Call for Digital Cinema Standards

12 December 2001


John L. Mason, President
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)
c/o Eastman Kodak Company
1017 North Las Palmas Avenue, Suite 200
Hollywood, CA 90039-0939

William C. Miller, Vice-President, Engineering
Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)
c/o ABC-TV
47 West 66th Street
New York, New York 10023

Dr. Leonardo Chiariglione, Head Convenor
Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
Telecom Italia Lab
Via G. Reiss Romoli, 274
I-10148 Torino
Italy

Joseph A. Flaherty, Chairman
International Telecommunications Union-R SG-6
Ad Hoc Group on D-Cinema
CBS Television
524 West 57th Street
New York, New York 10019-3646

Ase Kleveland, Managing Director, Swedish Film Institute
c/o The European Digital Cinema Forum
British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society
63-71 Victoria House Vernon Place
London, WC1B 4DF

J.P. Neyrac, President
Commission Supérieure Technique
11, rue Galilée
75 0116 Paris, France

To: All Parties Involved with Digital Cinema Standards

Re: Cinema Operators Worldwide Call For Global Digital Cinema Technical Standards

As representatives of cinema operators in our respective regions, we write to support the development of a global, single open technical standard for the implementation of digital cinema. We appreciate the work undertaken to date by the standard setting organizations. Our associations and our respective members stand ready to assist you in any appropriate way.

The global motion picture exhibition industry is diverse and competitive. For years now the existence of a single, uniform technology in 35 millimeter film has enhanced our ability to provide movie patrons with the best, and most affordable entertainment possible. Uniform technology standards stimulate competition from multiple manufacturers who produce competing products that are compatible and interoperable.

Our industry now faces the most significant technological transition in our history. Digital cinema may provide substantial benefits to movie distributors, exhibitors and our patrons. But digital cinema cannot be implemented properly without uniform technical standards. Digital cinema technology is diverse and complicated. Moreover, the technology raises new challenges like encryption, transmission, and compression.

Many companies have devoted considerable energy to the research and development of digital cinema technology components. We need standards to allow all companies to compete, and all component parts to work together in a uniform system.

From the exhibitor's perspective, we have some specific concerns.

Our Goal: To encourage the development of fully interoperable, competitive products that can be maintained at relatively low cost, in the manner of today's film projection systems. We need to accomplish this while providing a minimum digital presentation quality that exceeds that of film, and that meets the quality needs of the creative community. To achieve this goal, international cooperation is needed.

Our Needs:

  • Minimum presentation standards for image projection, including color gamut, contrast ratio, and pixel count.
  • International standards for digital image and audio data representation, storage, and play out.
  • System support for more than one method of movie data delivery (e.g., physical, satellite transmission, fiber, etc.)
  • International acceptance of a single encryption algorithm.
  • Rules for digital rights expression and for electronic methods of exhibitor authorization that duplicate the current rights and facilities existing in 35mm technology.
  • International acceptance of a single image compression algorithm.
  • International standard for a single audio compression, if implemented.
  • International standards for electronic interfaces, networks, and protocols used on all equipment, including secure interfaces.


We appreciate the opportunity to share our concerns with you. Thank you for all your efforts.

Signed:

Richard Parton
Motion Picture Association of Queensland (Inc.) (Australia)
P.O. Box 1031
Stafford City, QLD 4053
Australia

Kurt Kaufman
Fachverband Lichtspieltheater Und Audiovisionsveranstalter (Austria)
Wiedner Hauptstrasse 63
Postfach 340
1045 Wien, Autriche

Guy Morlion
A.S.B.L Fédération des Cinémas de Belgique - Federatie van Cinema's
Van België V.Z.W (Belgium)
Rue Royale, 241
B-1210 Bruxelles, Belgique

Adina Lebo
Motion Picture Theatre Association of Canada (Canada)
146 Bloor Street W.
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1P3
Canada

Mette Schramm
The Danish Cinema Association DB (Danske Biografer) (Denmark)
Overodvej 10
DK-2840 HOLTE
Denmark

Tarja Piiroinen
The Finnish Cinema Owner's Association (Finland)
Kaisaniemenkatu 3 B 29
FIN - 00100 HELSKINI 1, Finlande

Jean Labé
Fédération Nationale Des Cinémas Francais (France)
15 rue de Berri
75008 Paris, France


Stefen Kuchenreuther
H.D.F. (Germany)
Grosse Präsidentenstrasse
10178 Berlin

Sandor Petroczy
Budapest Film (Hungary)
c/o Szegedi Mozgokép Kft
Hodmezovasarhely
Zrinyi u.2 6800

Alberto Francesconi
ANEC (Italy)
Via di Villa Patrizi 10
00161 Roma, Italie

Gino Zagari
ANEM (Italy)
V.le Regina Margherita, 286
00198 Roma, Italie

Shigeru Okada
Federation of Japanese Film Industry (Japan)
Toei Company, Ltd.
2-17 3-Chome, Ginza
Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-8108 Japan

Mitsuhiko Okura
Japan Association of Theatre Owners (Japan)
No. 6-8-2 Shinbashi
Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan

Jan van Dommelen
NVB (The Netherlands)
P.O. Box 75048
1070 AA Amsterdam

Lene Loeken
K.K.L. National Association of Municipal Cinemas (Norway)
P.O. Box 446 Sentrum
N-0104 Oslo

Primitivo Rodriguez-Gordillo
Federacion de Entidades de Empresarios de Cine de Espana (Spain)
C/Granvia n°66-2°
28013 Madrid, Espagne

Mats Kullander
Director Building and Development R & D
SF Bio AB (Sweden)
SE-169 86 Stockholm, Sweden
Filmstaden Rasunda/Rasundavagen 150, Solna

Vital Epelbaum
Union Des Cinemas Suisse – UCS (Switzerland)
Postfach 53
CH - 7004 CHUR

John Wilkinson
Cinema Exhibitors Association (United Kingdom)
22 Golden Square
London W1F9JW, Great Britain

John Fithian
National Association of Theatre Owners (United States of America)
4605 Lankershim Blvd. Suite 340
North Hollywood, CA 91602, U