Hollywood’s top studios have agreed on a common digital cinema format. DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) has announced that final system requirements and specifications have been set for to help “theatrical projector and equipment manufacturers create uniform and compatible digital cinema equipment throughout the United States”. These standards will encompass both 2K and 4K resolutions. (2K is about what you can get at home with HDTV, while 4K is four times that resolution at 4096 x 2160.)

Fox, Warner Brothers, Sony Pictures, Paramount, Universal, and Buena Vista Pictures have all made statements endorsing the standards.

George Lucas and Rick McCallum said, “It’s a giant leap forward for those of us who create movies and, perhaps more importantly, for everyone who sees them. We have been advocates of digital cinema for nearly a decade, and this is a day we have long hoped would come. Digital cinema will increasingly become the standard and will change the way movies are made, seen and experienced around the world.”

While a digital system is a great boon for movie distributers because of the cost saving, and to moviegoers for the rock solid imagery, for movie theater owners it’s an expensive affair. Uptake will probably be quite slow.

Link: DCI - DCI ANNOUNCES FINAL OVERALL SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR DIGITAL CINEMA