Well, before you think “digital cinema” is some new form of film, wait. It is just a technology that ensures better quality of cinema.
MUMBAI: Well, before you think “digital cinema” is some new form of film, wait. It is just a technology that ensures better quality of cinema and makes the whole chain of distribution of movies a very short one.
United Film Organizers (UFO Moviez), one of the pioneers in digital cinema network launched by Valuable Media Pvt Ltd (an Apollo International subsidiary), is a part of Group Apollo’s media initiative and was launched by OS Kanwar, chairman and managing director, Group Apollo, and Yash Chopra, in November 2005.
Raaja Kanwar, vice-chairman and director, UFO Moviez, said: “Till date we have digitised around 350 movie theatres in B, B+ and A towns in states including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
“Exhibitors can ask the company to install a hi-end digital projector and satellite antenna. The movie is transmitted in the theatre via satellite. Hughes Network Systems is the provider of bandwidth and they have a hub Gurgaon,” he adds.
The entire technical package, which is planted in the theatres, costs about Rs 15 lakh per screen, which is taken care off by UFO Moviez.
Also, the company charges a service fees from the exhibitor, distributor and the producer, on a per show basis.
The benefits of using this technology includes reduction in print cost, wide release of the film even in the remote corners of the country, durability of the media, reduction in piracy and so on.
It can also promote niche cinema and region- specific films and has lower breakeven points.
For the producers, a wide release of the film ensures early recovery of money, for distributors early recovery of investments in copyright print and publicity. For exhibitors, this will decrease expenses on account of running cost of theatres.
Recently, UFO Moviez has bought 51% stake in the subsidiary company of DG2L Technologies Pvt Ltd, which has the patent rights to all the digital software. With this UFO Moviez now plans to venture out in all the markets worldwide including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Kanwar explains, “In India 96% cent of the revenue comes from Indian movie titles and rest four per cent comes from foreign films. However, when we will venture out on a global level, apart from Indian titles we will also emphasise more on regional titles.”
The company plans to digitise another thousand screens by March 2007 and two thousand screens by 2008 in India. Worldwide they are looking at digitising 1000 screens by 2008.
However, there’s a flipside to all this. With the introduction of digital cinema in theatres, the exhibitors will be forced to hike the price of movie tickets in order to pay the service charge to UFO Moviez.
The question is: how many consumers will be willing to shell out extra bucks on movie tickets in B and B+ towns, when the cost of DVDs has gone down massively and pirated CDs are available at every nook and corner?
Visual effect
Digitisation involves installing a hi-end digital projector and satellite antenna in a theatre
The movie is then transmitted in the theatre via satellite.
The entire technical package, which is planted in the theatres, costs about Rs 15 lakh per screen, which is taken care off by UFO Moviez.
Also, the company charges a service fees from the exhibitor, distributor and the producer, on a per show basis
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