After three years of study, Hollywood movie studios have found common ground on a single technical specification for digital movies.
Movie studios spend a lot of money producing prints of films for theaters. Those prints wear out over time, and any moviegoer who has ever seen a frequently-run print will have seen those flaws on the big screen.
According to AP, a change from prints to digital format will save studios millions of dollars. Getting theaters to go digital will take some effort, as even the modest inroads made to get digital projectors into movies has moved backwards. Star Wars producer Rick McCallum noted at the Celebration III convention that the number of theaters with digital capabilities has went from 150 to around 80 over the past few years.
Agreeing on a single tech standard for digital movies has led Hollywood studios to form a joint venture called Digital Studio Initiatives. That venture completed the work on the technical specification, which the studios have approved.
Now, the argument over who will pay for digital projectors, storage servers, and encryption software can begin. The big theater chains will probably want the studios to plow the savings on film prints into getting digital equipment out to theaters.
In turn, the studios will likely contend since theaters are in the business of showing movies, they should buy the equipment. Those prices, costly now with digital projectors starting around $75,000, should come down.
Having a single tech standard in place should attract manufacturers, who won’t have to worry about competing standards, like the ongoing fight over next-generation blue laser DVDs. With more manufacturers involved, price competition should bring figures down to more acceptable levels.
David Utter is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
