Digital cinema adds new dimension to movie experience

Tushar Patel - Televisionpoint.com | Ahmedabad
Digital cinema (D-cinema), a technology of relaying movies in theatres via satellite by downloading them on a server, is adding new dimension to the movie-going experience.

In Gujarat alone, as many as 100 small and big theatres have embraced the technology in the last one year, the reason is that the technology is handy and economical and can be accessed in even remote corners without any logistics roadblocks.

To avail D-cinema service, small theatre-owners deposit Rs 2 lakh to the film distributor and a rental of Rs 25-50,000 per month for four flicks (as against Rs 70-80,000 per print cost, that makes it difficult for a small theatre to release new movies), depending on the theatre capacity. Upon this, the theatre is provided with requisite installations like projector, server and CPU on which the latest flick is downloaded via satellite and then relayed without compromising on quality.

In Ahmedabad, at least 20 small, 25-50 seat theatres in different localities, including posh areas are relaying movies through D-Cinema technology or are preparing to bring in new movie experience to the city. Small and semi-urban areas in the state are especially witnessing a boom in such theatres, the main reason being that with the technology even a 25-seat theatre can have access to the latest Bollywood releases at a much economical rate, with returns on each movie guaranteed.

D-cinema service providing companies in the country like UFO, E-city, etc are joining hands with local film distributors in providing basic technological infrastructure and services, both at economical and affordable rates. Distributors are turning to this new route of movie distribution, creating market space in even remote areas.

The technology is also helping certain small, 25-45 seat theatres in posh localities organize personal movie screenings upon order. In any case, the theatre owners are managing to reap good profit out of every movie released.

"Places like Ahmedabad, Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Rajkot and Jamnagar among several small pockets in the state are witnessing a sort of entertainment revolution. Small theatres are opening up in large numbers, mainly because of the convenience of getting the latest flicks at much economical rate and with guaranteed returns on every relay," said Raajiv Kotia, chairman and managing director, Sungold Entertainment.

Sungold, a movie production and distribution company has recently ventured into D-cinema distribution and is providing services to close to 10 theatres in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. "One gets four pictures in a month at a cost of Rs 50,000. The pictures are relayed on the same day the movie is released, which is a big factor for especially theatre owners that are based in remote areas. In any case, even a 80-seat theatre manages to make Rs 1-1.5 lakh per month as profit on four movies, even when the movies do average business," Kotia explains.

"As many as 10 theatres in Surat and nearby areas have embraced the D-cinema technology. It comes handy, and unlike video-cinema halls that depend in many cases on pirated DVDs, D-cinema provides better quality movies. The movies that are downloaded on servers cannot be even copied,'' said Atul Patel, chairman and managing director, Modern Movies.