WEEKLY CineBUZZ REPORT - 10 October 2012

ULTRA HI-DEF TVs

One of the issues I stress when discussing Digital Cinema conversion with movie exhibitors is that D-Cinema presents an opportunity to improve the image and sound quality of the movie presentation, which is paramount in remaining competitive with their biggest threat - the living room!.

Consumers' living rooms are getting more and more 'entertainment immersive'. For example, at last week's CEATEC show (Japan's annual electronics love fest) the major TV manufacturers were all highlighting future Hi-Def TVs.  Touting 4 times the resolution and boasting larger screens (84" or 7ft. is becoming the new normal for size) these 'new' TVs will further enhance the in-home 'movie experience'.

The shift to D-Cinema for exhibitors is not only necessitated by film's demise but by the requirement that the movie theatre 'experience' keeps pace with other advancing technologies.  This means that a cinema's digital conversion be accomplished 'right', with proper sized digital projectors and enhanced sound.  This is the only way a local cinema will survive the relentless competition.  Choosing the smallest projector, not enhancing the existing sound system, and just trying to squeak by to save a few dollars on conversion won't get the average cinema the wow factor needed to compete against a 7ft. TV screen with surround sound.

The writing is on the wall and cinema owners need to read it.


LOOK MA - NO COMMERCIALS ......... NOT !

For years now, consumers have been by-passing TV ads by using their DVRs (digital video recorders) - but those days are numbered.  The DVR is destined for the techo scrap heap of history as viewers exchange their ability to skip ads for the convenience of streaming their favorite content on any device at any time.  The DVR is essentially being replaced by VOC (video on demand). And this is really good news for media companies and advertisers alike. 

Consumer behavior is shifting as cable and satellite providers have broadened their VOD offerings.  Viewers no longer need a DVR to watch most of their favorite sitcoms, dramas, or reality shows.
This behavior shift is further promoted by on-demand video subscription services, such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.  Younger viewers are quickly moving to a scenario where they never knew you had to 'set' a TV to record a show.

What will happen is that VOD programming will disable one's ability to fast-forward, ie viewers can't escape the ads when they watch via VOD content.  In addition to controlling commercial skipping, VOD allows media companies the ability to control how long a program stays available and when it goes down - with DVRs they had no such control.

Right now, it appears that the scale is tilting back in favor of media companies and advertisers as commercials will once again be unavoidable for viewers.

ULTRA VIOLET - STILL INVISIBLE

UltraViolet, the movie studios initiative to push consumers to stream content from the cloud and store it in their personal media 'lockers' hasn't caught on.

Like its name, UltraViolet (UV) has thus far been invisible to consumers.  What UV's sponsors (which consist of the major studios, software & hardware manufacturers, and web retailers) wanted was for consumers to store (stash in their lockers) all manner of content and be able to access it at their convenience using any type of UV compatible web-connected device.

The problem is, consumers haven't shown much interest in the UV concept.  Why?  A big factor, I believe, is that marketing and promotion of UV by its sponsors have been dismal.  There should have been a global marketing campaign.  Another factor, was that early on UV was riddled with technical problems regarding the proper functioning of the locker system (these issues have now been solved).

The studios, led by Paramount and Fox, are now back on the UV band wagon, so you'll be hearing more about it and its value in the future.


3D - IT's ALL ABOUT THE LIGHT

I can not emphasize enough the importance of presenting 3D  movies with the proper amount of light, as not doing so puts 3D exhibition at risk of losing patronage and tarnishing a cinema's reputation.

Some 3D systems, such as RealD require an enormous amount of light as they rest in front of the lens outside of the projector.  So, running RealD 3D with a 2000 or 3000 watt xenon lamp is woefully inadequate even with the required silver screen.  Dolby 3D requires the least amount of light as its 3D system rests inside the projector and even then a minimum 4000 watt xenon should be used, no matter what size the screen.

The biggest complaint from audiences and filmmakers alike is that 3D films are too dark.  In 3D, you can only get the perception of depth when there is enough light otherwise the image looks flat.

I'm aware that the cost to exhibitors for the 3D add-on is substantial; however, if an exhibitor opts for 3D they must do it right, and there is no substitute for the proper amount of light to obtain the full 3D effect as the filmmaker intended.  When moviegoers have a bad experience with 3D it makes them less likely to attend (and spend on the 3D up-charge) going forward.

In 3D exhibition it's all about the light, so if installing a 3D system exhibitors and there equipment providers/installers must insist on using the proper light level.


Best
Jim Lavorato