UK pioneers digital film network

[Malicious Intent]

I remember reading a while back that European countries where looking to install digital cinemas. The MPAA weren't interested in using the technology as it wouldn't stop pirates recording films from within the cinema. If anything, the superior picture quality will help.

I would have thought that better customer experience from superior quality pictures, lower costs for the cinemas (hence lower ticket prices?), easier world wide release dates, etc. would help attract people away from home cinemas and downloading and into the cinema. Apparently my priorities are wrong.

Stage 1: Stop Pirates

Stage 2: ?

Stage 3: Profit

Well, it looks like it is coming to fruitation with or without the MPAA. Like the article suggested it would, it will be to the benefit of small productions and foreign language films. Get reading:

UK pioneers digital film network

The world's first digital cinema network will be established in the UK over the next 18 months.

The UK Film Council has awarded a contract worth £11.5m to Arts Alliance Digital Cinema (AADC), who will set up the network of up to 250 screens.

AADC will oversee the selection of cinemas across the UK which will use the digital equipment.

High definition projectors and computer servers will be installed to show mainly British and specialist films.

Most cinemas currently have mechanical projectors but the new network will see up to 250 screens in up to 150 cinemas fitted with digital projectors capable of displaying high definition images.

The new network will double the world's total of digital screens.

Cinemas will be given the film on a portable hard drive and they will then copy the content to a computer server.

Visually lossless

Each film is about 100 gigabytes and has been compressed from an original one terabyte-size file.

Fiona Deans, associate director of AADC, said the compression was visually lossless so no picture degradation will occur.

Keep reading...

[DudeAsInCool]

There are a few digital screens in the states, and several systems are being studied for implementation. The big problem is who is gonna pay for the installation and the theaters dont want to do the upgrades without the help of the industry. Another issue is quality--photographic film remains superior to the digital image---but who knows, maybe the brits have come up with something...

[method77]

this would happen sooner or later. The times are digital

Like the article suggested it would, it will be to the benefit of small productions and foreign language films

very cool

[DudeAsInCool]

According to someone I know in the field, "American exhibitors have indicated that 2K isn't worth it. It may be equal - but not better - than conventional projection"...

[Ken]

LOL!

The uk peaople ar so silly.

they shoudl watch more fox news and they'd be more informed and stuff

[slum_goddess]

The world's first digital cinema network will be established in the UK over the next 18 months.

so that means we'll see this happen in like at least 2 years or so (one of my 3 gripes about living here).

[Malicious Intent]

Yeah, we are better at putting things on paper than we are at actually doing them. It makes me laugh that we are putting in an olympic bid. The hypocracy of England's critism of Greece was verging on artisitc. To be fair, we did pull off the Commonwealth games. Let's just not mention Wembley.

Is that what you are talking about?

What are the other two?

[slum_goddess]

nah, this is just my perception: since i got here last july, things take far longer to implement than the original plans or necessity would dictate (e.g., utilities people showing up to install, actually getting a landline, getting broadband as well as shops running out of things and not restocking or ordering right away so customers have what's advertised).

the other two are the hard water and the lack of variety in foods (only 40-something cereals instead of like over 200 to choose from, same w/the candy and on). but all 3 complaints are pretty minor (and for me, the biggest complainer in the world, it's a miracle i only have 3 gripes about anything). i love it here, whooops, i've said that like at least 1,000 times. :)

[KiwiCoromandel]

nah, this is just my perception: since i got here last july, things take far longer to implement than the original plans or necessity would dictate (e.g., utilities people showing up to install, actually getting a landline, getting broadband as well as shops running out of things and not restocking or ordering right away so customers have what's advertised).

the other two are the hard water and the lack of variety in foods (only 40-something cereals instead of like over 200 to choose from, same w/the candy and on). but all 3 complaints are pretty minor (and for me, the biggest complainer in the world, it's a miracle i only have 3 gripes about anything). i love it here, whooops, i've said that like at least 1,000 times. :)

aren`t most of the utilities and services in the uk privatised now...water, telecommunications etc...speaking of the hard water sg....friends in the uk tell me that the sale or contracting out of publicly owned water supplies and infrastructure to private firms in the uk has been a disaster...less regulation, one result...harder water (probably a cost cutting measure like reducing the addition of softening agents/chemicals)....as to the slow broadband delivery..well since telecom in nz was privatised (sold to bellsouth) the waiting time on service delivery and roll out time has been unbelievably bad....the main reason being that telecom is running that many deals (like free routers, modems etc )some times you can wait up to 3 (three) hours to talk to an operator (if you`re silly enough to wait that long...but that 3 hour delay time is documented! they have all their staff tied up on these deals and no one available for enquiries in other areas LIKE ARRANGING AND ROLLING OUT BROADBAND CONNECTIONS!!! the service was much better when the govt owned it.....as to the varieties of cereal available, well aren`t you in porridge country mate?....... :bigsmile:

Edited February 28, 2005 by kiwibank

[slum_goddess]

yeah, i believe they're mostly (foolishly) privatised like the trains systems that people complain about so much. the water bothers me cause it tastes a bit strange (my biggest water complaint has to do w/the accumulation of lime all over which freaks me out cause it calls to my very hidden inner housewife (it shouts, really) and i'm like twenty times a day wiping water spots off the 'stainless' steel and actually cleaning the goddamn lime deposits off the rubber mat in the sink. the cost-cutting measure you noted below is what we think as well.

unbelievable about the waiting times you mentioned (i used to call tech support in nyc at 3AM cause i was fucking sick and tired of waiting for the damn queue to be dealt w/during the day). is there not a watchdog group, like a consumers' group who lodges official complaints about that kind of thing (and gets action)?

yeah, i'm in porridge country but i had chris bring back 3 boxes of fruit flavored quaker oats cause i'm a baby. and nobody will send me kix (little yellow puffs like) or cocoa puffs, wah! ga ga goo goo.

[Malicious Intent]

People bitch about American big business, but the shopping experince in American stores completely outstrips England. You get the inevitable retards everywhere, I'm talking about staff who know what the multiplication table is. So friendly and helpful in America. The best way to describe it to a non-american would be that eveyone has the same attitude to customers as Comic Book Guy in Simpsons.

You are right about stock and waiting times :reallymad:

Full English. Need I say more? Whenever I'm on early shifts, the second it hits 8am I'm straight to the canteen to get my helping of fat and lard. mmmmmm.

I wouldn't say that privatisation has been a disaster. It was dreadful before everything was privatised - I mean really bad. Something had to be done.

I used to work for a local sports centre which was privatised. The reason it didn't achieve it's objectives was because the management only knew the red tape and bureaucracy. They simply did not, and still dont, understand the necessities of modern business. They think it is about cutting costs without thinking it through and then throwing around management lingo. I'm sure it is the same with the other privatised companies.

It is a very complex area. Then we get into public-private funding initiatives....

[slum_goddess]

The best way to describe it to a non-american would be that eveyone has the same attitude to customers as Comic Book Guy in Simpsons.

i never thought of it that way--that's SO funny!

I used to work for a local sports centre which was privatised.  The reason it didn't achieve it's objectives was because the management only knew the red tape and bureaucracy. They simply did not, and still dont, understand the necessities of modern business. They think it is about cutting costs without thinking it through and then throwing around management lingo. I'm sure it is the same with the other privatised companies.

i noticed this in DE as well. one thing that affects customers: in DE on queues i'm all thinking like 'hey motherfuckers! hasn't it ever occurred to the management that the sooner you serve customers, allow them to pay and leave, the sooner you can serve other customers and thus MAKE MORE MONEY?' but here, AFAIC, the other perks totally outweigh the nasty down time. as well, everyone's SO fucking polite, i love it. i'm prolly fooling myself in thinking this but it's much nicer to be dissatisfied amongst civilised people than it is when everyone's shoving and rude (in an 'every person for him/her self type way).

um....what were we talking about again? oh--digital film network and stuff. right. :)

[method77]

:I gotta see this:

[slum_goddess]

method, are you eating popcorn, watching us or what?

[method77]

don't mind me

[slum_goddess]

oh but i doooo-ooooooooooo :P

[Malicious Intent]

I meant non-englishmen, not non-american.

Looks like you got the idea though.