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In June of 2010, the film era came to an end at the Roxy. We had
used 35mm film for a total of 79 years and 9 months, so just in
time for the theatre's upcoming 80th birthday, we thought it was
time to bring the projection booth into the 21st century.
With digital cinema projection,
there is no film. The movie arrives on a computer hard drive and
is loaded onto another computer (called a server) in the
projector. The movie is converted from "data" into pictures via
a very expensive chip, which is covered with millions of tiny
mirrors -- each mirror is about 1/5 the width of a human hair.
Digital cinema is not a new
thing. The first digital projection of a movie is estimated to
have taken place in around 1998. Since that time, several
"generations" of projectors and other equipment have emerged.
Newer machines (like this one) are designed to be upgradeable,
so we can add enhancements and improvements as they become
available.
The basic goal is the same: The
picture is still projected onto the screen via a beam of light
from the projector. What's changed is how the image in that beam
of light is created.
We're not going to go into a
whole technical explanation of how it all works on this page; if
you're curious about that, check Wikipedia. This page is meant
to show what the equipment looks like, how it got into the
booth, and give you an idea of how we handle movies today.
We still have the same goal we always have: To bring you the
best picture and sound we can. |
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Left: This was the
scene in our outer lobby for about a week before the technicians
arrived to set the new system up. This is not like your home
theater; a digital setup like this weighs in at about 600 pounds
total and costs about $100,000. (That's including the 3-D
component... more on that later.)
Right: On June 15, the crew
arrived and unpacking got underway. Most of the smaller stuff
has already been hauled upstairs. |
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We borrowed a
crew from The Gallery to help us haul the heavy stuff up the
stairs to the booth. Thanks to Jane at The Gallery for loaning
us her strong-backed workers! |
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Mark Gulbrandsen,
technician, prepares the base before the projector is lifted
into place. The system runs on three phase 208 volt power. It
has a 4000-watt bulb and a total of five vent fans (including
one on the roof) to keep everything cool. |
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Above:
Our film projector may seem a little outmoded with all the
new technology going in, but we're not turning our back on film
completely. We can still use the old projector to play film
prints if we need to. |
Right: As
part of our upgrade, we also installed a new screen. The old one
was getting yellowed and was due for replacement.
Cinema screens
are made of vinyl and covered with thousands of tiny holes,
which let the sound from the speakers come through from behind.
The old screen can be seen laying on the seats in the top photo. |
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Fun fact: Our
screen is 30 feet wide and weighs about 150 pounds. |
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Left:
Installation basically finished. Starting on the
left, you can see the automation unit (behind
the computer monitor), projector, and server.
Below the server is the Dolby 3-D controller,
which works the magic necessary to run 3-D
movies.
Right:
Our final movie "on film" was the Russell Crowe
film "Robin Hood." These pictures show that last
film being removed from our platter system,
packed in shipping boxes, and sitting with other
outgoing freight on the way back to the depot.
Below:
This is how movies arrive in the digital world.
The orange case is the shipping box for the hard
drive. |
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After a lot of
soul-searching, we decided to add 3-D capability to
our new system. 3-D projection of today is much
better-looking on screen than the previous film
system can produce. We selected the Dolby 3-D system
which is more environmentally friendly.
Left: Racks
of 3-D glasses await distribution to moviegoers.
Right: The
crowd for the first showing of Toy Story 3,
our first 3-D movie, puts on their glasses and
prepares for a fun ride! |
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We'd like to thank various people for
their help and support during our digital conversion: Mark
Gulbrandsen and crew (Cinema Service), Kurt Seward and crew
(Big Sky Custom Panels), Tom Ungefug (Nova Construction),
Jesse Hotter (Don's Electric), Drew Devlin (Clark Film
Buying), Jane Lackman (The Gallery), the
Independent-Enterprise staff, the Roxy crew for their
patience and understanding with their cranky (at times)
boss, David Rothwell at Valley Auto for taking care of
things in my absence, my mom Sheila Blakesley for extra
helop at the store during the project, and of course Lynn Blakesley for putting up with an
edgy husband during all the work! |
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