Practical Digital Cinema Distribution

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IBC 2001

• Practical Digital Cinema Distribution
• in an Evolving Technology Environment

Richard Hartley
15th September 2001
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Principal Players Need Standards

• Studios
• to unify distribution process
• to lower costs
• to encourage transition
• Exhibitors
• to minimise investment risk.
• to ensure operational flexibility.
• Manufacturers
• to minimize investment risk.
• to gain volume production efficiencies.

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Peripheral Organizations

• Standards-Making Organizations
• SMPTE, MPEG, JPEG, ITEA
• Electronic Content Providers
• Standardised method of distributing to theatres
• Conditional Access Providers
• Standardised method of authentication key
  distribution

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Distribution chain, exhibitor side
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Bulk of Theatre Cost (top down)

• Projector
• Playout Server
• Decompressor/Decryptor
• Input Interface Device.

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Investment Cycle ROI

• What equipment costs the most?
• Projector.
• Playout Server storage system.
• What equipment is least likely to become
  obsolete?
• Projector.
• Playout Server storage system.

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Investment Cycle ROI (Contin..)

• What functions likely to change soon?
• Decompression engine.
• Input interface.
• What functions cost the least?
• Decompression engine
• Input interface.

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Compression Technology

• Present Candidates?
• MPEG2- Constant Quality.
• Propriety Wavelet (QuBit).
• JPEG2000
• Dominating Factors
• Evolving technology.
• Frame Rate -- will increase.
• Image Size -- will grow.
• Distribution Media Capacity gt bandwidth increase.

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Interoperability
Digital Cinema Manufacturers Demonstrate Server
Interoperability, Announce Interoperability
Initiative   October 29, 2001 Avica Technology
Corporation, EVS, and the Grass Valley Group
today announced that they have achieved
compatibility for the playback of MPEG2 encoded
content on their respective systems. In related
news, the companies also announced the formation
of the MPEG Interoperability Initiative, which is
chartered to facilitate interoperability between
multiple manufacturers.
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Modularity

• Functional independence
• Decompression/De-encryption module for upgrade
• Projector path should be mix/match/selectable.
• Input I/F module for choice of WAN, satellite,
  DVD
• Functional additions
• Decompression/De-encryption module for multiple
  sources
• Alternate media delivery
• Advanced projectors

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Prototypical architecture for modularity
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Conclusion

• Change is inevitable.
• Isolate Stabilise functions that cost most.
• Design for easy change of unstable functions.
• Allow for expansion

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