Technology

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By Melissa Keeping

I was involved in the industry-wide PR initiative for analogue 35mm film following the switch to cyan dye soundtracks in Europe, and the education process alone was a difficult, and protracted; never mind persuading cinemas to part with relatively little money for a red light reader to tack onto their projectors.  In the modern age of multiplexes and technically unskilled staff manning projection booths, plus the exorbitant cost of digital projection equipment, the awareness of and need for 3D surround sound may be considered far from a priority. Never mind budgets being made available: virtual print fees traditionally have not catered for sound equipment, so the providers of 3D immersive sound may have an uphill battle on their hands to make direct sales to exhibition.

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The newly opened cinema multiplex at Papenburg in northern Germany lays claim to being the country’s most technically advanced movie theatre. Kinoton has thoroughly digitalized it and integrated an extensive internal network system. An innovative cinema automation system and a Theatre Management System enable centralized show control and supervision. 

The cinema complex, which seats almost a thousand, was built in only nine months.

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Calling it the company’s “full-fledged entry into the motion picture production industry” Canon earlier this month unveiled its Cinema EOS System, which includes a new line of lenses, a digital cinema camera and a new digital SLR camera.

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Canon U.S.A. has introduced what it says is a completely revolutionized EOS-1D series camera, the Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera. Scheduled to be available next March, the EOS-1D X will replace both the EOS-1Ds Mark III and EOS-1D Mark IV models in Canon’s lineup. It features an 18-megapixel full-frame Canon CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processors, 14-bit A/D data conversion and capable of shooting 12 frames-per-second.

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Sony Electronics has officially raised the curtain on its F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera system, ushering in what the company is calling a new era of digital cinematography. Before a select Hollywood audience of American Society of Cinematographers members, press and high-profile industry professionals, Sony screened new F65 footage shot by leading DPs, demonstrated new features and announced its roll-out plan for the revolutionary camera, including availability and a price of $65,000 (with viewfinder).