Digital Cinema

The Digital Cinema Initiative was established in 2002 by six of the major studios to define open standards and architecture for high-performance digital cinema. Digital cinema is characterized by the number of pixels per frame and the horizontal aspect resolution.

High-definition (HD) cinematography is measured horizontally – the studio industry standard aspect ratio, defined by the Digital Cinema Initiative, is 1.85:1, which equals a 2k image of 2048x1080 or 2.2 megapixels, and a 4k image of 4096x2160 or 8.8 megapixels. (Digital Cinema) Films for digital cinema exhibition are delivered on a hard drive via a digital cinema package containing the picture, sound, subtitles, credits and metadata.

By comparison, consumer and low-cost HD digital video cameras record compressed footage at 1920x1080 pixels. It is impossible to “improve” a digital original – the original footage captured in the camera is the “digital source master” – or the digital distribution master – the post-production product packaged for distribution. Independent filmmakers are usually tied to the formats provided by the camera manufacturer and preferred editing software.

A good strategy for assuring video clarity for distribution is to determine where the film will be shown (festivals, art houses, etc.) and work backward. Transforming the digital source master in post-production to the preferred distribution format of the desired distributer will produce a better picture, e.g., at a film festival, than using a film format for a small art house and showing the same distribution master in a large-screen digital cinema. Video on demand uses peer-to-peer networking that enables almost any format to be accessible by consumers.

Films for digital cinema exhibition are delivered on a hard drive via a "digital cinema package" containing the picture, sound, subtitles and metadata. Video captured at 24 frames per second is the best for conversion to DCP, and the DCP audio standard is uncompressed 24-bit, 48kHz, with a minimum of 3 channels or 5.1 surround. Since digital files need to be compressed for distribution and storage, the Digital Cinema Initiative recommends JPEG 2000 as the compression standard. When planning a production that is designed for distribution in digital cinemas, using the JPEG 2000 format will help to ensure the integrity of digital files and playability to an audience. This format may one day become obsolete, but it’s wide use and adoption in the industry will ensure that forward transformation and migration is sustained.