2004 - 2006 Digital Cinema Marketplace Report

Acquisition - Trends

What is your job title/function? Job titles/functions tracked include the following: Administrative; Production management; Production department technical/engineering; Producer; Director; Director of photography/cinematographer; Effects Designer; Camera operator; Engineer; Equipment supplier; Consultant; Other

By when do you plan to shoot a feature film digitally instead of on motion-picture film?
Regarding digital cinematography or shooting a feature film, by when do you plan to use Standard-definition video - tiny camcorders (DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO)?
Regarding digital cinematography or shooting a feature film, by when do you plan to use Standard-definition video - larger camcorders (D-9, Digital Betacam, IMX)?
Regarding digital cinematography or shooting a feature film, by when do you plan to use High-definition camcorders (D-9 HD, DVCPROHD, HDCAM)?
Regarding digital cinematography or shooting a feature film, by when do you plan to use Standard-definition video to external recorders?
Regarding digital cinematography or shooting a feature film, by when do you plan to use High-definition video to external recorders?
Regarding digital cinematography or shooting a feature film, by when do you plan to use Data to disk?

How important are each of the following features to you (extremely important,very important, somewhat important, not very important)?
Features tracked include: 24 frames per second; capture rate faster than 24 frames per second - please specify; progressive scanning; 1.78:1/16:9 aspect ratio; 2.4:1 aspect ratio; full RGB resolution ("4:4:4"); 1080-line resolution; resolution greater than 1080-line - please specify; ability to use film lenses; ability to achieve film depth of field (35-mm-size imager or other); optical viewfinder; ability to record metadata; other - specify.

What camera interface are you or would you consider using? Camera interfaces tracked include: Standard-definition video; High-definition video; RGB video; Logarithmic RGB data; Other data - specify; Disk on camera; Tape on camera; Other - specify.

What acquisition storage medium do you prefer? Storage media tracked include: Tape; Magnetic disk (hard drives); Optical disk; Other

Would acquiring images at a resolution higher than 1080p be a) Desirable or b) Mandatory

Would you consider acquisition at 2160p?

After you acquire digitally, for post production would you plan to use:
A post-production facility - in house; A post-production facility - out of house; A personal-computer-based system (such as "Final Cut Pro"); Other - please specify.

What makes this equipment "digital cinematography" instead of merely "video"?
Progressive scanning: 24 frames per second rate; 25 frames per second rate; 30 frames per second rate; 60 frames per second rate; 72 frames per second rate; Overcranking; Undercranking; 16:9/1.78:1 aspect ratio; 2.4:1 aspect ratio;
Vertical resolution: 480-line; 576-line; 720-line; 1k; 2k; 3k; 4k; other - specify;
Horizontal resolution: 720; 1280; 2k; 4k; 6k; 8k; Other - specify;
Small size; Light weight; Cinematographer viewfinder; Silence<; Ease of use; Logarithmic data connections instead of video; Other - specify <; None of the above is necessary for "digital cinematography"

What makes a lens a digital-cinematography lens?
Modulation transfer function/resolution; Aperture/Speed; Other quality - specify; Cinematography markings; Improved back focus; Follow focus; Primes; Other - specify ; None of the above is necessary for a "digital-cinematography lens"

What digital cinematography standards do you use or plan to use?
a. Frame-rate/scanning: 23.976p/23.98p; 24p; 25p; 29.97p; 30p; 60p; 72p; 25/50i; 2.4:1 aspect ratio; 30/60i; variable; other frame-rate/scanning - specify
b. Aspect ratio: 1.33:1/4:3; 1.78:1/16:9; 2.4:1; other - specify;
c. Recording format: Betacam SX; D-5 HD; D-6; D-9 HD; Digital Betacam; Digital-S/D-9; Disk - specify ; DV; DVCAM; DVCPRO; DVCPRO50; DVCPRO50P; DVCPROHD; HDCAM; MPEG IMX; Other - specify

If you use tape, what is/are the most-common tape length(s) you use? What brands of tape do you use?

What advantages does digital cinematography offer over film?
Quality; Control; Camera sensitivity; Speed; Instant playback; Economy; Simplified postproduction; Integration of computer-generated imagery; Different look; Security; Ease of converting to multiple media; Ease of archiving; Other - specify

What disadvantages does it have? (check all that apply) Loss of quality; Insufficient sensitivity; Takes too long; Formats change too quickly; Too expensive; Wrong aspect ratio; Video "artifacts"; Different look; Difficult postproduction; Easily pirated; Difficulty of converting to multiple media; Limited life of medium; Lack of digital cinema/need to convert to film; Other - specify

Acquisition - Products

For each of the following product types:

By when (year) do you expect to own/use each of the following types of digital-cinematography?
Which brand/s do you own, and which do you plan to buy?

Product types include:

Digital cinematography camera(s);
Digital cinematography camcorder(s);
Digital cinematography lens(es);
Digital cinematography monitor(s);
Digital cinematography switcher(s)/mixer(s);
Digital cinematography tape recorder(s);
Digital cinematography disk recorder(s);

Postproduction

What is your job title/function:
Effects Designer;Editor;Postproduction supervisor;Facility personnel - administrative/management;Facility personnel - creative (including paint, graphics and animation);Facility personnel - technical/engineering;Consultant;Other

What makes your equipment digital-cinema?
Progressive scanning; Interlace-to-progressive conversion;
Progressive-to-interlace conversion: 24 frames per second rate; 25 frames per second rate; 30 frames per second rate; 60 frames per second rate; 72 frames per second rate;
Ability to deal with overcranking; Ability to deal with undercranking; Frame-rate conversion; 16:9/1.78:1 aspect ratio; 2.4:1 aspect ratio; Aspect-ratio conversion;
Vertical resolution: 480-line; 576-line; 720-line; 1k; 2k; 3k; 4k; other;
Horizontal resolution: 720; 1280; 2k; 4k; 6k; 8k; Other;
Scaling; Ability to deal with logarithmic data instead of video; Other ; None of these necessarily to make the equipment digital cinema

By when do you plan to provide each of the following services for digital cinema
a.) nonlinear editing - decision; b.) nonlinear editing - conforming; c.) tape-based editing (specify format); d.) telecine (specify film and video formats); e.) scanning (specify film format, resolution, and bit depth); f.) color correction/grading; g.) digital intermediate services (specify); h.) animation; i.) visual effects; j.) titles; k.) subtitling; l.) audio post; m.) digital cinema mastering - color correction/grading; n.) digital cinema mastering - compression; o.) digital cinema mastering - encryption; p.) digital cinema server; q.) digital-to-film; r.) digital workprint; s.) screening (specify film, video, and/or data formats); t.) digital dailies (specify format); u.) disk-based mastering; v.) consulting; w.) other - specify;

If you do compression, what form(s)?
DV; M-JPEG; MPEG-2 high level; MPEG-2 main level; MPEG-4 - specify type if possible; Sorensen3; wavelet; other - specify;

By when do you have/plan to have projection facilities?
a) for screening? b) for editing? c) for color-correction/grading? d) for audio?

What type of projector?
CRT; DLP; ILA; D-ILA; Other - specify ;

What signal formats do you deal with?
Video: 4:2:2 480i/30 or 29.97; Greater than 4:2:2 480i/30 or 29.97 (please specify, e.g. 4:4:4); 480p/24 or 23.976; 480p/30 or 29.97; 480p/60 or 59.94; 4:2:2 576i/25; Greater than 4:2:2 576i/25 (please specify, e.g. 4:4:4); 576p/24; 576p/25; 720p/24; 720p/50; 720p/60; 1080i/25; 1080i/30 or 29.97; 1080p/24 or 23.976; Other video - specify; Data - specify frame size and bit depth

If you use a high-definition tape format(s), which?
D-5 HD; D-6; D-9 HD; DVCPROHD; HDCAM; Other - specify;

For converting film to electronic signals, what do you use/ plan to use?
Camera based film chain/telecine; Flying spot scanner; Linear sensor scanner; Planar-array sensor scanner; Laser scanner; Other - specify Please specify brand ;

Is the output
1080/30i (or 29.97); 1080/25i; 1080/24p (or 23.976); 720/24p (or 23.976); 720/50p; 720/60p (or 59.94); SDTV; Data - please specify format ; Other - specify ;

What aspect ratios can you deal with?
1.33:1/4:3; 1.5:1; 1.66:1/5:3; 1.75:1; 1.78:1/16:9; 1.85:1; 2:1; 2.2:1; 2.4:1; All; Other - specify ;

What brand of color-correction/grading system do you use?

. Can you deal with multiple color spaces or colorimetries? If yes: Please specify

If you provide output to film, do you use:
* CRT scanner - If Yes: please specify brand
*laser scanner - If Yes: please specify brand
* electron-beam scanner - If Yes: please specify brand
* kinescope camera recorder - If Yes: please specify brand
other - please specify

If you use networked disk storage, please specify type and brand
SAN brand ; NAS brand ; Other - specify

What network infrastructure are you using to move data within your facilities?
Ethernet; Gigabit Ethernet; Fibre Channel; HIPPI; HD-SDI; HDSL; SDI; other - please specify ;

What type &/or brand of archive storage systems are you using once you have completed a customer's project?

Do you find you have a need to recall content to the suite from the archive on a regular basis?
If yes, how would you characterize the frequency/need: very often (more than 4 times a week); often (more than 1 time a week); not often (perhaps 1 time per month); not at all (the master digital content is not archived);

What percentage of your digital-cinema masters are also used for:
broadcast/cable/satellite; DVD; VCR; Internet files/streaming; Wireless cell distribution; Other (specify)

Distribution / Distributors

Which statement best reflects your current thinking on speed of Digital Cinema roll out?
Screens in the U.S. will be 100% digital in the next:
2-3 years; 4-5 years; 6-7 years; 8-10 years; Over 10 years;

Screens worldwide will be 100% digital in the next:
2-3 years; 4-5 years; 6-7 years; 8-10 years; Over 10 years;

How strongly do you agree with the following statement? From a consumer standpoint, current digital cinema systems are capable of more satisfying results than current film release prints and from a quality perspective are ready for deployment.
Strongly agree; Agree; Disagree; Strongly disagree;

How strongly do you agree with the following statement:? Digital Cinema Systems will allow distributors to increase overall net revenue because of alternative content opportunities for programming and distributing to theaters.
Strongly agree; Agree; Disagree; Strongly disagree;

How strongly do you agree with the following statement? Distributors are willing to produce live events for distribution to theaters and are intent on developing this market
Strongly agree; Agree; Disagree; Strongly disagree;

What is the single most important factor delaying deployment of Digital Cinema Systems?
Cost; Lack of a standard; Distributors' digital-content pipeline is not in place (low volume of digital content from distributors); Unavailability of alternative content for digital screens;

What media are you using/would you consider for content delivery to theaters?
Satellite; Dedicated fiber; Secure Internet; Disk; Tape;

What compression system are you using/considering for digital-cinema delivery?
MPEG-2 main level; MPEG-2 high level; Wavelet; Other - specify ; Don't know; Don't care;

Are you using/would you consider D-VHS in "HD-plus" (29 Mbps) mode?

. What advantages does digital cinema offer over film?
Economy; Security; Quality; Control; Different look; Easy to make scheduling changes; Ability to show video/computer images; Other - specify ;

What disadvantages does it have?
Too few screens; Easily pirated; Loss of quality; Formats change too quickly; Too expensive; Wrong aspect ratio; Digital "artifacts"; Library is on film; Different look; Other - specify ;

Exhibition / Display

Do you have a digital cinema projector?
If so, what type?
CRT; DLP; D-ILA; CRT; Other - specify ;
If you know the resolution, light output, and contrast ratio, please specify.
resolution; output; contrast ratio;
Is it fed by:
Tape (specify format(s))?; Server (specify brand)?; Satellite?; Microwave?; Cable, fiber, or other wired connection?; Other - specify? ;

How do you deal on your digital screen with trailers and ads that arrive on film?
Continue to use film projector side by side with digital; Request digital trailers and ads; Don't run trailers or ads on digital screen; Other - specify ;

If you do not yet have a digital-cinema projector, what is the single most important factor delaying your deployment?
Cost; Lack of a standard; Quality; Light output; Contrast ratio; Black level; Data connection; Unavailability of digital cinema feature content from distributors; Unavailability of alternative content for digital screens; Difficulty mixing digital and film on one screen (trailers, etc.); Other - specify ;

Is satellite delivery an option at your location, or are do you not have a clear path to the sky over the equator?
Satellite okay; No clear path; Unsure;

Assuming all other issues were resolved, what are you willing to pay for digital cinema systems per screen?
$50,000 or less; $75,000 or less; $100k or less; $125K or less;

How strongly do you agree with the following statement?
Digital Cinema Systems will allow me to increase overall net revenue because of alternative content.
Strongly agree; Agree; Disagree; Strongly disagree;

How strongly do you agree with the following statement?
From a consumer standpoint, current digital cinema systems are capable of more satisfying results than film release prints and from a quality perspective are ready for deployment.
Strongly agree; Agree; Disagree; Strongly disagree;

Assuming digital systems are available, competitively priced and inter-operable, which statement best reflects your or your chain's position about managing systems?
We want to own/lease and service our own equipment as we have done with film projection by using in-house technicians.
We would like a service provider to lease, manage, load and service our digital equipment

Which statement best reflects your current thinking on speed of roll out?
Our screens will be 100% digital in the next:
2-3 years; 4-5 years; 6-7 years; 8-10 years; Over 10 years;

What advantages does digital cinema offer over film?
Quality; Control; Economy; Scheduling flexibility; Different look; Ability to show video/computer images; Other - specify ;

What disadvantages does it have?
Loss of quality; Formats change too quickly; Too expensive; Wrong aspect ratio; Trailers are still on film; Digital "artifacts"; Different look; Too similar to home theater; Other - specify

Do you feel distributors are supporting digital cinema? When do you think they will support it?
Within 3 years; 3-5 years; 5-7 years; longer; never;

DEMOGRAPHICS TRENDS

Vertical Enduser market composition

Geographic composition