better longer.
Basically the average Joe won't notice anything different, if anything with the 2K format they will note a degradation of picture quality. OOPH! That hurts!
Mind you I am a digital video fanatic, I have a 50" flattie, high end HK Dolby and DTS HT receiver, SVS Bangin down to under 20 cycles sub (digital amp there kiddos). I am absolutely not an analog snob. (Analog "can" sound better, for basic music listen ting but I don't really do that anymore).
This wont change the fact that theaters suck. Cell phones ringing, kids playing, teens being teens, idiots talking during the movie, bad focus, sticky floors, overpriced food, too cold, too warm, not loud enough, too loud, distorted audio, crappy bass, etc., etc., etc...
Even a low end HiDef TV with a Sour round System In A Box can look and sound quite nice in a person's home. It sure makes the theater look like an overpriced antique. - Mr.Germain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2one of the dumber things i have heard recently. people aren't staying home because of image quality, they're staying home because of movie quality. sure, sharper images would be nice, but i honestly couldn't care less. the entertainment business is hilarious sometimes. what are theses morons thinking?
- modifiedbears, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11080P doesn't stop babies from crying, kids from talking, popcorn from crunching, bags of candy being opened, peoples big heads in front of you, the ringing cell phones, and the 20 person simultaneous commentary you can't turn off.
Piracy and home theaters aren't killing cinema, it's all the rude people who ruin the experience. Plus, i'm not one of those people who HAVE to be there day one so they can run around saying "have you seen _____?" -
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