I'll disagree with that, having done a few THX alignments. 🙂 Sure, you didn't really need it if you knew what you were doing, but it was a good attempt at an achievable standard. Many cinemas just didn't do anything at all. A few cinemas that I used to haunt in the early days of THX were phenomenal.
Any idea what most digital movies at the cinema use for file formats or screen resolution?
It's 4K resolution these days at my local Vue. Dolby sound.
Apparently analog 70mm celluloid had more pixels, but the old projecters were not good enough to reveal it.
Which is why digitally restored versions of ancient things like "Singing in the Rain" look so good.
Apparently analog 70mm celluloid had more pixels, but the old projecters were not good enough to reveal it.
Which is why digitally restored versions of ancient things like "Singing in the Rain" look so good.
Yes, it used to be like that in my childhood and student days. I'm afraid it is no longer the case. How can it be - with only 3 people in a 60 seater cinema? And as DDzStereo says - we now have a generation that are obsessed with their cell phones and no consideration for others. I still find it amusing that the popcorn culture/obsession at cinemas has survived all these years. It probably generates a huge portion of their income.
It's a format not used for playback anywhere else that I know of. It's basically a series of Jpeg2000 frames, all key frames with no interframes or interpolation. And highly encrypted, of course. The key is usually specific to the projectors being used.
But I got out of cinema about the time it was converting to digital and did only live events. That's a different ball of wax.
There is a communal aspect to watching films in a theater, which can work both ways. Watching a film with many others in a theater can make the experience somehow more compelling. Perhaps, that's just an aspect of the tribal nature of human beings. On the other hand, I'm sure we've all experienced selfishly disruptive behavior (talking loudly, checking cellphones, etc.) from fellow audience members as well. However, in balance, I personally prefer to watch films among an audience.
Yes - we've all been there. But audiences differ across the globe. In London and Paris you better not make a sound, don't let your presence be known, don't distract me and take me out of the film. In other places like Russia and India, people talk to the screen, comment and generally have a sort of country fair atmosphere. Very different experiences.
Yeah, I just don't get it. Being a fan of the BIG screen and the amazing experience that brings, watching on a postcard size screen makes no sense to me. But then the same people will happily listen to music on a mobile phone speaker, too.
I used to think the same about people who watch and listen on mobile phones. But then I realized that they are the lucky ones. They can enjoy the movie and music as much as I can, without spending thousands of $ on home theater and 2 channel audio, power to them.
Did people in the 40s not enjoy music since they were listening to AM radio out of a tiny speaker? Doubt it.
I’d rather listen to no music than listen to it through a cell phone speaker. If I had to go back to listening through a 6 or 8 inch full range driven by a single 50C5 I could.
I have been in the retail real estate business too long to remember and I can tell you that the movie theater business is doing fine. But, Covid was tough on big box retail as most of the big centers have co-tenancy language, which means... if the big tenants (Theaters) go dark, all the other tenants get rent discounts. And the theater's went dark early in the pandemic. A whole bunch of Centers went/are going back to banks and Wall Street will recapitalize these assets. Wall Street likes Theater's because they are internet (Amazon) proof and they drive a lot of traffic to the Center.
As a personal observation about the future, I have three teenagers... I cant get them to watch TV with me, not even sports. They consume all that on their own screens. But they love going to the Theaters with Parents and friends. The same reason why shopping at brick and morter stores will never go away (completley)- people are social animals.
As a personal observation about the future, I have three teenagers... I cant get them to watch TV with me, not even sports. They consume all that on their own screens. But they love going to the Theaters with Parents and friends. The same reason why shopping at brick and morter stores will never go away (completley)- people are social animals.
The thing about going to watch a film is it's a night out, something to dress up for, the inconvenience of having to go out all adds to it, and seems to make the film more special. I think the last film I saw was cast away ( Tom Hanks ), I can't remember how long ago that was but I can't remember any mobile phones. I think the main problem is new films ( or rubbish remakes ) are terrible. On a UK TV channel they show old films ( before my time ), and the films are on such a deeper level, revealing the characters personality and development as the film progresses, exploring the human condition. Now dialogue is just one liners, and films rely on special effects instead of plot and narrative. God, I'm starting to sound like an old man!
I can't readily recall the last movie I saw in a movie theater...kinda shows just how "downhill" the movie experience has become. Gene Roddenberry is no doubt dizzy from rolling around in his grave...Lucas is busy counting his billions as others are stripping away the legacy of Star Wars...morons like JJ Abrams continue to gut audiences' love of cinema...and it would appear there are far too many tone-deaf...and just plain deaf audio people running nightclubs & concerts.
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When I saw "Need For Speed" as a digital projection, at times I just wanted to hit pause and admire the picture. Not the greatest movie, but I had a free pass from a cereal box and nothing better was showing.
I guess DVD and downloads have been worse for the independent cinemas that showed classic films to hipster film buffs. I've been able to enjoy hundreds of obscure and wonderful films thanks to DVD rentals and pirate downloads. And, indeed, Vancouver's Ridge Theatre closed in 2013, the Van East in 2011, and the Savoy (where I saw a midnight showing of The Corpse Grinders) is now a cabaret.
In the not-so-distant future, though, when a middle class income isn't enough to pay for a house, going out to see a movie will be a welcome escape from living in your car or a shared room or apartment.
I guess DVD and downloads have been worse for the independent cinemas that showed classic films to hipster film buffs. I've been able to enjoy hundreds of obscure and wonderful films thanks to DVD rentals and pirate downloads. And, indeed, Vancouver's Ridge Theatre closed in 2013, the Van East in 2011, and the Savoy (where I saw a midnight showing of The Corpse Grinders) is now a cabaret.
In the not-so-distant future, though, when a middle class income isn't enough to pay for a house, going out to see a movie will be a welcome escape from living in your car or a shared room or apartment.
I'm pretty sure my teenage son knows how to use his phone to watch videos and at the same time talk with his friends who are also watch8ng the same video.
Anyway we can go back and forth, but I think the pros and cons have been expressed, we just need to understand what may be a con for us is a pro for others
We've come full circle. From peering alone into the Nickelodeon watching "The Sneeze" to the big screen stories, to sound and color, then Cinerama wide screen extravaganzas, back to the small screen TV and now peering alone at the tiny hand held Nickelodeon watching Tik-Tok. All of those things have merit and their own charms, I just happen to enjoy the larger experience.
