CineBUZZ - CINEMA NEWS REPORT - 1 JULY 2012

Highlights of this Week's Report

- Kodak May Not Be Able To Auction Digital Patents
- Google Glasses Make Big Splash
- A Satillite for Everyman
- "The Hobbit" Leads the Way

KODAK 'TRIES' TO SELL TECHNOLOGY

As promised, I am following up on the Kodak saga.  The latest twist in this tale is that a number of tech giants have gone to court to stop Kodak from sellings its digital patents.  CMG reported on Kodak's  immense stash of digital imaging patents in several prior posts - see "Kodak's Hidden Treasure" - 20 August 2011, and "Kodak - Riding the Wave" - 23 January 2012.

Last Monday (6/25) tech giants, Intel, Nikon, Richo, Motorola, and Apple filed suit objecting to Kodak's plan to hold an auction in August to sell its digital imaging patents to the highest bidders. The companies are alleging that the selling of the patents negates the licenses they signed with Kodak for use of the patents - and therefore the auction should not take place.  They further contend that the rights issue should be settled in a federal court and not the bankruptcy court.

In January, Kodak, based in Rochester, NY, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with the intention of reorganizing under court protection.  In its bankruptcy filing Kodak listed its assets at $5.1 billion, and its debt at $6.75 billion.  Its stock is currently trading at about 20 cents per share. I will keep you informed as this very interesting tale unfolds.

CATCH A MOVIE ON YOUR 'GLASSES'  ?

Google officialy put its computerized glasses on the runway during its annual tech conferance this past week.
The Google Glasses, which have a processor and memory, will include 3 or 4G wireless web access, as well as, motion and GPS sensors. The demos of the glasses, which included two skydivers who during their descent were wearing the glasses and streaming live video of their jump over the internet, were a great success and had the tech industry honchos buzzing. Naming the early edition, "Google Glass Explorers Edition", Google announced that conferance attendees could pre-order a pair at a price of $1,500 which would be available in 2013.

President dons Google Glasses

The glasses, which are Android based, have a small screen positioned right above one of the of the user's eyes and come in several different styles.  A wearer can take pictures or video with the glasses by touching a spot on the side of the frame. The demos also included users wearing the glasses while playing tennis, biking, and playing with their babies - all while  the glasses were taking pictures and video images of their activities.

Uploading and viewing a movie will be no problem - it would be the same as streaming it to your laptop or iPad.  Hmmmm, lets see, I can be driving and watching Fast and Furious at the same time.

A SATELLITE FOR EVERYMAN
Everyman Cinemas, an independent British cinema chain which is dedicated to the goal of bringing a unique cinema experience in stylish venues with varied programming, has teamed up with Arqiva, a communication service provider, to use Arqiva's cinema satellite distrbution network.

Under the arrangement, each Everyman location will be equipped to receive delivery of D-Cinema transmissions via satellite which will include feature films, trailers, and advertising.  Additionally, recorded and live alternative content on all types of arts and entertainment will be made available.
Arqiva, provides its communication and media services in Europe and the U.S. Its venture with Everyman Cinemas represents a perfect example of the direction cinemas should be headed -  exhibiting unique and varied content to their set demographic which includes a wide variety of content.   Made available due to the cinema industry's digital transition, this presents nothing less than a golden era for exhibitors which they should  leverage to maximum utilization and profitability.

Peter Jackson, Director of "The Hobbit" to use HFR

The Hobbit and HFR Will Impact The Cinema

"The Hobbit" may bring a major change to the movie exhibition business, for this movie is expected to be released using a High Frame Rate (HFR) - meaning that it will be exhibited at 48 frames per second (fps) vs. the normal 24 fps.  Movie directors and producers have for years wanted to use a higher frame rate in shooting films because it produces a sharper, clearer on-screen image.  However, using a HFR with 35mm film was not possible as it would have doubled the amount of film used for a release print, let alone the fact that normal 35mm film projectors were not capable of running at the higher speed.

This all changed with the evolution of Digital Cinema projection.  The new Series 2 digital projectors are capable of the higher frame rate as are the new Servers - which is yet another reason for exhibitors to acquire a D-Cinema platform.  The tipping point is quickly being reached where conversion will not be an option.  The demise of 35mm film prints in the U.S. and other markets, such as Canada, will most likely occur by the end of 2013 and all global markets by the end of 2015.
After that, its anyone's guess as to how movie distribution evolves - satellite or internet, possibly both.  There is no limit on the variety of content that will be available.  It's up to the cinema exhibitors to ensure the public continues to support their venues with unique and premium presentations.


Best and Happy Movie Going !
Jim Lavorato