Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) announced today a major step forward in
the planning efforts toward the launch of digital cinema with the release of DCI
Technical Specifications Version 3.0. 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.
“This new direction for DCI’s testing program is an important step toward providing
a common specification that can be embraced by all the studios,” said Chuck Goldwater,
CEO of DCI. “With this step forward we are still on track to deliver
a final draft version of the DCI Technical Specifications in the spring of 2004.”
John Fithian, President of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO),
added his organization’s support for this development. “NATO and its members
are pleased that DCI’s Version 3.0 provides for backwards compatibility while accommodating
both 2K and 4K capabilities,” said Fithian. “NATO continues to support the
development of technical specifications and standards that enable digital cinema
systems to operate in a compatible and interoperable environment.”
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 renowned School of Cinema-Television.
DCI will finish installing in the Lab projectors and servers for testing by the
end of November.
“With this announcement, today, DCI has taken a significant step forward
in the development of digital cinema,” said Charles S. Swartz, executive director/CEO
of the ETC. “The Lab was created specially for high-level testing and evaluation
of digital cinema systems and it will play a critical role in the coming months.”
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) through its Technology Committee
and its chairman, Curtis Clarke, cooperated and co-produced a short film project
with DCI over the summer 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.
”We applaud DCI’s commitment to setting the highest possible standards for the
future of the cinema,” says ASC President Richard Crudo. “Some of our most illustrious
members contributed to designing and producing a mini-movie that will enable the
industry to better evaluate the technical performance of digital cinema systems,
and also judge their capacity for retaining nuances in the original images which
are designed to evoke emotional responses. This type of material for standardized
evaluations has been needed by the industry for many years. We believe the DCI Digital
Cinema effort is a forward-looking venture, which is headed down the right path
to meeting the needs of the worldwide creative community.”
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.
