Introduction to Digital Cinema

The growth of digital technologies, coupled with the rapid development of communications infrastructure has given rise to the phenomenon of convergence, which is popularly understood as the coming together of information technology, telecommunications, broadcasting and other media. Digitization (the process of converting content into digital bits and bytes) is the main driver of convergence and this digital content can then be compressed and encoded for convenience and switching over all types of networks, whether wire or wireless, voice or data, terrestrial or space.

Digitalization enables new possibilities for development and creation of services within and beyond the framework of traditional communication sectors and will have a significant impact on industries and societies globally. The process of digitization will not only bring about drastic changes in the computer, television, and telecommunications industries, but also will also significantly impact film producers, distributors and exhibitors.

Digital cinema presents a completely new approach to producing, distributing and exhibiting films. The basic idea is to use bits and bytes (strings of 1s and 0s) to record, transmit and replay images, rather than using chemicals on film.¹¹⁷ Digital cinema has the potential to transform the entire fabric of the global film industry and has been referred to by some as the 'biggest revolution since sound.”¹¹⁸ This positive outlook towards digital cinema is largely because not much has changed since the 1890's, when Thomas Edison primitively connected his still pictures and rotated them in motion as they were projected on a screen.¹¹⁹ Despite numerous innovations in the film industry over the years, there was no fundamental change because films are still being shown on film. However, digital cinema and the prospect of storing and displaying films from stored digital computer files instead of celluloid film stock presents numerous advantages ranging from the quality of images, ease of distribution, and lower costs. Technology is changing the rules of the film industry just as it did for the music industry. With the growing interest from consumers to get films in different ways with different options, filmmakers and distributors are turning to technology to meet their demands.¹²⁰

However, there exists several stumbling blocks towards switching over to digital, such as the high costs of investing in high definition video camera's to produce digital films, re-structuring of existing business models to enable digital distribution and the high cost of equipping theaters around the world with digital projectors. Only once these hurdles are overcome, can the global film industry reap the benefits of the digital revolution.