Author
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Topic: Digital Cinema
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Andrew Woodcock
Film God
Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012
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posted February 16, 2015 10:49 AM
I was summoned last night to go and see the 50 Shades movie at our local multiplex last night by the wife ha ha.
I was working a night shift on Valentine's day itself so I had a bit of making up to do as she was stuck in the house bored on her own on the night itself or so she tells me ha ha.
Anyhow, I think the last actual movie I watched at the cinema was "The Lovely Bones" so it shows I am not much of a cinema goer since the advent of digital projectors in cinemas. The way I have recently looked upon it is, if I want to see a digital film I can show it on my own 10ft screen in the comfort of my own home to an almost identical standard as far as I was concerned.
I have no idea what type of projector our multiplex used,(ironically the multiplex is called Cine World.. Ha..nothing could be further from the truth!) But what I will say is I was very impressed with the presentation overall. The image looked very filmic and the sound system was just superb with no less than 3 centre speakers used from in front of the screen giving great directional sound from the centre channel. The effects speakers were also very good and the whole thing sounded very contained to my ears. Obviously this wasn't an adventure action movie I was watching here so you wouldn't expect a thunderous sound track from a movie such as this but as I say, the sound was lovely and clear, very well controlled and not overpowering in any way. The picture quality to my eyes was spot on also and as said, had an almost filmic quality to it but of course free of any sparkle or speckles unlike film.
I would imagine the projector used was an industry standard 2k machine of ample brightness and the image appeared to me around 24ft wide during the main screening.
All in all a very enjoyable evening...oh and by the way the movie itself was far better than I ever expected also!
With the meal, wine and afters... a very enjoyable evening indeed [ February 16, 2015, 01:08 PM: Message edited by: Andrew Woodcock ]
-------------------- "C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"
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John Hourigan
Master Film Handler
Posts: 301
From: Colorado U.S.A.
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted February 16, 2015 02:25 PM
Agree, Andrew -- I find that there is very little, if any, reason to go to the multiplex cinema anymore given the quality of image and sound (plus the absence of sticky floors and obnoxious patrons) that I'm able to achieve in my home theatre. Plus, the wide availability of movies in physical and other media to screen in my home theatre is absolutely astounding. Movies don't tend to have long runs in cinemas anymore, making the wait only a couple of months for any movie to be available to the home market.
With all that said, the last movie I saw in a multiplex was Big Hero 6 -- and the image quality was spectacular (and this is coming from a long-time film collector). Digital projection in cinemas just a couple of years ago wasn't very good, but I could see no fault in the projected digital image this last time. While I still very much prefer my home theatre to the multiplex, my viewing experience with Big Hero 6 made for a very enjoyable afternoon watching a fun movie with outstanding image quality -- and all the digital/film arguments aside, isn't that ultimately what it's all about??
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Andrew Woodcock
Film God
Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012
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posted February 16, 2015 06:37 PM
Well worth a watch Brian if you can stomach what are after all, traditionally known as "chick flicks". Sounds a little sexist that phrase nowadays I know, but you do have to hold a regard in the higher echelons of cinema history films like "Pretty Woman" or "An officer and a Gentleman" etc etc for this film to be your bag.
If you do, then this is for you, if on the other hand "Trainspotting", "Saw" or " Hostel" is more your thing...forget it
Also remember, just to avoid any potential disappointment, that this movie is only part one of an eventual trilogy, therefore do not expect to make any sense whatsoever of the ending...It is after all only "end of part one". [ February 17, 2015, 04:37 AM: Message edited by: Andrew Woodcock ]
-------------------- "C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"
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Paul Adsett
Film God
Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted February 17, 2015 09:03 AM
I love having digital projection in my home. The picture quality with some Blu Rays, such as Oklahoma! or Cleopatra, can literally take your breath away, it is just so beautiful. I am able to watch just about any movie I wish, generally with pristine picture and sound, as good or better than the local movie theater. So there is no way I would want to go back in time and not have digital. Now as regards film projection, I love that as well. I like the unique mechanical design beauty of film projectors, and really enjoy having them around my screening room. And I love cleaning them, repairing them, and sometimes modifying them to get the very best picture and sound that I can from super 8. I enjoy cleaning and splicing film and loading up the reels on my projector. There is nothing like the look and sound of a sweet running projector, a digital projector by comparison is just a totally uninteresting black box. As far as the viewing of super 8 films, I can still appreciate the unique beauty and superiority of many of my S8 prints in comparison with digital versions. Yes, generally speaking, digital projection will give you a sharper image, but a top notch S8 print on a high end projector with a great lens can still be awesome for me. The interest level with film and film equipment is just so much more than with digital.
-------------------- The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection, Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj
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John Hourigan
Master Film Handler
Posts: 301
From: Colorado U.S.A.
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted February 17, 2015 09:04 AM
I agree with your previous posts on this thread, Paul Barker. While I have a warm spot in my heart for film given my many decades in the hobby, the quality of presentation afforded by digital today far surpasses anything I could ever achieve with film, even with the best prints. The quality of film prints varies greatly, and I've seen more bad prints than good, with soft focus, muddy sound -- and this is with good equipment, such as Elmo projectors and high-end amplifiers.
Also, digital affords jaw-dropping restorations given the source material is coming from legitimate origins. A Hard Days Night is an excellent example of a stunning restoration. Honestly, after all these decades, I find it quite liberating to actually watch the movie rather than watch the projector!
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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted February 17, 2015 02:26 PM
I have to agree with everything that has been said here so far; although...the last film I saw at the Manchester Odeon Printworks, Andrew, was Ridley Scott's "Exodus" and it was a little disappointing image wise.
The 3D was ok, but the image in screen 15, was just too low in contrast and revealed it's digital projection origins. A shame, as I've also seen many spectacular digital screenings.
At home, I'm an LCOS digital fan, using JVC projection, having gone through many digital projection systems; even single chip DLP doesn't cut it for me anymore (although I would willingly audition a 3 chip DLP if I had the spare cash!!).
I'm now up to 3 Blu-ray players; each offering various advantages over the other and I love to sit back and watch the latest (well, 2 month old...in Derann's Super 8 heyday, I got excited if the latest release was even 2 years old!! lol! Happy times!) blockbuster at home.
But I still love my super 8 & 16mm. Film really does become part of our DNA, especially if, like us guys, you have dealt with it since being kids.
As Paul and others have pointed out, the joy of running a beautiful projector is often as much fun as watching the film itself.
And sometimes, even super 8 film really does gives digital a run for it's money. And I love showing that to new friends!
We're a crazy bunch here, but I like it!
Isn't it brilliant that we can now rival the local multiplex for image and sound at home, and yet still preserve our love and nostalgia for film and the "occasion" of going to the cinema.
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