Las Vegas NV—Mar 8, 2007
Kodak to Unveil First “Universal” and Fully Integrated Digital System at ShoWest
Company to Begin Installations of Kodak Theatre Management System in April
Kodak will unveil and demonstrate its comprehensive digital cinema solution, the Kodak Theatre Management System (TMS), to exhibition and distribution managers at the 2007 ShoWest Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas next week.
Kodak also announced that in April it will begin installing prototypes of the Kodak Theatre Management System at multiple sites throughout the United States. The Kodak TMS will be the exhibition industry’s first ever ‘universal’ digital system designed to manage all content from all suppliers and bring new workflow efficiencies to the cinema.
“We’ve been working collaboratively with our partners since announcing our TMS at Show East in October and have made great progress,” said Bob Mayson, general manager of Kodak Digital Motion Imaging. “Our system is designed for the real needs of the industry and we will keep increasing its functionality based on our experiences.”
The Kodak Theatre Management System includes a server driven by unique and proprietary Kodak-written software connected to the cinema’s ticketing system. Directed by the theatre’s ticketing system, the fully integrated TMS will automatically load all content from multiple suppliers via hard drive or satellite and distribute it to targeted screens over the in-cinema network. Decryption keys are also loaded, migrated and managed over the network.
The Kodak TMS is at the heart of the fully-integrated Kodak solution, which includes all networked content players and feature projectors, as well as Kodak service and support.
Kodak intends to support the solution with an innovative Business Plan. “Our plan is aimed at exhibitors intending to convert at least half the screens in their complex,” Mayson says, “because we believe a commitment of that scope is necessary for them to experience the benefits of a network solution – and to have the same ‘print movement’ flexibility they now enjoy with analog.”
The Kodak Plan is based on everyone having a stake in the game in ways where the usage and ownership are very clear because exhibitors will use it for more than feature movies. “It’s an easy decision for ‘new builds’,” Mayson says, “but it’s also attractive for those willing to shuffle equipment in their current facilities.”
The term of payback for TMS is expected to be seven years, after which the exhibitor will own the system.
Mayson emphasizes that there are no hidden obligations in the Kodak Plan. “There are no requirements that customers buy lamps from Kodak, no hidden usage charges for exhibitors, and there is no limitation on their sources of content. Those choices are up to the exhibitor; we respect the ways they need to run their business.”
“Our demonstrations mark an important milestone in the on-going evolution of our technical solution and business support. We’ve made great progress behind the scenes,” Mayson says. “We’re eager now to put everything to the test, to begin proving our solution in the marketplace. We have the technical depth and long-term commitment to be responsive to our customers’ growing needs.”
