By Staff, December 2, 2003
Digital Cinema Initiatives, the consortium formed by the seven major Hollywood studios to devise industry standards has released Version 3.0 of its technical specifications, according to Digital Cinema Report. At the same time DCI also announced the commencement of the next vital testing phase of the digital cinema work incorporating the revisions contained in Version 3.0.
By a unanimous vote, all seven DCI Member Studios approved pursuit of a hierarchical architecture approach for digital cinema, which defines a 4K (4096 by 2160) delivery system that will be compatible with both 4K projectors expected to be available in the near future and with 2K projectors available today. DCI is continuing to encourage manufacturers to develop 4K projectors and related technology for DCI testing and evaluation.
This next phase of DCI's testing program will undertake review of a variety of hierarchical compression techniques and systems capable of both 4K- and 2K-image delivery.
John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), adds his organization's support for this development.
Last year, DCI engaged the Digital Cinema Laboratory, a project of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC (ETC), to be the facility and test bed where DCI evaluates the prescribed specification
. The ETC is part of USC's School of Cinema-Television. DCI will finish installing in the Lab projectors and servers for testing by the end of November.
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), through its Technology Committee headed by Curtis Clark, ASC, cooperated and co-produced a short film project with DCI to create a suite of test material for use by DCI and for evaluating digital cinema systems as well as other new distribution systems. DCI will make this standardized test material available to organizations and companies for use in their various testing programs, which they can do by contacting DCI to obtain a copy.
Details of DCI's hierarchical architecture approach to digital cinema can be obtained in the DCI Technical Specifications by contacting Walt Ordway, DCI's Chief Technology Officer at walt.ordway@dcimovies.com.
Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) was created in March 2002, as a joint venture of Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. Studios. DCI's primary purpose is to establish and document voluntary specifications for an open architecture for digital cinema that ensures a uniform and high level of technical performance, reliability and quality control. DCI will also facilitatethe development of business plans and strategies to help spur deployment of digital cinema systems in movies theatres.
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