from what I can tell only screen 2 was converted to playback 7.1 – hand it to AMC to unadvertise/promote this. From what I can tell (from AMC’s own website) another screen made the digital conversion, and I’m guessing it’s the smaller auditorium #3 – but I’ll repost back what I find out.
I’ve seen the opposite, at AMC Tysons' they project TOO much light on the XD screen, over at AMC Mazza though, the Sony DP screens have consistently look great (and bright). I’m reading though online that AMC is installing Christie DP systems over Sony units since this problem and accusation arose.
in regards to the DC screenings of ‘Tree of Life’ I know that (so far) Bethesda Landmark and the AFI Silver will be playing it. As I understand it there was enough extra footage that Malik shot that it’s being complied and will be released separately as an IMAX feature unto itself.
well at Tysons, the IMAX auditorium and ETX auditorium are separated by a walk way, so the excess bass from either screen can’t be heard, however the screens that are left of the IMAX screen/right of the ETX screen might be another story altogether. The bass though during ‘Battle Los Angeles’ and ‘Fast Five’ on the ETX screen never drowned out the dialogue. But you have to remember the ETX screen can feature the discrete 7.1 soundmix of ‘Pirates 4’, the IMAX screen is standard 5.1
The IMAX-Digital was supposed to open with the release of ‘Pirates of the Caribeean: On Stranger Tides’ last Friday, but will open on May 27th (if all goes to plan) The IMAX system will debut on the largest screen: auditorium #17
well I spoke with a senior manager yesterday in regards to the flaws I’ve been noticing on the ETX screen, and he pointed out that the over brightening can and should be solvable – now if only the projectionist can get his/her act together and stop setting the light output to the 3D setting for non-3D features.
I consider $18 buck highway robbery and for Regal not to have reduced matinee pricing for the IMAX screen simply unexcusable. I have yet to see or give my impressions of the system here at the Majestic, but have you been over to AMC’s ETX screen over at Tysons, oh…my…god, the bass there is frightening, it literally shakes the floor, your feet, your legs – it’s “rumblerama”!
saw ‘Fast Five’ on the ETX screen this morning and again, since a good majority of the film has subtitles, the same problem occurred, white lettering seems a tad soft – as I found out this is a problem inherent to the dual projector system – unlike the Barco system on the ‘XD’ at the Egyptian – switching brightness levels between 3D and non-3D films is not possible. In my opinion the Barco system ‘looks’ the best, but it’s the XD ‘sound’ that is a wild trip – the bass just kicks and the finale chase is just an exhilirating ride both visually and sonically. The prior week’s viewing of ‘Rio’ looked great, more than likely attributed to the fact that the 3D glasses darken and control the brightness level.
The American Cinematheque will be screening Fox’s latest 70mm restoration of ‘Cleopatra’ on Saturday, 7 May 2011 at 7:30pm. Ticket price for Cinematheque non-members is $11.00 USD. As their promo release says, “What better place than the Egyptian to see Cleopatra?”
the general manager also told me that Screen 2 is outfitted to playback discrete 7.1 surround sound – really?! I didn’t know that – now’s that a great unadvertised surprise
of the only two theaters in the DC metro area that is booking Werner Herzog’s ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’ – Hoffman’s presentation is 3D digital projection (hooray!) – Landmark Bethesda is not (booo!)
actually I’m wrong about my assumption that AMC wouldn’t book Herzog’s ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’, in 3D. Of the two theaters that this opening at next Friday, Landmark Bethesda is showing this in 2D 35mm print form, AMC Hoffman in Alexandria is showing this in 3D digital projection.
oh I don’t know if it was sold out, I’d go to this in a heartbeat if I lived in LA or travelled out to attend the film festival – I’m just very intrigued in knowing if this digital screening is superior to the shoddy bluray transfer Universal dumped on us. Let us know how ‘Outlaw Josey Wales’ looks BradE41, as it’s another 4K DLP digital presentation.
Tonight there’s a 4K DLP digital screening of ‘Spartacus’ – is it better than Universal’s hidef transfer that they released on bluray – I really hope so… Criterion needs to rectify and release a definitive proper bluray edition.
“Turner Classic Movies selects Barco’s 4K to show restored films at the TCM Classic Film Festival”
Barco has been selected as the exclusive 4K digital cinema projector supplier for the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival, bringing to the big screen digitally-restored classic films like Citizen Kane, The Godfather and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. With more than 70 screenings planned and dozens of movie celebrities in attendance, Barco joins a highly celebrated event to honor the classic era of American and European cinema.
Barco, a worldwide leader in digital cinema, is partnering with Turner Classic Movies (TCM) to present some of the most iconic films of the 20th Century, projecting them in dazzling DLP Cinema® Enhanced 4K resolution to entertain classic film aficionados and a new generation of movie goers. Barco’s DP4K-32B will be showing films that have been painstakingly digitally restored to their original glory.
“Turner Classic Movies believes in the highest standards in presentation, and Barco’s unparalleled technology allows us to show these renowned classics in their most pristine form,” said Genevieve McGillicuddy, managing director of the TCM Classic Film Festival and senior director of brand activation for TCM. “We’re proud to work with Barco in presenting these films as they were meant to be seen.”
The flagship model among Barco’s fully DCI-compliant line of digital cinema projectors, the DP4K-32B features Texas Instruments' 1.38" DLP Cinema® chip to achieve stunning images in 4K resolution (4,096 x 2,160). Its ultra brightness and vibrant color accuracy produces razor-sharp images to offer a premium viewing experience. The DP4K-32B’s efficient optical design and patented DMD cooling system result in exceptionally long lifetime and the lowest total cost of ownership.
“We are honored that TCM has chosen Barco to help celebrate these internationally-acclaimed classics,” commented Patrick Lee, VP Digital Cinema for Barco North America. “Their choice of digital cinema projectors speaks volumes about their dedication to upholding the highest standards in presentation. We both admire and respect their commitment to restoring such an important part of motion picture history.”
The TCM Classic Film Festival runs April 28-May 1, 2011 in Hollywood, California. Screenings and events will be held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Multiplex, the Egyptian Theatre, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the Music Box Theatre, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
~~~
Seattle’s Cinerama showcased ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and ‘The African Queen’ via DCI harddrive form – so thankfully a few studios are preserving and making the necessary steps in providing ‘the classics’ to theaters that do have digital projector systems.
I actually should make an addendum to the AFI Silver statement I made: all three screens are equipped to present films in 35mm (and 70mm on the big screen) and DLP digital projection, but appropriately the AFI favors 35mm over DLP (as they technically should). Thumbs up in my book.
spoke with the general manager this morning, he’s still vague on the time table on when screens 1,3, and 4 will get the digital conversion, although he did note that the size of screen #1 is an issue, I did mention though ‘well if they can put DLP on the Uptown screen it’s possible… with a Christie system’ – he totally agreed.
‘African Cats’ was visually stunning in Sony DP on screen 7.
oh here’s the story on the potential selling of Landmark (Los Angeles Times):
MARK CUBAN PUTS LANDMARK THEATRES AND MAGNOLIA PICTURES UP FOR SALE
(April 19, 2011)
Dallas Mavericks owner and media entrepreneur Mark Cuban confirmed Tuesday that he has put Landmark Theatres, the nation’s leading theater chain showing specialized movies, and his production and distribution company Magnolia Pictures up for sale.
“Prices for entertainment properties are up,” Cuban said in an email. “If we don’t get the price and premium we want, we are happy to continue to make money from the properties.”
Bids are expected as early as next week, according to Bloomberg, which first reported news of the auction.
Landmark operates 296 screens at 63 theaters in 17 states, including its flagship theater in West Los Angeles. Cuban and his partner Todd Wagner bought the Landmark chain, at one time under bankruptcy protection, from Oaktree Capital Management in 2003. They invested heavily in expanding and upgrading the circuit, including spending $20 million on its 2,000-seat, 12-screen multiplex at the intersection of Pico and Westwood boulevards.
Magnolia Pictures distributes independent films, such as James Marsh’s 2008 documentary “Man on Wire,” about tightrope walker Philippe Petit, and last year’s love story and murder mystery “All Good Things,” starring Ryan Gosling. The company’s home entertainment arm also releases films simultaneously with their theatrical debut via cable channel HDNet, also owned by Cuban and Wagner.
“Given our unique position of enabling VOD day-and-date with theatrical, we wanted to test the market,‘’ Cuban said.
However, most theater operators, including the nation’s largest circuits — Regal, AMC and Cinemark —have been alarmed by Hollywood studios' plans to accelerate the early release of movies in the home through video-on-demand services. They fear that such offerings will significantly undermine ticket sales.
your kidding… right. ;) It’s actually under the ‘Washington DC’ listing. It’s pretty much common knowledge that Landmark’s Bethesda theater makes money hand over fist.
As for the Baltimore location, I thought there were at least three ‘digital’ screens – as of today, only one film is listed as such as ‘digital projection’ (huh??)
I know that the E Street theater has at least one Sony 4K projector – as for the planned mass theater DP installation, it’s been rather mum.
I’ve been to the Bethesda theater alot, and all I’ve ever seen are 35mm prints on all their screens – even with the notion and idea of theatres going all digital – I’d really like to know if any of the films currently playing at E Street and Bethesda are released digitally, at all:
Le Quattro Volte
The Human Resources Manager
The Princess of Montpensier
Win Win
Nostalgia for the Light
Jane Eyre
Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Atlas Shrugged: Part 1
Bill Cunningham New York
Potiche
Winter in Wartime
The Conspirator
Of Gods and Men
African Cats (this I know is, as I saw it today at such at AMC Mazza)
Had not heard that Landmark is ‘tentaively’ up for sale, that’s new news to me. What’s wrong with Mark Cuban??
question though, if a arthouse theater were to go all digital – would all the studios that provide content to said theaters have all the new releases in hard drive form? Landmark and in particular their Bethesda Maryland location (their cash cow BTW) hasn’t made one effort to make the transition to ‘digital’ – for a theater chain of their stature to be this resistent is rather remarkable (or foolish) when you think about it. Interestingly, I think that Werner Herzog’s 3D documentary ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’ is more in align in Landmark booking it, than AMC or Regal. Time will tell.
We are writing to share two exciting announcements:
• The Avalon Legacy Campaign has reached $1.8 million!
• The Give Us a Lift initiative to fund the elevator project has been completed!
We are hopeful that we can complete the elevator project in 2012. This will be an exciting and challenging process and we will keep you informed as progress is made.
The next focus of our fundraising efforts will be the funding of new HVAC systems. The current system is a high maintenance, low energy efficiency unit that is operating well past its useful life. An upgrade is an essential infrastructure improvement and cost-saving opportunity for the theater.
We are $200,000 away from the $2.0 million goal and we are hopeful that we can reach that goal in 2012, the 90th anniversary of the building of the Avalon!
There is another piece of great news! Stone Soup Films recently produced a promotional film for the Avalon. I invite you to view it at: theavalon.org/about. I hope you will agree that this is a wonderful marketing tool as we carry on with the Campaign.
We are so grateful for your interest in and support of the Avalon. If you would like to learn more about the Campaign or make a donation, click on the links below.
See you at the Avalon!
Bill Oberdorfer, Executive Director
Sarah Pokempner, Campaign Manager
from what I can tell only screen 2 was converted to playback 7.1 – hand it to AMC to unadvertise/promote this. From what I can tell (from AMC’s own website) another screen made the digital conversion, and I’m guessing it’s the smaller auditorium #3 – but I’ll repost back what I find out.
I’ve seen the opposite, at AMC Tysons' they project TOO much light on the XD screen, over at AMC Mazza though, the Sony DP screens have consistently look great (and bright). I’m reading though online that AMC is installing Christie DP systems over Sony units since this problem and accusation arose.
someone noted that’s it’s over at the Landmark in 4K digital projection
out of curiousity, where is ‘Tree of Life’ playing in LA?
in regards to the DC screenings of ‘Tree of Life’ I know that (so far) Bethesda Landmark and the AFI Silver will be playing it. As I understand it there was enough extra footage that Malik shot that it’s being complied and will be released separately as an IMAX feature unto itself.
well at Tysons, the IMAX auditorium and ETX auditorium are separated by a walk way, so the excess bass from either screen can’t be heard, however the screens that are left of the IMAX screen/right of the ETX screen might be another story altogether. The bass though during ‘Battle Los Angeles’ and ‘Fast Five’ on the ETX screen never drowned out the dialogue. But you have to remember the ETX screen can feature the discrete 7.1 soundmix of ‘Pirates 4’, the IMAX screen is standard 5.1
The IMAX-Digital was supposed to open with the release of ‘Pirates of the Caribeean: On Stranger Tides’ last Friday, but will open on May 27th (if all goes to plan) The IMAX system will debut on the largest screen: auditorium #17
well I spoke with a senior manager yesterday in regards to the flaws I’ve been noticing on the ETX screen, and he pointed out that the over brightening can and should be solvable – now if only the projectionist can get his/her act together and stop setting the light output to the 3D setting for non-3D features.
I consider $18 buck highway robbery and for Regal not to have reduced matinee pricing for the IMAX screen simply unexcusable. I have yet to see or give my impressions of the system here at the Majestic, but have you been over to AMC’s ETX screen over at Tysons, oh…my…god, the bass there is frightening, it literally shakes the floor, your feet, your legs – it’s “rumblerama”!
sorry I mean’t to state “but it’s the ETX’s ‘sound’ that is a wild trip' not Cinemark’s XD system.
saw ‘Fast Five’ on the ETX screen this morning and again, since a good majority of the film has subtitles, the same problem occurred, white lettering seems a tad soft – as I found out this is a problem inherent to the dual projector system – unlike the Barco system on the ‘XD’ at the Egyptian – switching brightness levels between 3D and non-3D films is not possible. In my opinion the Barco system ‘looks’ the best, but it’s the XD ‘sound’ that is a wild trip – the bass just kicks and the finale chase is just an exhilirating ride both visually and sonically. The prior week’s viewing of ‘Rio’ looked great, more than likely attributed to the fact that the 3D glasses darken and control the brightness level.
so NO ONE saw last Saturday’s screening of ‘Spartacus’ ????
The American Cinematheque will be screening Fox’s latest 70mm restoration of ‘Cleopatra’ on Saturday, 7 May 2011 at 7:30pm. Ticket price for Cinematheque non-members is $11.00 USD. As their promo release says, “What better place than the Egyptian to see Cleopatra?”
the general manager also told me that Screen 2 is outfitted to playback discrete 7.1 surround sound – really?! I didn’t know that – now’s that a great unadvertised surprise
of the only two theaters in the DC metro area that is booking Werner Herzog’s ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’ – Hoffman’s presentation is 3D digital projection (hooray!) – Landmark Bethesda is not (booo!)
actually I’m wrong about my assumption that AMC wouldn’t book Herzog’s ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’, in 3D. Of the two theaters that this opening at next Friday, Landmark Bethesda is showing this in 2D 35mm print form, AMC Hoffman in Alexandria is showing this in 3D digital projection.
oh I don’t know if it was sold out, I’d go to this in a heartbeat if I lived in LA or travelled out to attend the film festival – I’m just very intrigued in knowing if this digital screening is superior to the shoddy bluray transfer Universal dumped on us. Let us know how ‘Outlaw Josey Wales’ looks BradE41, as it’s another 4K DLP digital presentation.
other 4K DLP festival presentations include:
Tonight there’s a 4K DLP digital screening of ‘Spartacus’ – is it better than Universal’s hidef transfer that they released on bluray – I really hope so… Criterion needs to rectify and release a definitive proper bluray edition.
on a similiar note, there’s this bit of news:
“Turner Classic Movies selects Barco’s 4K to show restored films at the TCM Classic Film Festival”
Barco has been selected as the exclusive 4K digital cinema projector supplier for the 2011 TCM Classic Film Festival, bringing to the big screen digitally-restored classic films like Citizen Kane, The Godfather and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. With more than 70 screenings planned and dozens of movie celebrities in attendance, Barco joins a highly celebrated event to honor the classic era of American and European cinema.
Barco, a worldwide leader in digital cinema, is partnering with Turner Classic Movies (TCM) to present some of the most iconic films of the 20th Century, projecting them in dazzling DLP Cinema® Enhanced 4K resolution to entertain classic film aficionados and a new generation of movie goers. Barco’s DP4K-32B will be showing films that have been painstakingly digitally restored to their original glory.
“Turner Classic Movies believes in the highest standards in presentation, and Barco’s unparalleled technology allows us to show these renowned classics in their most pristine form,” said Genevieve McGillicuddy, managing director of the TCM Classic Film Festival and senior director of brand activation for TCM. “We’re proud to work with Barco in presenting these films as they were meant to be seen.”
The flagship model among Barco’s fully DCI-compliant line of digital cinema projectors, the DP4K-32B features Texas Instruments' 1.38" DLP Cinema® chip to achieve stunning images in 4K resolution (4,096 x 2,160). Its ultra brightness and vibrant color accuracy produces razor-sharp images to offer a premium viewing experience. The DP4K-32B’s efficient optical design and patented DMD cooling system result in exceptionally long lifetime and the lowest total cost of ownership.
“We are honored that TCM has chosen Barco to help celebrate these internationally-acclaimed classics,” commented Patrick Lee, VP Digital Cinema for Barco North America. “Their choice of digital cinema projectors speaks volumes about their dedication to upholding the highest standards in presentation. We both admire and respect their commitment to restoring such an important part of motion picture history.”
The TCM Classic Film Festival runs April 28-May 1, 2011 in Hollywood, California. Screenings and events will be held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Multiplex, the Egyptian Theatre, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the Music Box Theatre, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
~~~
Seattle’s Cinerama showcased ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and ‘The African Queen’ via DCI harddrive form – so thankfully a few studios are preserving and making the necessary steps in providing ‘the classics’ to theaters that do have digital projector systems.
I actually should make an addendum to the AFI Silver statement I made: all three screens are equipped to present films in 35mm (and 70mm on the big screen) and DLP digital projection, but appropriately the AFI favors 35mm over DLP (as they technically should). Thumbs up in my book.
spoke with the general manager this morning, he’s still vague on the time table on when screens 1,3, and 4 will get the digital conversion, although he did note that the size of screen #1 is an issue, I did mention though ‘well if they can put DLP on the Uptown screen it’s possible… with a Christie system’ – he totally agreed.
‘African Cats’ was visually stunning in Sony DP on screen 7.
oh here’s the story on the potential selling of Landmark (Los Angeles Times):
MARK CUBAN PUTS LANDMARK THEATRES AND MAGNOLIA PICTURES UP FOR SALE
(April 19, 2011)
Dallas Mavericks owner and media entrepreneur Mark Cuban confirmed Tuesday that he has put Landmark Theatres, the nation’s leading theater chain showing specialized movies, and his production and distribution company Magnolia Pictures up for sale.
“Prices for entertainment properties are up,” Cuban said in an email. “If we don’t get the price and premium we want, we are happy to continue to make money from the properties.”
Bids are expected as early as next week, according to Bloomberg, which first reported news of the auction.
Landmark operates 296 screens at 63 theaters in 17 states, including its flagship theater in West Los Angeles. Cuban and his partner Todd Wagner bought the Landmark chain, at one time under bankruptcy protection, from Oaktree Capital Management in 2003. They invested heavily in expanding and upgrading the circuit, including spending $20 million on its 2,000-seat, 12-screen multiplex at the intersection of Pico and Westwood boulevards.
Magnolia Pictures distributes independent films, such as James Marsh’s 2008 documentary “Man on Wire,” about tightrope walker Philippe Petit, and last year’s love story and murder mystery “All Good Things,” starring Ryan Gosling. The company’s home entertainment arm also releases films simultaneously with their theatrical debut via cable channel HDNet, also owned by Cuban and Wagner.
“Given our unique position of enabling VOD day-and-date with theatrical, we wanted to test the market,‘’ Cuban said.
However, most theater operators, including the nation’s largest circuits — Regal, AMC and Cinemark —have been alarmed by Hollywood studios' plans to accelerate the early release of movies in the home through video-on-demand services. They fear that such offerings will significantly undermine ticket sales.
your kidding… right. ;) It’s actually under the ‘Washington DC’ listing. It’s pretty much common knowledge that Landmark’s Bethesda theater makes money hand over fist.
As for the Baltimore location, I thought there were at least three ‘digital’ screens – as of today, only one film is listed as such as ‘digital projection’ (huh??)
I know that the E Street theater has at least one Sony 4K projector – as for the planned mass theater DP installation, it’s been rather mum.
I’ve been to the Bethesda theater alot, and all I’ve ever seen are 35mm prints on all their screens – even with the notion and idea of theatres going all digital – I’d really like to know if any of the films currently playing at E Street and Bethesda are released digitally, at all:
Had not heard that Landmark is ‘tentaively’ up for sale, that’s new news to me. What’s wrong with Mark Cuban??
question though, if a arthouse theater were to go all digital – would all the studios that provide content to said theaters have all the new releases in hard drive form? Landmark and in particular their Bethesda Maryland location (their cash cow BTW) hasn’t made one effort to make the transition to ‘digital’ – for a theater chain of their stature to be this resistent is rather remarkable (or foolish) when you think about it. Interestingly, I think that Werner Herzog’s 3D documentary ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’ is more in align in Landmark booking it, than AMC or Regal. Time will tell.
Dear Friend of the Avalon,
We are writing to share two exciting announcements:
• The Avalon Legacy Campaign has reached $1.8 million!
• The Give Us a Lift initiative to fund the elevator project has been completed!
We are hopeful that we can complete the elevator project in 2012. This will be an exciting and challenging process and we will keep you informed as progress is made.
The next focus of our fundraising efforts will be the funding of new HVAC systems. The current system is a high maintenance, low energy efficiency unit that is operating well past its useful life. An upgrade is an essential infrastructure improvement and cost-saving opportunity for the theater.
The list below shows what we have already accomplished and the work that lies ahead:
• Completed- Jun 2008! Reduced the building mortgage by $200,000
• Completed- Apr 2009! Built out and opened the Avalon Theatre Café
• Completed- Oct 2009! Repaired the crumbling vault space and Café sidewalk
• Completed- Nov 2009! Replaced the building’s electrical infrastructure
• Completed- Sep 2010! Restored the Avalon 1 ceiling
• To do: Install an elevator to Avalon 2 â€" funding obtained
• To do: Install an enhanced lighting system in Avalon 1
• To do: Upgrade to energy efficient heating and cooling systems
• To do: Reduce the building mortgage by an additional $350,000
We are $200,000 away from the $2.0 million goal and we are hopeful that we can reach that goal in 2012, the 90th anniversary of the building of the Avalon!
There is another piece of great news! Stone Soup Films recently produced a promotional film for the Avalon. I invite you to view it at: theavalon.org/about. I hope you will agree that this is a wonderful marketing tool as we carry on with the Campaign.
We are so grateful for your interest in and support of the Avalon. If you would like to learn more about the Campaign or make a donation, click on the links below.
See you at the Avalon!
Bill Oberdorfer, Executive Director
Sarah Pokempner, Campaign Manager