Digital Projection Update

Disney, Warner, & Sony have teamed with Technicolor to roll out digital projectors in 3000 screens across the country, with the studios covering some portion of the costs as an attempt to offset the costs of creating and distributing prints.

-- Three Studios Join Technicolor in D-Cinema Plan via HD For Indies

Mike conjected, rather logically, that this deal would be used to block out competition vis a vis distribution. Historically, this is how the film industry has ALWAYS worked and, ironically, is why Hollywood became the site of the motion picture industry. [There are better historical accounts in books, particularly the Oxford History of World Cinema but they're, y'know, in books]

Mike follows up a day later with:

According to an industry source who contacted me after publishing the above linked article, the deal is set up to keep others out of the game. From the studios' business perspective, this is a smart play for them - disincentivize smaller, threatening outsiders from having equal access to the means of distribution to the marketplace.

[snip]

According to my source, the plan is to allow others to screen their digital movies in those theaters...but only if they pay. And pay a lot - something in the ballpark of the cost of a film print. Per screen. So there is ZERO cost savings available to those outside of the club as compared to film...

-- Technicolor/Studios Digital cinema deal designed to block outsiders?

Commentary:Its an interesting development because the push behind digital projection in the UK has come from the national film body. I've also heard that there's a similar roll out happening in Australia (finally) but my google searches have proved fruitless. Though, I did find an article in the SMH from August 16, 2004 saying the cinema industry doesn't want digital projectors.

There's a good analysis (from my cursory view) of the potential of digital cinema in Australia in Metro.