Just
a few years ago the movies you saw at your local cinema complex were
shown on a format that is today all but obsolete – 35 mm
reel-to-reel film.
This was the standard since nearly the
beginning of movie making. But all that cellophane film rolled into
spools required five to seven bulky reels. That was cumbersome to
transport and work with. Also, film tends to break down with use.
Cellophane film gets scratched, dirty, can tear, melt from heat and
more.
That’s why all major film studios and theater
complexes switched to something called DCP. It stands for Digital
Cinema Package.
Most people are computer savvy enough today to understand that DCP is
basically an electronically stored digital file on computer disk
rather than images printed on old-fashioned film.
By about
2015 almost 100% of theaters had converted to DCP packaging. Now,
rather than lug around crates of reel-to-reel films, a DCP unit
offers a compact “briefcase-like” unit that usually includes a
drive, power brick, power cord and USB cable. The movie is then
presented using a digital projector. The image produced is equal to
or even superior to film, especially when in HD format.
Another
advantage of DCP packaging is that the information on the drive can
be encrypted, protecting movies and videos from pirating.
Furthermore, those authorized to play or view DCP usually must enter
a password to add a further layer of protection. A DCP package can
also be programmed to play only a limit number of times – again,
giving superior security and control over intellectual and artistic
property.
ChromaVision is a professional company that can take
any video source or format in both audio and digital media and
convert it to DCP. ChromaVision
is a full-spectrum service for DCP packaging. You can learn a lot
more about this technology on the company’s website,
ChromaVision.net.
