Re: Kipnis Studio Standard Discussion Thread with Jeremy Kipnis
Thank you, Sam.
You know, I never imagined when I started testing components and speakers five years ago that this project would flower into a cutting edge design solution - an ongoing experiment to continuously define the cutting edge in picture and sound presentation.
But the fact that KSS has wound up in publications, internet articles, and blogs throughout the world, and created such controversy over the purpose and validity of my design philosophy has taken me much more by surprise.
For me, it was clear from the start that picture and sound quality (as a general rule) were not being exploited nor maximized, even at the very top end of the motion picture, television, music, and video game production industries. As a large format professional photographer and cinematographer for 38 years, I have seen the quality of movie presentations deteriorate to the point where home theater systems purchased at Best Buy or even Radio Shack can offer a superior experience.
I have always wanted to have that big movie going experience at home and under the very best of circumstances. And like so many early enthusiasts, I started off with a Sears 9" & 19" Color TV (Zenith Re-badge) connected to an Antenna with a BetaMax.
But, over the last 35 years, movie theaters have gotten smaller (except for IMAX), picture and sound fidelity is generally poor around the globe (IMAX included), and is now largely eclipsed by Home Theater as an industry where image and sound fidelity are concerned.
At this cornerstone where film is being phased out and we slowly transition into video presentation as a commercial reality, I felt compelled to share my experience and design philosophy with the very best and most enthusiastic producers, directors, and media creators on the planet.
My good friend, Producer Steve Guttenberg, who I worked extensively with while at Chesky Records in the early '90s, and who is also a long time professional projectionist in NYC, was so enthusiastic about the image and sound fidelity that he experienced at his KSS demonstration that he felt compelled to write a feature article about it (and that was in April 2007) - this was eventually published in the February 2008 issue of Home Theater Magazine.
Again, and to my surprise, word spread before the article hit the presses, and several other publications requested interviews and photos. Hence, the increasing list of periodicals and their online cousins. Naturally, this is very flattering (for the most part), but its true goal in my mind is to reach people such as:
George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Rodriguez, Martin Scorsese, Barry Levinson, Paul Newman, The Cohen Brothers, James Cameron, Frank Marshall, etc.
It is my belief that these individuals can utilize The Kipnis Studio Standard as a tool, a resource, a benchmark to evaluate and appreciate both their own work and the work of countless others. The shear level of visual and sonic transparency that is possible under well designed and executed circumstances is simply amazing, verging on reality in its impact and subtlety.
No one joining us here at KSS over the last year and a half has come away without being changed and compelled by the experience. It is not something that words or pictures can adequately describe, and one must experience it for themselves to truly appreciate just how much information they are actually missing even in the very best industry standard SMPTE and AMPAS screenings. IMAX, though great in some cases, is also shown to be horribly wanting, as well. These existing industry standards have only scratched at the surface of possibilities. And I have been inspired by their examples to design, create, and now supersede any previous level of picture and sound presentation possible.
With a lot of work, and great networking, I'm certain these individuals and many others that really care about the quality of their work and the value of their art form, will come to live and breathe the substantially higher level of picture and sound quality I have pioneered, as well as total sense of immersion created by The Kipnis Studio Standard.
With luck, we'll see that level of quality and integrity in movie theaters and throughout these industries again soon!
Cheers -
Jeremy
The Kipnis Studios
www.Kipnis-Studios.com
