EOF-5 : eCinema ultra low cost alternative to DCI, when film is no longer an option

8 January 2013
Comments: 5
Category: cinemas, DCI, dCinema, eCinema, Film
8 January 2013, Comments: 5

To finish off the series of videos on the end of film, I cover ultra low cost alternatives to DCI.  Systems such as the dCine product from digitAll can bring you a DCI type security model to cinemas for prices as low as $6000-7,000, still 6-8 times cheaper then even the new lower price DCI equipment coming to market.

This is an especially important technology to answer the needs for third world or low economic wealth countries where piracy is usually very high and the amount of money that you can charge at cinemas is extremely low.

Typically these countries would use second hand low cost projectors and very cheap film production or prints at the end of there run to get films to the screen.  With the end of the production of the consumables needed to make film, this will no longer be an option so alternatives are required.  This is where technologies like the dCine come in.

5 responses on “EOF-5 : eCinema ultra low cost alternative to DCI, when film is no longer an option

  1. Cesar Rubio says:

    Excellent info James!

    Thank YOU very much for your hard work on this issue my friend, highly appreciated indeed!

    Cesar Rubio.

  2. Mike says:

    Can a cinema anywhere in the world use this piece of technology? Our small second-run theater cannot afford the transition to digital cinema projection, but we could certainly afford $5-6k, even up to $10k per screen… Going to have to look more into this!

    • jamieg says:

      Yes and no. The dCine product is very useful to a cinema who wants to play typical standards based media files other then DCI. But in terms of getting protected content from a distributor, digitAll makes tools that a distributor could use that are similar to DCI encryption tools. The distributor would, if he wants content protection, have to use these proprietary tools. Its very cost effective.
      There is no eCinema standard for doing content protection currently and we do plan to implement DCI type measures, but it will never be completely open as it will not be the same as DCI as we want advantages that DCI will not offer. (Mainly a much lower cost to implement.)

      Typically the dCine technology is picked up by regional areas that have their own distributions businesses, and they adopt the dCine technology as a way to do content distribution and display securely without the huge expense that DCI has. As they can control the process, the use of this technology works very well for them.

      James

  3. John Terry says:

    What then are the current cheapest options for a 2nd run dollar style theatre to play dci films from the distributor?

    • jamieg says:

      Currently none.
      You must purchase DCI certified equipment.

      Maybe later down the track they may approve other technology, but for now.. You have no other options.