At this week’s CineEurope exhibitor conference in Barcelona, Spain, NEC announced its new $170,000 laser projector will be available this fall, perhaps beating other manufacturers in the race to deliver the market’s first laser illuminated projection system. Installations of the NC1040L are slated to first appear at Japanese auto manufacturers. The company says it has also fielded interest from cinema exhibitors in European cities. Continue reading CineEurope 2013: NEC Demonstrates New Laser Projector

During its CineEurope press conference in Barcelona yesterday, Sony described 4K technology as achieving “mainstream” status. The company screened a 4K trailer of “Elysium” in addition to a range of 2K and 3D clips (the company reports 15,000 installed 4K projectors), and detailed its plans to test 4K sports coverage at this year’s Wimbledon Championships. Sony also launched Theatre Management System Lite, its workflow management software for cinemas. Continue reading CineEurope 2013: Sony Details Progress of 4K Technology

RealD is launching a new large format brand, LUXE: A RealD Experience, with hopes of becoming the standard for premium 2D and 3D cinemas across Europe. The cinema technology company presented its LUXE initiative to exhibitors at CineEurope in Barcelona on Monday. The new packaging of LUXE technology standards for screen size, brightness, sound and seating could become a competitor to large format exhibitor IMAX. Continue reading CineEurope 2013: RealD Rolls Out LUXE Large Format Plans

A new report published by IHS researcher Screen Digest indicates that the conversion of theaters worldwide to digital projection is “approaching the end game,” with 90 percent of global screens expected to be digital by the end of 2013. By the close of 2012, 68.7 percent of all screens had been converted, with North America at 84 percent. The news comes one day before this week’s four-day CineEurope exhibitor conference in Barcelona, Spain. Continue reading Digital Cinema Conversion to Reach 90 Percent This Year

Hollywood studios are experimenting with a new business model in South Korea that offers movies through video on demand while they are still screening in theaters. “Django Unchained” was made available to rent online or via cable weeks after premiering in Korean theaters. A similar approach was taken with animated features “Wreck-it Ralph” and “Brave.” If the “super premium VOD” tests prove successful, they could impact how the studios view exhibition. Continue reading Studios Test Super Premium VOD During Theatrical Runs

Earlier this week we reported that Facebook had scheduled a press event for Thursday, and if rumors were true, the company was expected to unveil a video service similar to Twitter’s Vine for its photo-sharing app Instagram. It’s now official. The popular Facebook-owned app features a new video-sharing tool that allows users to shoot and share 15-second clips (possibly ideal for advertising), choose from 13 video filters and create a cover photo. Continue reading Facebook Confirms Rumors, Unveils Instagram Video Tool

As part of the grand opening of the Interactive Media building at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg spoke on a panel regarding the future of entertainment. During the discussion, the inevitable landscape of entertainment media was characterized as grim for the majors with rising movie ticket prices and theatrical releases becoming a niche market, as content continues its vast migration to online video-on-demand. Continue reading Industry Vets See Big Future for VOD, Problems for Studios

Columbia Pictures’ “After Earth” was screened via a Sony 4K digital cinema projector this weekend during the Cine Gear Expo in Los Angeles. After attendees filled the 500-plus-seat Paramount Theatre on Friday, a second screening was added on Saturday. “After Earth” was among the first feature films produced using Sony’s 4K F65 camera. Sony, Canon and Red are among the major camera makers now able to support 4K. Continue reading Cine Gear Expo: Industry Vets Discuss 4K for Cinema and TV

The National Association of Theater Owners is proposing a new approach to marketing that will include limiting the running time of movie trailers. The controversial move, which is reportedly part of an effort to provide exhibitors with more control over how movies are marketed inside their cinemas, would reduce trailers to two minutes (30 seconds shorter than the norm). Theater owners have argued that trailers can be too long and often reveal too much of a movie’s plot. Continue reading Theater Owners Pursue Guidelines to Shorten Movie Trailers

While retailers continue to successfully use content sharing service Pinterest to help boost product sales, the strategy has drawn the attention of major Hollywood studios. Marketers are experimenting with ways that would help movie posters and promotional stills that are pinned to the site translate into ticket sales. Although transactions do note occur directly on Pinterest, clicking a pinned image can redirect users to other sites. Continue reading Pinterest: Hollywood Studios May Go Social to Market Films

Last week, filmmaker Steven Soderbergh dissected the business of making movies when he spoke on the current state of cinema at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Soderbergh, who has achieved success in both the Hollywood system and the independent arena, spoke at length about the challenges faced by today’s artists to get their movies screened in theaters. Based on unprecedented demand, Soderbergh gave The San Francisco Film Society permission to post his keynote video and transcript in its entirety. Continue reading Soderbergh Distinguishes Between Cinema and Movies

Speaking at the Variety Entertainment Technology Summit, Paramount Film Group President Adam Goodman discussed the need to protect the moviegoing experience, while remaining open to the possibilities that new technologies provide. “With an increasing amount of Paramount’s movies taking advantage of 3D and other innovations in display on the silver screen, he sees theaters continuing to be the first driver of content across the various windows,” reports Variety. Continue reading Paramount Exec Sees Theaters as First Driver of Content

Cinema sound and related standards were hot topics at last week’s CinemaCon conference in Las Vegas. Industry leaders discussed the promise of immersive sound to extend the theatrical experience into one that cannot be duplicated in the home. They also addressed the issue of developing how to create and distribute mixes for the new types of sound systems that are soon going to show up in theaters. The proposal of an open format approach was debated. Continue reading Immersive Sound Standards Debated at CinemaCon Event

Starting April 26, “Iron Man 3” will be shown in 4DX (fourth dimension effects) at a theater in Nagoya, located in central Japan. The theater is operated by Korona World chain, which plans to screen 12 titles per year using the new format. 4DX can include tilting seats, blowing wind, odor effects, strobe lights and equipment built into the ceiling that can drop bubbles onto the audiences. A ticket will cost $13 for 3D and $10 for 2D. Continue reading Fourth Dimension Effects: Iron Man 3 to Be Shown in 4DX

In an effort to regain revenue lost from shrinking DVD sales, Universal Pictures chairman Adam Fogelson suggested that studios should consider partnering with theaters to test out the idea of premium video on demand. Fogelson made his remarks during a panel discussion at the Cinema-Con convention in Las Vegas this week. Typically, movies are made available on-demand at home about three months following theatrical distribution. Premium VOD would shrink that window. Continue reading Industry Leaders Discuss Possible Change to VOD Window