Cinema-watching is attaining world standards in Mumbai, with the city emerging as the D-cinema capital of the country.
Fifty-eight of the 95 digitally-enabled screens in the country are in Mumbai and Vashi. Trade insiders say these digital screens are the best bet considering 3-D cinema is fast becoming
a worldwide preoccupation. So what is digital cinema? Well, D-cinema is essentially governed by Digital Cinema Initiative specifications. It has to be approved by an agency formed by Hollywood Studios' representatives, which has set its global standards.
The previous generation of cinema screens are E-cinema or electronic cinema. It is more widely available-you get it in more than 1,500 screens across India-and follows a specification and standards of its own. The main difference between D and E cinemas is that a D-cinema uses a 2K projector, which is more sophisticated, whereas an E-cinema uses the 1.92K or 1.3K projector, which is more cost-effective). This makes for a significant difference in viewing quality as well, say experts.
Mumbai can count itself as fortunate with its 58 D-cinemas as even Rashtrapati Bhavan is equipped with a mere E-cinema. On the other hand, at least two leading Mumbai industrialists-Mukesh Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla-reportedly have D-cinema equipment installed at their Mumbai residences.
UFO India has more than 1,250 theatres across India that beam E-cinema and it has its backers. Rajesh Mishra of UFO says, "Premium Hindi and regional movies have their first-day, first-show releases on UFO and the cream of Bollywood continues to pledge support to this format."
But Mumbai theatre owners say India is the only country where E-cinema actually exists. It made its presence felt earlier than D-cinema did. And it is also a comparatively cost-effective medium. Scrabble Entertainment CEO Ranjit Thakur, says, "DCI mostly pays attention to security and quality of content. 2K to cinema is like high-definition to television. The security on D-cinema is more than an ATM banking transaction. That's because half the password is embedded in the server itself; so a content meant for a particular screen will not work on any other screen even if the pirate gets hold of the password and the hard drive together. This is why no Hollywood studio will ever offer its content to be played back on a non-DCI platform."
High-end multiplexes have opted for D-cinema because 3-D movies will dominate the future. PVR Cinema CEO Amitabh Vardhan said digital was a "natural step" for the firm as it wanted to give its patrons the best movie-going experience. "We now have 26 digital screens in India and will soon roll out our next digital phase, adding 30 more screens on an almost immediate basis. Digital technology is here to stay. Do any of you ever use film any more for your cameras?"
