Coming into the age of mature, the digital technologies in movie-making world produce real alternative to traditional film industry. This is Electronic (Digital) Cinematography, the end-to-end digital process of production, distribution, and exhibition of motion pictures. Digital transfer of all the technical base of cinematography gives both economical benefits and new opportunities never seen before in the traditional cinema.

With no regular distribution & display network today, Russia makes great prospects for implementation of total technology chain of electronic cinematography: digital HD-production, digital HD-broadcasting (distribution), and digital HD-exhibition.

The introduction of advanced and high quality JVC D-ILA display technology provides movie theatres with the images comparable or even superior over film projection. October 18, 2000 became the date when a prototype of electronic cinema was for the fist time demonstrated in Russia. Within the framework of Fourth International Congress of National Association of TV/Radio Broadcasters (NAT) at TRBE'2000, ERA together with NAT of Russian Federation hosted the workshop "Digital Cinema and HDTV". For the first time technical leaders from both worlds of television and cinematography were sitting side by side at the same event. Presentations were made by: E. Burgard, VP, JVC Eastern Europe; W.P. Bleha, Technical Director, JVC ILA Technology Group; B. Ebben, New Technology Development Manager, Philips; E.L. Vinogradova, Director, NIKFI (Cine & Photo Research Institute); Prof. M.I. Krivocheev, Chief Scientist, NIIR, Honorary Chairman of ITU-R 6th Commission. The workshop was chaired by: V.G. Makoveev, Adviser, Ministry of Publishing and TV/Radio Broadcasting of Russia (MPTR), and G.S. Gadiyan, General Director, ERA. JVC, QuVis and Philips products for movie and TV production and electronic movie theatres were presented at the workshop. JVC displayed fragments of a MIRAMAX movie shot originally on 35-mm film, then telecine-transferred into digital domain. The projection was made by JVC DLA-M4000LE digital projector fed from QuVis QuBit digital recorder. Large 6-meter screen, high quality colour images combined with surround multi-channel sound produced for the viewers fantastic feeling of their live involvement in on-screen reality.

The next remarkable event for Russian cinematography was the demonstration of the powerful JVC DLA-QX1 2Ê digital projector during the International Conference "Digital Cinematography. Production and Distribution" held in November 2002 in a 1000-seat concert hall of the Cosmos Hotel. The Conference was hosted by the State Unitary Enterprise NIKFI (Cine&Photo Research Institute), ERA and ÒÊÒ (Technology of Cinema and Television) magazine. Materials of fantastic quality were displayed onto a 15-meter screen. The capabilities of other projectors, DLA-SX21 and DLA-G150CL, were shown at the same day in a hall of electronic movie theatre equipped with Dolby Digital. The viewers, among which cinematographers were also presented, noted the excellent quality of projected images free of compression artefacts and visible digital structure and featuring high colour fidelity and natural look. Presentations were made by scientists (NIIR, NIKFI, Institute of "Culturology"), leading experts from manufactures (JVC, Sony, Snell&Wilcox, Panasonic), representatives of film production studios, satellite communications operators, mass media etc. This grandiose event caused tremendous interest among the experts in broad range of areas of TV and movie industry.

The third time to demonstrate capabilities of electronic cinematography for Russian specialists was during CSTB 2003 show. Screenings were performed in a 260-seat hall of "Formula Kino" (Cinema Formula) multiplex. Materials were projected onto an 8-meter screen by JVC DLA-150HT and DLA-M2000 projectors linked to JVC HM-DH30000 D-VHS HD-recorder. The highest quality of saturated and sharp image as well as surround sound were really enjoyed by the viewers.

Electronic cinema is not only the superb quality of movies display, but it is also capabilities of simultaneous world-wide premiere of a new motion picture, interactive games on a large screen, live sport and theatre performance broadcasting, venues for conferences and presentations, highly effective advertising stage and a lot of other options never available in the traditional cinema.