FotoKem, Doremi and Christie Reach Digital Cinema Milestone; Doremi Labs, Christie and FotoKem Collaborate on First Feature Film Mastered in Compliance with Digital Cinema Initiatives Specifications

FotoKem, Doremi Labs and Christie Digital Systems, USA, Inc. have produced the first Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) of a major motion picture that conforms to the specifications of the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI). The DCDM was then used to generate a Digital Cinema Package (DCP), ready for distribution.

"Serenity" was used by Universal Pictures to test the workflow required to create a DCP. FotoKem created the DCDM directly from 2K digital intermediate files, while Doremi Labs assembled the files along with the audio into a digital cinema distribution package. Christie provided the DLP Cinema(R) projector for the tests.

The DCI specifications are the result of collaboration between seven major studios - Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. - to develop uniform guidelines for the digital projection of motion pictures. Three years in development, the final DCI standards were published in July of this year.

The successful completion of the DCDM and the DCP on "Serenity" in compliance with the DCI standards marks a major milestone in the move toward all-digital projection for motion pictures.

"We are honored that FotoKem was chosen by Universal to play a historic role in the advance toward digital projection in theaters," said Paul Chapman, Senior Vice President of Technology at FotoKem. "Our collaboration with Doremi Labs and Christie has demonstrated the viability of the process to create in digital space an exacting replica of the filmmaker's original intent in terms of color and clarity."

"Serenity," currently in theaters in traditional film prints, was utilized for testing by Universal because a digital intermediate had been created at FotoKem and the original 2K scans were readily available for conversion to a DCDM. Chapman, along with Bill Schultz, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital Film Services at FotoKem, designed a hardware/software pipeline for making the conversion into XYZ color space as it has been defined for digital projectors. "The challenge was converting to the digital cinema color space directly," said Schultz. "We developed a very fast method of transferring the color intent of the movie into the XYZ color space while maintaining the full bit depth and the full spatial resolution of the movie."

FotoKem then delivered approximately 132,000 16-bit tiff files, each representing one frame of the film, to Doremi Labs where they were converted to JPEG2000 files and wrapped with the audio into a Media eXchange Format (MXF) file on the Doremi Mastering Station. This final encrypted file represents the Digital Cinema Package ready for distribution to theaters equipped with Christie Digital projectors. "Our mastering station ensures the accuracy and integrity of the final product while providing the highest level of security for the studio's assets," said Camille Rizko, President of Doremi Labs.

While films have been digitally displayed in the past, "Serenity" is the first to be projected in the JPEG2000 format said Brian Claypool, Senior Project Manager, Digital Cinema, Christie. "The Christie CP2000 Digital Cinema Projector can reproduce up to 35 trillion colors which make the images you see on the screen simply stunning. We're projecting a JPEG2000 master in a 12-bit 4:4:4 DCI XYZ color space, using a dual link HD-SDI interface from the server to the projector. 'Serenity' is the first movie to be projected in such a manner."

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PH: +1 519-749-3127

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About Christie: Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. is a global visual technologies company and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925). Consistently setting the standards by being the first to market some of the world’s most advanced projectors and complete system displays, Christie is recognized as one of the most innovative visual technology companies in the world. From retail displays to Hollywood, mission critical command centers to classrooms and training simulators, Christie display solutions and projectors capture the attention of audiences around the world with dynamic and stunning images. Christie Directory page Christie Web Site About FotoKem: FotoKem Directory page

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Source: Christie (Cypress) FotoKem (Burbank) More

Mentioned: Universal Pictures (Universal City) Digital Cinema Initiatives (Hollywood) More

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