International Cinemas
May 16, 2006
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, Warner Mycal Corp. And Nippon Telegraph And Telephone East Corporation Join Second Phase of “4K Pure Cinema”-- World’s First Networked 4K Digital Cinema Joint Field Trial
(May 16, 2006 - Tokyo, Japan and Burbank CA) - “4K Pure Cinema,” the world’s first field test to use the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) Digital Cinema System Specifications at the highest quality standard of 4K to test the service model of digital cinema distribution and exhibition of feature-length motion pictures has announced a significant expansion. Another major Hollywood studio and its Japanese distribution affiliate -- Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan; another major Japanese exhibitor -- Warner Mycal -- and another major network service provider -- NTT East -- will join original participants Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Warner Entertainment Japan Inc., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation, and Toho Co., Ltd, who began the field trials in October, 2005.
The first public showing as part of this expanded field trial will start Saturday, May 20, 2006, when “The DaVinci Code” by Sony Pictures Entertainment opens in Japan, with a digital release at “4K Pure Cinema” quality in Warner Mycal Cinemas and TOHO CINEMAS in the Tokyo and Osaka regions. Subsequent digital cinema releases scheduled as part of the field trials through the summer of 2006 will include “Poseidon” by Warner Bros. Entertainment. Other titles will be announced shortly.
This expansion marks another big step forward toward the rollout of digital cinema in Japan. The field trial will continue to provide Hollywood’s newest feature movies at the highest quality standard of 4K, comparable to a professional 35mm film “answer print” and superior in many ways to traditional film “release prints” typically shown in local cinema theaters.
The first phase of the “4K Pure Cinema” joint field trial has included the films “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and “V for Vendetta,” all in the DCI specified 4K format. The field trial participants have received many positive comments from movie-goers mentioning the superb quality of the 4K digital images and the uncompressed multi-channel digital sound, as well as the clarity and stability of the Japanese language subtitles, which made them easier to read.
To help consumers find and identify those theaters offering this premium viewing experience, a new “4K Pure Cinema” logo has been created (see attached art) and will be used in exhibitor ads and onsite signage at the theaters themselves.
A fiber-optic testbed has been configured to send DCI-compliant digital cinema packages (DCP) containing feature-length motion pictures from California to distribution servers at NTT’s Yokosuka R&D Center, NTT West’s Osaka Data Center, and NTT East’s Tokyo Data Center. The encrypted DCP’s received from Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. will be distributed via NTT’s domestic fiber optic networks to Warner Mycal Cinemas Itabashi, TOHO CINEMAS Roppongi Hills and TOHO CINEMAS Takatsuki where secure 4K digital cinema playback systems provided by NTT will be used to screen feature movies on a regular schedule for paying customers using Sony SXRD 4K projectors.
This field trial is designed to allow the participants to evaluate digital distribution and digital exhibition from various perspectives including image quality, viewer response, operational efficiency, security and reporting, network performance and reliability, and the costs related to both network distribution and theater management. The field trial will implement the DCI specifications for both the 4K format of 4,096 by 2,160 pixels (total resolution of more than eight million pixels) and the 2K format at 2,048 by 1,080 pixels (total resolution of more than two million pixels).
The nine companies participating in these expanded field trials share a common conviction that the introduction of digital cinema has the potential for providing real benefits to theatre audiences, theatre owners, filmmakers and distributors. They also recognize that the potential benefits of digital cinema cannot be fully realized without industry-wide standards supporting interoperability and compatibility around the world, as detailed in the Digital Cinema Initiatives Specification that establishes and documents voluntary specifications for an open architecture for digital cinema that ensures a uniform and high level of technical performance, reliability and quality control.
The new participants are each bringing to this joint field trial unique strength that has made them leaders in their respective fields.
• Sony Pictures (SPE and SPEJ) provide distribution management and supply of D-Cinema content in accordance with DCI specifications.
• NTT East will construct and provide broadband fiber-optic links in eastern areas of Japan, establish a D-cinema distribution center in Tokyo and secure distribution system based on DCI specifications and jointly develop TCB (Theater Control Box) in cooperation with NTT West.
• Warner Mycal will provide a movie theater, manage theatrical entertainment content and operate the D-Cinema screening system used in this trial.
Note:
The Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) was created in March 2002, as a joint venture of Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. Studios. In July 2005, after extensive testing and investigation by industry experts, all DCI Member Studios unanimously approved the publication of the DCI Digital Cinema System Specification v1.0. This specification is currently under the standardization process at SMPTE to become an international standard.
Representatives:
Al Barton, Vice President, Digital Technologies, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Ken Munekata, Representative Director, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan Inc.
Chris Cookson, President, Technical Operations & Chief Technology Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
William Ireton, Representative of Japan, Warner Entertainment Japan Inc.
Millard L. Ochs, President and Representative Director, Warner Mycal Corporation
Norio Wada, President and CEO of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Toyohiko Takabe, President and CEO of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation
Shunzo Morishita, President and CEO of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation
Hideyuki Takai, President and CEO of Toho Co., Ltd.# # #
Ken Munekata, Representative Director, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan Inc.
Chris Cookson, President, Technical Operations & Chief Technology Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
William Ireton, Representative of Japan, Warner Entertainment Japan Inc.
Millard L. Ochs, President and Representative Director, Warner Mycal Corporation
Norio Wada, President and CEO of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Toyohiko Takabe, President and CEO of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation
Shunzo Morishita, President and CEO of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation
Hideyuki Takai, President and CEO of Toho Co., Ltd.