NATO Releases Digital Cinema System Requirements v2.0

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) issued today a revised Digital Cinema System Requirements document (version 2.0). The requirements are a product of a group of committed NATO member company volunteers, working in conjunction with NATO's Digital Cinema Consultant Michael Karagosian.

The first revision to the now 2-year-old NATO Digital Cinema System Requirements, version 2.0 is targeted to standards committees, product manufacturers, and service providers in the digital cinema supply chain. NATO's System Requirements provides important direction for areas not covered in the DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) spec.

These include:
- Operational requirements
- Maintenance operations
- Workflow requirements
- System requirements for support of the blind, deaf, and hard-of-hearing.

A fresh review of the entire document was conducted, deleting some requirements no longer needed, and expanding or creating new section topics.

Among the highlights:
- Exhibitor-driven universal theatre identification scheme introduced.
- Establishes the requirement for a commodity digital cinema server.
- New requirement for closed caption support.
- Workflow automation requirements introduced.
- TMS (Theater Management System) described in terms of 3 service functions, with detailed roles for each service.
- New requirements for exhibitor network security.

According to NATO digital cinema consultant, Michael Karagosian, “The document describes new areas where additional standards work is needed. Completion and implementation of in-theatre standards are important next steps in the development of digital cinema, and NATO will continue to actively pursue these goals.”

NATO President & CEO John Fithian added, "I applaud the dedication of these men and women to sensible digital cinema operations, and I encourage theater owners to make appropriate use of these requirements in their equipment purchasing policies.”

Source: DCinemaToday

Access IT Announces International Distribution Agreement with Doremi for its Theatre Command Center and Library Management System

"Capitalizing on their successful collaboration in the U.S. digital cinema market, Access Integrated Technologies (“AccessIT”) announced a non-exclusive distribution agreement with Doremi Labs Inc. (“Doremi”) for territories outside of the United States. The agreement allows Doremi to bundle their world leading media server with AccessIT's unique Theatre Command Center software and Library Management System, a proven solution that is supporting more than 3700 screens in the United States.

Two successful pilot programs with cinema companies in the United Kingdom and Ireland kick-started this effort which enables AccessIT to expand its reach outside of the United States, while providing first response support via Doremi, a trusted partner."

Source: DCinemaToday

Kodak to Showcase its ‘Evolving’ Theatre Management System at ShowEast

"Kodak will demonstrate its comprehensive and commercialized Theatre Management System (TMS), to exhibition and distribution managers at the 2007 ShowEast convention and trade show in Orlando next week. These demonstrations come just seven months after the company showed prototypes at ShoWest and subsequently installed first systems in busy working cinemas.

The TMS is at the heart of the fully-integrated Kodak solution, which includes a central server, central storage capability, content players and feature projectors – all driven by Kodak software and connected through Kodak’s secure networking infrastructure to each other and to the cinema’s ticketing system. It’s designed to manage all content from all suppliers and bring new workflow efficiencies to the cinema.

Once content and keys are loaded, the TMS takes its direction from the ticketing system. Pre-show advertising and keys move automatically to the correct screen and play as scheduled. Software in development will automatically migrate feature content as well.

While the system is designed to run without operator involvement, Kodak showed how easy it is for the operator to interrupt the programmed content, to make changes. “The user interface screen has intuitive controls,” Mayson said. “For all the automation the Kodak TMS provides, exhibitors still want to be in control of their business.”

The upgraded version of the TMS delivers on a promise made when the company first showed the product in rough form last year. At that point, Kodak indicated that the TMS would be in constant evolution, adding features and upgrading functionality, based on listening to customers and responding.

“In the past few months, we’ve made a number of advancements, to increase the robustness of the centralized loading and migrating functions, to handle key delivery messages (KDMs) electronically, to connect to additional ticketing systems, and to support the single track 3D file format the industry is adopting,” Mayson said.

The Kodak solution comes with full Kodak service and support, as well the availability of a business plan that offers peace of mind."

Source: DCinemaToday