Sony and Digital Cinema on a boundary of centuries
V. Milekhin (Product Manager, Sony Business CIS)
The concept of Digital Cinema was brought out due to Sony in 1995. The basic idea was to introduce digital technology in the field of traditional cinematography and to use video tapes instead of celluloid films. The first alternative to the Super 16mm film was presented by the Digital Betacam format developed by Sony.
The emergence of the CineAlta equipment operating to the 24p high-definition standard has opened new, still wider creative possibilities for cinematographers, having provided the highest quality of the image and compatibility with other high-definition formats.
The main advantage of Digital Cinema in comparison with the traditional technology is high quality of the image at obvious economy of time and financial expenses for technical equipping, production and post-production. The results of recent studies by the BBC in association with Sony showed that shootings with the use of the HDW-F900 CineAlta camcorder followed by HDCAM-based post-production were by 78% cheaper, on the whole, than shootings with the use a 35mm cine camera followed by post-production based on the Digital Betacam format. However, the results are even more impressive, when using the HDW-750P CineAlta camcorder followed by post-production based on the Digital Betacam format: the expenses are less by 181% (!) in comparison with the 35mm technology.
Using the digital image opens up vast opportunities in respect to its processing such as colour correction, digital video effects, etc. Today, even the traditional technology of filmmaking resorts to digitizing lots of celluloid films to subject the image to additional operations, e.g. implementing visual effects, which were not possible using the analogue technology. And then the image is transferred to either a film or a digital tape.
Sony realizes HD direction in series of devices HDCAM format. This camcorder and videorecorder with trade marks CineAlta (24P) - HDW-F900 and HDW-F500, as well as camcorder 25P HDW-750P and series of videorecorders HDW-2000.
The first presentation of Sony HDTV products under the CineAlta trade mark occured at NAB2000. Sony realizes the HD direction as a line of HDCAM units: the HDW-F900 camcorder and the HDW-F500 videotape recorder under the CineAlta (24P) trade mark, and also the HDW-750P camcorder (25P) and the HDW-2000 series of videotape recorders.
The very fact that in a short time interval in the territory of Russia have emerged several users of the HDCAM equipment is extremely important for Sony. As for today, these are the United Multimedia Projects film company and the BS Graphics in Moscow, and also the Ugra broadcast company in Khanty-Mansiysk town of Tyumen area. By November, 2002, more than 10 CineAlta aquisition sets work in Russia.
In Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other countries new projects are being actively negotiated. Sony is proud of the fact that in 2002 its HD products were presented by several finished projects in Russia and in the Hollywood (Star wars. Episode II).
Sony's technology does not deny the traditional filmmaking process. The company is aware that technology evolves fast and that new possibilities shows up, and not only in television, where it traditionally works for many years, but in filmmaking as well. Sony pursues the goal of establishing the entertainment industry in the interests of broad sections of consumers. Digital Cinema is one of the important directions of this activity.
