DLP - Upcoming

Chris Dugger · 09-01-2003, 05:00 PM

Just got a new list of upcoming DLP release...

This is by and far incomplete.. but will give you guys who give a damn something to look forward too!

Matchstick Men
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
Brother Bear
Alien
Master and Commander
Haunted Mansion
Looney Tunes: Back In Action
Last Samuri

This is it for now... No Lord Of The Rings and No Matrix: Rev.

Dugger

Brian Dobbs · 09-01-2003, 06:39 PM

You know, it's funny....my colleague at work (I work for a Home Theater company in Annapolis, MD) tells me that DLP releases in theaters is nothing more than 1080-HD. Picture perfect look, but how can that possibly compare to FILM? I guess it wouldn't matter for a movie like Episode II where there is only so much resolution because it was recorded digitally, but I'd rather be watching film for other releases.

Matthew Chmiel · 09-01-2003, 06:43 PM

I wish we still had DLP in Las Vegas. I'd love to see Once Upon a Time In Mexico and Alien in DLP.

And who cares if Matrix Revolutions is in DLP? It'll be in IMAX.

Peter Kline · 09-01-2003, 06:54 PM

I read an article recently (I'll attempt to find it and post) that stated that DLP is not happening as hoped. Two major companies aligned in the effort have split. The original intention was to have theatres receive data from satelite and internet access but that isn't occuring at the moment. The expense of equipment and need to send theatres hard copies of the films is prohibitive. Alas, although resolution is pretty good, it "ain't film quality".

Adam Lenhardt · 09-01-2003, 10:42 PM

Quote:

You know, it's funny....my colleague at work (I work for a Home Theater company in Annapolis, MD) tells me that DLP releases in theaters is nothing more than 1080-HD.

The home version probably isn't but I'm pretty sure (someone jump in and correct my if I'm mistaken) that the theatrical DLP projectors project at 1920p24 resolution. While not film resolution (which is indeterminable to a precise degree due to being an analog format), the benefits film has over digital are gone by the time a print reaches your local multi-plex. And then digital clearly wins by being pristine with the colors intended by the filmmakers. Of course not all projectors are created equal: early Texas Instruments projects had obvious pixelation from the front row, whereas newer models apparently do not.

**HTF Ads**

Brian Dobbs · 09-02-2003, 06:32 AM

You might be right about the 1920. I could have mistaken what he was saying because he did mention that number. I assumed he was talking about 1920 x 1080, which is where I got my 1080 from. That being said, I wonder what resolution the movie is stored in when it gets to the theater? We get 720 x 480, but what do theaters get?

Chris · 09-02-2003, 08:31 AM

Whether it's "As good" or better, isn't really the point.. our AMC people here local have said they are trying to plan an agressive DLP rollout.. primarily because it would staggeringly lower their film distribution costs to their theaters.

Michael St. Clair · 09-02-2003, 09:50 AM

Most home 'HD' is 1920x1080i, but most HDTVs only resolve about 50-60% of that.

Theater DLP is 1920x1080p, and the bitrate is WAY higher.

A very expensive home setup that does 3:2 pulldown on 1080i sources and resolves the full 1920x1080 resolution may approach the theater DLP picture, but it will never match it.

And properly projected film does have more detail than the (current) theatrical DLP.

Jason Seaver · 09-02-2003, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Whether it's "As good" or better, isn't really the point

Especially since it's currently neither, especially on a large screen.

Quote:

because it would staggeringly lower their film distribution costs to their theaters.

That's the main appeal of DLP to exhibitors, although right now, the upgrade cost for the hardware is steep enough to compensate. It's also, ironically, not nearly as upgradeable as film. A projector is such a simple device that if someone invents a new type of film that has finer grain or clearer color, you can just run it through the same projector you've been using for fifty years. A DLP system would require an expensive upgrade.

Additionally, the hardware maintenance costs are higher, and often aren't something a projectionist can do him/herself. That's part of why DLP has really failed to take off - as much as transmitting data is less expensive/cumbersome than transporting film, everything else is harder/more expensive.