[opendtv] News: Film Studios Said to Agree on Digital Standards
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 08:16:29 -0400
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/27/business/media/27movie.html?th&emc=th
Film Studios Said to Agree on Digital Standards
By LAURA M. HOLSON
Published: July 27, 2005
LOS ANGELES, July 26 - Hollywood's major film studios are expected
to announce on Wednesday that they have agreed to new technical
standards that will make it easier for movie theaters to show
digitally produced movies, according to two studio executives
apprised of the announcement.
For years Hollywood has discussed how to create and distribute
digital films with little success, in part because the parties could
not agree on a standard technology for projectors or on who would pay
to replace the equipment. Movie theater owners did not want to foot
the bill, fearing the $100,000 projectors would become obsolete
without a consensus about the standards. The movie industry, for its
part, has resisted paying to replace projectors because studios do
not own the theaters.
But as it gets more expensive to make and market movies, studios
have become more interested in the cost savings achieved with digital
distribution. According to one of the executives, who requested
anonymity because the agreement has not been announced yet, a movie
film print costs $1,000 to $1,200 to make. A digital version costs a
fraction of that as it can be either on a disc or transferred
electronically.
A spokesman for Digital Cinema Initiatives, the group that developed
the standards, declined to discuss the agreement. But according to
the two executives, studio executives agreed that the projectors
should not only have digital capabilities now, but be compatible with
higher resolution, next-generation projectors.
Financing, a major sticking point between movie theater owners and
the movie studios, is still being worked out. It is unclear how
quickly theater owners will convert to digital technology; it could
take years, according to some industry estimates. (Piracy will remain
a problem because of illegal camcorder use.)
One plan being discussed is having a group of studios work with a
financing partner to help pay for the new projectors. As each
projector is replaced, the savings associated with lower film costs
would be used to pay down the debt. The theater owners would then be
responsible for maintenance and upkeep.
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