The movement to Digital film and fully digital theaters has been inevitable. Being digital is easier, cheaper (ultimatly) and more efficent for ditributing since it can be done over satellite or the internet.
However, as good of an idea as it is… the transition to digital will not be a cheap one up front. The good folks over at M&C put it this way:
However, the deal — which it took the industry three years to work out — fails to address who will pay for the digital equipment all theaters would have to substitute for their projection systems.
Industry analysts estimate digital projectors will cost about $75,000 each, plus theaters will need equipment capable of receiving the films delivered by Internet or satellite. Theaters want the studios to pay for the transition to digital, while the studios say the theaters should pay
This will be sticky, and honestly I don’t have an opinion yet one way or the other who should be footing the bill for the swich to digital. An argument could be made either way. What are your thoughts?
