Star Wars Digital Projection Theaters

Zoreta writes "Wired Magazine lists the 19 digital projection theaters in the country where Attack of the Clones can be viewed as Lucas intended." Say what you will, I can't wait for AotC- digital projector or not. I just wish *blatant non subtle hinting* some kind soul could get me into an early showing in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area ;) And at least I have spiderman to tide me over. Sam Rami vs. George Lucas. Gonna be a fun summer.

Money money

[DenOfEarth]

I wonder how much this is gonna keep the ticket prices going up...

SO much for the public domain

[darkonc]

Great: Between the DMCA and digital broadcast, this means that when todays movies finally make it into the public domain (sometime around 2250, the way things are going), there won't be a legal copy in existence for anybody to use.

Not that I've got anything against digital theatres (presuming that they've got the quality up near what film provides) -- I just don't like the idea of the digital information blackhole that it looks like the media industry is attempting to create for our descendents.

Re:General Cinema Framingham, MA

[Grape Shasta]

Well, personally I only really enjoy movies when I can get absorbed by them and forget everything but the show. The best part about theaters is that they are dark, devoid of distaction (ideally), and the screen fills your view. So actually, sitting in dim lighting with people walking around serving drinks sounds rather annoying. But that's just me.

Re:Is Digital Projection Really Better?

[Shagg]

Digital cable is not broadcasting digital video signals (HDTV). Digital cable is currently used to compress analog video into smaller pieces so that they can put more channels in the same bandwidth However, once you receive the information in your digital cable box and send it to your TV, it is identical resolution/quality to an analog signal. In fact, it *is* an analog signal. The only way to get a digital video/audio signal into your TV is if you have an HDTV with a HD tuner.

HD (high definition digital) cable has just recently been announced, and is only available in very select markets (Philidelphia right now, and WashingtonDC/Baltimore later this year for Comcast).

What's the fuss over digital, anyway?

[Stiletto]

When he began shooting Star Wars Episode II in an all-digital format, George Lucas imagined that Attack of the Clones could screen in 2,000 digital-projection theaters nationwide.

Because "Digital Is Always Better(TM)", right?

where the hell are the 70mm prints?

[Anonymous Coward]

Screw digital. Lucas had 70mm prints for the initial releases of SW ep. 4-6. Where are they now? Have quality standards dropped this much since 1977? (DLP may come close to 35mm, but will not touch the quality of 70mm for many years to come)

Re:What's the fuss over digital, anyway?

[Galvatron]

Well, compared to traditional projectors, he's right. Reel switching and film scratches are both highly noticable. In some cases it may be over rated, but in this case, digital really is a lot better.

Re:Baltimore, MD: The Senator

[st0rmshad0w]

True, the Senator is an excellent venue for any film, but it isn't as independant as I wish it were. Movie industry BS still abounds. They have been locked out of running certain films (Lord of the Rings, for example, altho they did run it later on for a brief time) because a GCC theatre in Towson (outside Baltimore city) was running it. Its practically the last screen left in Baltimore, which is a shame, but having camped out for all the special editions and ep1 I can tell you its a great experience.

Anyway, the digital theatres might be great image quality, but NOTHING beat a good old-fashion 70mm film in a place like the Senator.

Projector Potential...

[NanoGator]

Personally, I hope digital projectors do take over. One potential improvement they can make is in frame rate. Sometimes, if I'm close enough to the screen, strobing is visible at 24fps. Particularly in animated movies where the screen scrolls without blurring, I can see a double image as it pans by. IMAX theaters are aware of this and have film that can run as high as 60fps. Unfortunately, for film that's pretty expensive.

But in the digital world, 60 fps is feasible (or will be before too long.) Even if the resolution's a little lower, the improvement in frame rate'd easily make up for it.