Hollywood Theaters are going digital

Hollywood Theaters has announced that it’s going digital on all of its 14 screens.

I usually go to Carmike, so I’ve gotten used to the perfect visual quality of those amazing digital projectors. Now, I notice when I’m at a theater that DOESN’T have digital. “My God, that was a scratch on the film!”

Cinemark and Tinseltown have a few digital projectors, but I haven’t heard yet about when they’ll go all digital.

From an industry standpoint, the conversion is a great thing. Distributors won’t have to spend all that money shipping big heavy reels all over the world. (They should be able to do it all via electronic transmission, but fears of piracy keep it on disc drives for the time being.)

I’m sure all that money saved will be passed down to the consumers, and we’ll pay less for tickets and popcorn. Yeah, right.

Here’s the press release, complete with some technical data for geeks (note that the new projectors allow for lots of 3-D, which is going to soon take over the film industry):

COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU - SONY 4K DIGITAL CINEMA PROJECTION
PORTLAND, OREGON – October 26, 2009 – Hollywood Theaters is installing Sony Electronics’ 4K digital cinema technology across its circuit. The Portland, Ore.-based exhibitor will begin its digital conversion by equipping 13 of its U.S. locations (167 screens) with Sony® projectors in time for the highly anticipated holiday film, Avatar, directed by James Cameron. All of the 2K digital projectors at the Interquest Stadium 14 in Colorado Springs will be replaced with the higher quality Sony 4K digital projectors.

The 4K roll-out will also include four screens outfitted for 3D digital projection, combining Sony’s single-projector 3D lens system with RealD™ 3D technology, enabling the exhibitor to deliver the highest-quality 3D digital projection. “With four screens capable of 3D presentation, we can show multiple 3D films at a time,” said Clyde Cornell, chief operating officer for Hollywood Theaters, noting that there are already 19 3D features scheduled for 2010.

Sony 4K projectors offer the highest image resolution of all commercial projection technologies, producing 8.8 million pixels. 4K technology provides image resolution four times greater than 2K projection systems and slightly more than four times greater than consumer high-definition televisions.

“Our 4K technology gives Hollywood Theaters the most reliable and flexible foundation for ultimately converting its entire operations to digital projection technology,” said Mike Fidler, senior vice president of Sony Electronics’ Digital Cinema Solutions and Services group. “It elevates the cinematic experience for their consumers, offering movie-goers a much more dynamic, engaging and immersive entertainment experience. The opportunity for alternative content not only presents potential new business; it also allows them to provide exciting additional programming that perfectly complements their current offerings.”

“Sony’s 4K technology provides our patrons in Colorado Springs the opportunity to view motion pictures as never before, combining the highest levels of resolution, contrast and image quality to produce precise, life-like images in vibrant colors,” said Cornell. “We are also excited to be a part of Sony’s alternative content program and plan to fully exploit their broad range of media and entertainment divisions such as sports, music, and gaming to bring fresh, innovative entertainment options to the big screen at Hollywood Theaters.”