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Sony 4k SXRD Roll Out

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Robert Knoll

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Howdy,

Had some Sony reps by last week who brought along some proto's of their new projectors. That was not really interesting but what was????? They claim they got approval to install their SXRD's at a rate of 50 per month for the next two years in the USA at theaters. Anyone hear the same? They are slick and hold up very well to the competition if you have attended any shoot-outs over the years. Film is taking another hit to the midsection.

Bob
 
I think AMC already has Sony 4k's in every theater, it has been a very fast conversion with most theaters being swapped out in 3 days or less.
 
jonnycom said:
I think AMC already has Sony 4k's in every theater, it has been a very fast conversion with most theaters being swapped out in 3 days or less.
Click to expand...

Yep, all AMC theaters and most Harkins in Arizona already have them.
 
Yeah, but who actually projects in 4k and how do you know when they do? You think if you ask the manager he/she is going to know what the hell you're talking about?
 
4K projection

4K projection

Yeah, but who actually projects in 4k and how do you know when they do?
You think if you ask the manager he/she is going to know what the hell you're talking about?
Click to expand...

That may well be true, but it's obvious that you have to have a 4K projector to project in 4K.

This rapid pace of installation can only be good news for professionals interested in presenting the highest quality images.
 
2k projection has no future as cinemascope in 2k DCP standard means 2048x871 wich is ridiculous to cover the size of the large screen.

4k will be the standard, 2k is like the "HD ready" in the HD world, 4k is the Full resolution we should expect for cinematic release.

Patrick
 
Unfortunately with AMC at least they only have 2k servers feeding the 4k projectors and wont upgrade for a long time.
 
I can only speak for the UK but it ain't gonna happen in the next few years. The only chain is Apollo cinemas that went 4K from the offset. The digital roll-out will be completed in 2011 but no cinema owner is going to upgrade in the near future. To be blunt they don't care. All they care about is ass on seats. We can't even convince them to put decent xenons in the digi's they have now.

As much as we want 4K projection it is not going to happen for 4-5 years on a grand scheme over here. Maybe 10+ auditorium complexes will have one or two in their larger screens to start with.
 
4K Projection in Theatres

4K Projection in Theatres

Well I guess the only comeback there is, if your ass isn't on their seat but someone else's then they will care.. :-)
 
Stuart English said:
Well I guess the only comeback there is, if your ass isn't on their seat but someone else's then they will care.. :-)
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Too true...only the problem is Jo Public barely understands the difference between 35mm and Digi...in fact I should correct myself 95% haven't a clue and don't care. In fact most of them don't even know what they want to see when they come to the cinema - they tend to just point and grunt and then bang their oversized knuckles on the box office counter.

I did spend far too long on the front lines both as projectionist and floor staff. I may have a slightly pessimistic attitude to the general public.

There are of course a lot of people who understand about digital cinema but enot many know anything about resolution. All we can do is educate...or try.
 
You can't really sell the theater-going public on "4K", they barely understood what "70mm" meant... you need a catchy theater ad like "presented in HyperScope 4000!" or something that sounds impressive. "4K" implies that you know what "2K" is...
 
Stuart English said:
That may well be true, but it's obvious that you have to have a 4K projector to project in 4K.

This rapid pace of installation can only be good news for professionals interested in presenting the highest quality images.
Click to expand...

I know you do. I saw true 4K last Feb there at Red Studios and that aerial of London left up afterwards had me thinking Imax, but fresh off the street at your local cineplex with minimum wage concession/projectionists-- unless you know for a fact that what you are seeing is true 2K... 4K... and that the last guy to project Jackass 3D didn't leave the linear polarizer for the next guy to show "The Social Network," (that happened to me and I saw and I complained-- they shrugged, thanks RAV) how are we to really know and how are we going to benefit? What if, let's say the makers of "Pirates of the Caribbean 4", roll out some genuine 4K releases, and some dolt in Des Moines, or more likely, Las Vegas, don't care to know the difference between 4k and 20K, and leave it at 2k for the next week? I was a projectionist for 2 years in the late 90's and cared deeply about my craft. I can tell you that 35mm projection is foolproof compared to what is required for competent digital cinema.
 
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Norway is shifting to 4k midway in the DCP rollout, and have started to re-fit 2k theatres with 4k projectors and servers.

There ain't too much 4k onlined content out yet, though. Wonder if this RED RGB codec may make that a more viable option for finnishing...
 
David, no one knew what "1080p" was ten years ago, either. 4K will become known to the public, and will find it's way into not only theaters sooner than almost anyone thought, but also into homes.

Once people see 4K up close with their own eyes, they WILL know what it is.
 
Tom Lowe said:
David, no one knew what "1080p" was ten years ago, either. 4K will become known to the public, and will find it's way into not only theaters sooner than almost anyone thought, but also into homes.

Once people see 4K up close with their own eyes, they WILL know what it is.
Click to expand...

You're an optimist... Most people I talk to outside of the industry still don't understand what 1080P means either, they can't tell a 720P monitor from a 1080P monitor, they don't notice whether a cable channel is showing HD or SD half the time, they don't notice when images are improperly squeezed or stretched, they have the black levels set all wrong, etc. The average person is not a videophile and thinks that their cell phone takes good enough pictures.
 
@ David

While its very true about 720/1080 on a 40 " LCD at home, a 60' projection is another matter.

For what its worth, I watched "Inception" in a major Toronto theatre a month ago.
It was embarrassing.
The projection quality was worse (softer) than the 700 MB movies I download and watch on my 110" projector system (AE4000u).
I didn't bother to ask for a refund but I should have. Its sad really.
A high quality 1080 digital projection can be very nice (vs film)
4k? Build it. They will cum.
2K servers?
If RED moves fast they can own the 4K delivery system too.
...been saying that for years.
 
Most theaters don't even advertise the superiority of their digital screens over their film ones, and most people don't pay attention to whether they are watching one or the other, so it's a stretch to think that on the same size screen, they are suddenly going to be able to see the improvement with 4K over 2K. I've been to many 4K demos over the years and it takes a discerning eye to see the improvement, though it definitely exists. But it's not a "hit you over the head" sort of improvement, it's not like the difference between 35mm and IMAX, for example -- THAT'S the sort of leap you need for people to see the difference, a much bigger screen, a much sharper image, and it has to be properly advertised and sold to them, it can't just be slipped in under the radar.

And then you have to ask if people really want to see some of their favorite Hollywood stars at four-times the resolution level...
 
Tom Lowe said:
David, no one knew what "1080p" was ten years ago, either. 4K will become known to the public, and will find it's way into not only theaters sooner than almost anyone thought, but also into homes.

Once people see 4K up close with their own eyes, they WILL know what it is.
Click to expand...

People still dont' know what "1080p" is that's why Sony decided to call it "TrueHD".

I guess we could call 4k "TruerHD"
 
It's taken a decade to sell the public on HD at home, it's not an overnight phenomenon. I can recall many arguments on the internet back in 2000 about how SD was dead and most people would be watching HD in their home by 2002. Now it's nearly 2011 and people are still watching a ton of content in SD, even on their HD monitors. You can't even watch channels like TCM in HD yet. In 2011!!! Half the movie theater screens out there are still using 35mm prints. And even if more theaters install 4K projectors, most of the files will be 2K for some time to come. Years to come. And you're talking to someone that wants 4K to become the standard!

These things always take more time than the optimists ever will admit to, even as every year they are forced to push back their estimates by another year.

Half the public are more than happy to watch content on their iPhones or on little YouTube windows... I had to accept a long time ago that most people are not tech-saavy video and audiophiles. People need to get out of their internet tech cliques and talk to ordinary people on the streets now and then... if I stop the lady walking her dog past my front door right now and ask her if she knows what 1080P is, I can bet real money that the odds are higher that she doesn't know than that she does.
 
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