Odeon Signs Up Arts Alliance Media for UK Commercial Digital Cinema Trial

Arts Alliance Media, Europe’s leading provider of digital film distribution services, has finalised an agreement with Odeon Cinemas to provide integration and maintenance services for a commercial UK digital cinema trial of all 9 screens at the Odeon Surrey Quays. The six month trial is the first time a major European exhibitor has operated a fully digital multiplex.

Arts Alliance Media (AAM), which is also currently rolling out the 240 screen UK Film Council’s Digital Screen Network (DSN) across the country, will be acting as integrator, installer and service provider for the trial at Surrey Quays. Using its existing digital cinema rollout infrastructure, AAM will equip each of the 9 screens with a digital projector (provided by Cinemeccanica) and server (provided by Doremi). The site will also have a central ingest server and theatre management system.

Howard Kiedaisch, CEO, Arts Alliance Media said, “This is a great opportunity for the industry as a whole and we are thrilled to have been chosen by Odeon. This significant vote of confidence further demonstrates our standing as the most proven digital cinema provider in Europe”

The equipment will be received at AAM’s Operations Centre in Byfleet, where it will be pre-built, tested and shipped out to Surrey Quays for installation. The Operations Centre, which is used for the DSN rollout, combines a 7000 sq ft warehouse, full pre-build and testing facilities and a training room equipped to mimic an actual DC installation. Projectionists in the trial will undergo AAM’s projectionist training course which features a combination of tutorials, hands-on experience and a certificated test. AAM’s engineers have trained over 300 cinema projectionists to date in the operation of digital cinema equipment.

Arts Alliance Media will also be providing remote support and maintenance for the equipment during the trial. All systems are continuously monitored, and emails are generated when faults arise, allowing for early warning of imminent problems. Remote access to the equipment from AAM’s head office in London has allowed the vast majority of faults in the DSN to be resolved without engineers having to attend the site.

Content for the trial will be provided by participating distributors, including Lionsgate UK, Paramount Pictures, Pathé Distribution, Sony Pictures Releasing International, Twentieth Century Fox, and Universal Pictures International, all of whom who will be providing content to the site exclusively in digital. The first digital film at Odeon Surrey Quays is due to be shown in February. Arts Alliance Media has also agreed to encode and deliver digital adverts from Carlton Screen Advertising to all screens at the Surrey Quays site.

The Odeon trial is also being held at the 9 screen Odeon Hatfield, with projectors from NEC and servers from Kodak. The Hatfield site is being installed and operated by Bell Theatre Services.

Arts Alliance Media Contacts: Kate Pidgeon
Arts Alliance Media Ltd
T: +44 (0)20 7751 7512
F: +44 (0)20 7751 7505
kate@artsalliancemedia.com

About Arts Alliance Media: Arts Alliance Media, based in London, Paris and Amsterdam, is Europe's leading provider of digital distribution services, committed to building the largest digital cinema delivery network in Europe, and to supply digital content - films, alternative programming and live events. AAM provides end-to-end digital cinema solutions encompassing equipment selection, financing and integration, operator training, installation and 24/7 helpdesk support, and content management and delivery. Currently, AAM has deployed over 650 digital screens. The company's in-house digital cinema lab has mastered several hundred digital titles to date. AAM also sources, manages and promotes 'Alternative Content' programming for cinemas. AAM was founded in 2003 by Thomas Høegh who serves as Chairman of the board. Arts Alliance Media Directory page Arts Alliance Media Web Site

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Source: Arts Alliance Media (London) More

Mentioned: NEC (Itasca) Kodak (Hollywood) Bell Theatre Services (Hertfordshire) Cinemeccanica (Milano) Doremi Cinema (Burbank) More

Countries: United Kingdom More