Big D-Cinema Win for Sony Electronics and 4K

AMC has signed a $315 million deal with Sony to deploy 4K digital cinema projectors in the U.S.

"Digital cinema gives us a huge opportunity to do 3-D, live broadcasts and playback of live events," AMC exec Frank Rash tells the New York Times.

Variety notes that AMC already has 150 of the Sony SXRD digital projectors in its theatres, 29 of which also are outfitted with the RealD system for playing 3-D content.

AMC's initial deal with Sony for 4K projectors happened back in 2007. Installation of this new batch will start soon, and continue through 2012.

One question I have: wasn't Digital Cinema Implementation Partners formed specifically to handle these kinds of deals for AMC, Regal, and Cinemark? Where were they?

Sony Will Offer 3-D Adapter for its 4K Digital Projectors

One of the drawbacks of Sony's high-res 4K SXRD digital cinema projectors has been that there has been no way to use them to show 3-D content.

That'll change in 2009, when the company will offer an adaptor for its 4K projectors that allows them to show 3-D content (albeit at 2K resolution.) Here's the press release, some coverage from the Hollywood Reporter, a piece on Sony Insider, and a blog post on Engadget HD. No word yet on price.

'Hancock' - Hollywood's First Big 4K Release?

It seems to me like 'Hancock,' from Sony Pictures, is the first big-time digital cinema release in 4K. Sony Electronics, of course, currently sells the only commercial 4K digital projectors, which are installed in about 200 theaters in the US, according to The Hollywood Reporter. I suspect 'Hancock' isn't playing on all 200...

Sony has done other stuff to promote their 4K projectors in the past, but as far as I know, this is the first release of a big studio picture... though Sony did a special showing of 'Spider-Man 2' back in 2004 with the projector.

Friday links: HPA Tech Retreat, 'An Evening with Richard Edlund,' a $6 Million Home Theater

- TVTechnology.com offers an advance look at what'll be happening later this month at the annual Hollywood Post Alliance Tech Retreat: new cameras, new displays, new microphones.

- Variety's David Cohen reports on a talk given on Wednesday by visual effects pioneer Richard Edlund:

[Edlund] noted that George Lucas had upstaged at least one of his own best scenes by adding CG characters to the background in his "Star Wars" re-release and observed that ILM in general tends to get "carried away" and put to much in the frame.

- A 4K digital cinema in your home? CNET fills you in.

AMC Installing More than 50 of Sony's 4K Projectors

AMC Theatres will install 54 of Sony's 4K digital projectors, at new multiplexes in Dallas, Indianapolis, San Diego, and Riverside, CA. The theaters should be open by the end of the year.

From the release:

The motion picture industry recently announced that it is working with major cinematographers to start production on 4K originated features, and the industry has accelerated development of 4K cameras in recent months. [Sony VP Gary] Johns said that Sony also intends to build a complete system of digital cinematography production equipment, including 4K acquisition, storage and infrastructure solutions.

But as far as I know, we haven't yet seen any major releases at 4K resolution - only 2K. (But according to Wikipedia, "As of July 2007, there are some cinemas in Singapore showing digital 4K films to public using Sony's CineAlta 4K digital projector.") So it's unclear when these new Sony projectors will have true 4K content to play...

Chicago has the first multiplex fully outfitted with Sony 4K projectors

A Sony Electronics PR person e-mailed today to let me (and you) know that the new Muvico 18-screen multiplex in the Chicago area (it's called the Muvico Rosemont 18) officially opens tomorrow, and will be the first in the world to have 4K projectors in every booth.

Of course, how much 4K content they'll be able to show is another question entirely, since most digital cinema releases are in 2K.

Update on Panorama's 4K projector in development

Frank Stirling sends along news that there has been a management buy-out at Panorama Labs, a company working on a much ballyhooed new 4K projector, which will supposedly be capable of showing 3D, and perhaps even doing "digital IMAX"-sized projections. Stirling writes:

We are making good progress and now have a small-scale demonstrator operating. We had first light on 4 May and have since shown the 128x62 magneto-optic driven pixel array to several studios and industry representatives. We are moving ahead with the 4K-prototype development and hope to have it completed by early next year.

Corporately, the Founder and Inventor, Sutherland Ellwood, the Co-Founder, Ian Spenceley, and I, including our entire team, have formed a new company in the U.S. called Photonica, Inc. to buy-out the Australian-based Panorama Labs from ST Synergy. This will allow strong focus and facilitate funding to complete our 4K(3D capable) DCI-compliant digital cinema projector by next year. We plan to complete the purchase of Panorama by the end of October.

We'll be waiting....

Cine Gear Expo: Next Week in LA

Just back from another one-day round-trip to LA (yes, I've sworn those off before).... sorry I won't be in town next week, too, when Cine Gear Expo happens. There's always an interesting mix of cinematographers hanging around...and a series of seminars and master classes. If you didn't go to NAB, at Cine Gear you'll get a chance to see the 4K Peter Jackson short, 'Crossing the Line' that he shot with the Red Digital Cinema camera.

On Saturday, June 23rd, according to an e-mail I got from the Digital Cinema Society, there's another event at Cine Gear focusing on 4K production, post, and projection. From that message:

DCS members are encouraged to attend an exploration of 4K for Production, Post, and Projection. Various samples acquired in 4K RAW with Dalsa cameras, edited in HD with Apple's Final Cut Pro, then conformed using EDL into the final project for color correction and creation of the DCP will be projected in 4K via the Sony SXRD Projector. Following the screening, James Mathers will moderate a panel made up of Cinematographer David Stump, ASC, Dalsa's Rob Hummel, Sony's Andrew Stucker, Denis Leconte of Pacific Title, as well as Directors Anurag Mehta and Joe DiGennaro. Find out the benefits and challenges of Digital Filmmaking at 4K resolution.

The time slot is 10-10:45 AM on Saturday, the 23rd at the Wadsworth Theatre. Note: You must be registered for the Cine Gear Expo - Free of Charge Until June 15: http://www.cinegearexpo.com/click here.

If you go, please *blog about it!*

4K digital projectors come to LA

Cinematical and The Hollywood Reporter have coverage of Landmark Theatre's new multiplex at the Westside Pavilion in LA, which features Sony SXRD 4K digital projectors in three of its auditoriums. These, along with one auditorium at Landmark's NuArt, are the only places where average ticket-buyers can experience 4K projection in Los Angeles. (4K projectors are already in place in Landmark cinemas in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington.)

But there's a hitch: there isn't very much 4K content available today, or in the pipeline (most digital movies are now released in the lower-res 2K format). From Carolyn Giardina's piece in The Hollywood Reporter:

Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures have created select 4K deliverables, but today's digital cinema content is typically available in 2K.

"(4K content) is being developed as we speak," [Landmark co-owner Mark] Cuban said. "HDNet [Films, one of Cuban's production companies] plans on actively using 4K for productions and for distribution of content beyond just 4K theatrical." He said that some of the upcoming films he is producing would be mastering and distributed in 4K, though he declined to reveal details.

Citing the aforementioned 4K content from Sony and Warners, Andrew Stucker, director of Sony's digital cinema systems unit, said: "It's still an expensive proposition. While 4K is coming, we expect the majority of the content will be 2K."

Here's the official Landmark page on the new multiplex... and coverage from Variety and the LA Times. (And one more from Variety.