ShowEast 2012: Media Execs Encourage Exhibitors to Switch to Digital

By Karla Robinson
November 8, 2012

During ShowEast’s International Day in Hollywood, Florida, media executives discussed the pressing need to convert from film to digital projection.
“I don’t know when the end [of film] will be, but it could be tomorrow,” said Mark Christiansen, executive VP of operations at Paramount Pictures. “It won’t be a studio decision… there simply won’t be stock.”
Christiansen explained that Fuji no longer takes film orders and Agfa has also stopped producing film, “to the best of my knowledge,” he said.
“That leaves Kodak,” Christiansen continued, noting the company’s battle with bankruptcy. “The judge could look at 35mm tomorrow and ask them to stop doing it. And they won’t have a choice.”
In Latin America, this evolution could be problematic with less than half of the region’s 10,000 screens being digital.
Speakers at the conference also discussed delivery methods, favoring satellite distribution over hard drives. However, physical delivery may get a second wind as capacity increases and prices decrease.
“We think satellite is the best choice for now,” said Randolph Blotky, chairman and CEO of Technology Convergence Partners. “Once they figure out how to deliver IP streams point to multipoint, you are going to see a lot of delivery that way.”

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