System Specifications for Digital Cinema in Germany

This document contains suggestions for structures and workflows introducing digital cinema in Germany. Consequences for producers, engineering firms, distributors, cinema operators and advertisement procedures will be taken into consideration. Special technical requirements of German market participants will be described. Furthermore this document contains system specifications and suggestions for equipment of cinemas, to benefit optimally from digital technology.

DCI specifications dated July 2005, DCI Compliance test plan (CTP) dated February 2007 as well as SMPTE standards of DC28 are the starting point for the introduction of digital cinema. They transfer hitherto screening technology to a digital cinema show. To clarify workflows and systems, existing specifications and standards will partly be explained. Within this document the scope will be broadened as well as substantiated on special requirements of German cinema. This also means future digital player systems have to be at least DCI-compatible.

The DCI specification does not include declarations about the distribution structure for DCPs, KDMs and Log records. Therefore this document will present a recommendation, for shaping these structures in Germany. Since DCI and SMPTE solely deal with realization of conventional cinema showings, this document includes also suggestion for equipment towards a further usage of the cinema with other digital media such as business events, live events, DVD screenings and so forth. Altogether this should add value to the cinemas. To what extent these possibilities will be used - thus what equipment is acquired - is left to the owner of the cinema.

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