Report on the Technology Test of the Cinema of the Future

Since the 1950s futurists have envisioned an Electronic Cinema, especially including Francis Ford Coppola, who upon his return from viewing emerging High Definition Television in Japan in the early 1980s, became convinced of the role digital technology would play in the production and distribution of motion pictures. Beginning in 1992, Pacific Bell has been pioneering the implementation of that concept through the public demonstration of the “Cinema of the Future”. — This paper will provide the background for understanding this concept, beginning with a discussion of the relevant attributes of the movie production-distribution-exhibition value chain that exists today. Then it will describe the evolving network architecture and hardware requirements needed to implement electronic film distribution, from the current state-of-the-art to some predictable advancements. This will be representative of the work being done by Pacific Bell in testing this technology. — To get from where the industry is today to this theater of the future requires a transition plan that takes advantage of benefits that accrue from additional features and functions a digital cinema can provide, for example, eliminating piracy and other “leakages” through a secure digital transmission and storage network, that also provides dynamic scheduling, ad insertion, and demographic variations like rating and ending options. — Finally, the theater of the future will be a multi-use venue, showing closed circuit pay-per-view events, like sports, concerts or plays, business conferences for new product introductions or major announcements, and interactive live-action adventure rides, all of which will increase the utilization factor of theater seats. In concluding, it is announced that a technology test of the “Cinema of the Future” will take place in 1994, and that 1995 will mark the beginning of a transformation that likely will complete early in the 21st century.

Published

1995-02

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/M00835

ISBN

978-1-61482-922-5