Originally published August 6 2005
Hollywood plots the end of film reels
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Digital movies could be in theatres soon, and would end the use of bulky reel-to-reels.
The agreement was a milestone in that it paves the way for studios to distribute movies electronically, rather than by the far more expensive process of shipping copies of 35mm films.
In addition, digital movies would be easier to archive and store without degradation.
The issue has been a contentious one, since digital movies would require theatre owners to buy expensive equipment supporting the new format, which would support films with resolutions of 2000 or 4000 lines per screen.
For the studios, the concern has been in ensuring the inclusion of digital-rights technology in order to protect against piracy.
Walt Ordway, chief technology officer for DCI, declined to discuss the equipment-funding issue, but said more than half of the 160-page DCI-specification document was dedicated to digital rights management.
Another major area is in visual quality, which surpasses that of the best high-definition televisions.
In November 2004, the board of the US National Association of Theater Owners adopted a resolution that described the group's "fundamental objectives regarding the potential transition to digital cinema".
Within that resolution, NATO called on the studios to fund a "universal financing plan" for theatres to make the transition.
In a joint release with the studios, NATO gave no indication whether that problem had been addressed, saying only that the latest agreement was "an important step toward making digital cinema a reality".
The DCI said that the specifications would provide a "common ground" for manufacturers to build equipment and that competition would eventually lead to lower prices.
DCI members, who include Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros Studio, hailed the approved specifications.
Warner Bros said it plans to start distributing films in both 35mm and digital format by the end of the year.
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