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Poor Picture At Your Local Cinema?
The Hub writes "Have you ever noticed that the picture in your local movie theater is too dark or grainy? The Boston Globe does some good ol' fashioned investigative reporting to find the culprit. Apparently, the cause is linked to some 3D digital projectors requiring a technically challenging lens switch for 2D movies that sometimes doesn't happen."
This is actually due to the fact that Sony digital projectors are so locked down with DRM that even changing the lens requires all kinds of password checks (which can potentially lock the camera down if not done correctly).
Sadly, this is one of the problems that digital projectors were *supposed* to fix. For years, it was a infamous practice for theater managers to extend projector bulb life by reducing the power of the lamp. Since most people don't notice (having no idea how the movie is *supposed* to look), they could get away with it. Roger Ebert in particular complained about this practice for decades (even organizing protests at certain theaters engaging in the practice). When digital projection came along, one of the selling points was that it produced a much more consistent image (and managers couldn't futz with it--reducing bulb strength, etc.).
Now, thanks to our good friends at Sony, it would seem like we're right back where we started from (maybe even worse, since this produces an even darker image than one of the celluloid projectors at half power).
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
And it's not just picture issues, but as TFA mentioned there are sometimes sound problems that go uncorrected for long periods. I drastically reduced my movie-going years ago when I realized I could invest a few grand at home, and come pretty darn close to the theater experience, in some cases surpass it. If I'm paying $10-$15 for a movie ticket, I expect a properly calibrated projector and sound system. Oh and let's all be surprised at once that Sony locks down their pro equipment even tighter than the consumer shit.
This is actually due to the fact that Sony digital projectors are so locked down with DRM that even changing the lens requires all kinds of password checks (which can potentially lock the camera down if not done correctly).
1) Camera?! er, not quite...that would be projector. 2) Why is this a DRM issue? It sounds like a (really bad) implementation issue. All the other projector models still have to deal with the same DRM (Hollywood is notoriously twitchy about this and there is no additional DRM on the Sony projectors that I've heard about...), but they don't have this issue when switching between 2D/3D films. The Sony 4K with Real D setup just isn't designed well from a usability point of view, and many modern multiplexes have shown they can screw up even the most basic of things. Also, it doesn't help that Real D needs a silver screen; that's a whole new source of image degradation that would be nice to do without (that's not unique to Sony).
Profits.
Introducing DRM into component swapping is intended to eliminate third-party replacement parts, thus allowing the manufacturer to completely control the product cycle, and allowing them to charge any price for replacement parts.
Investigative journalism would have got more out of Sony and the theater owners before going to press.
Did you even RTFA? Here's the relevant paragraph:
They contacted people. The right people, in the case of AMC. All these people uniformly shut the hell up, because that's what corporate executives are trained to do when there's a controversy that would cost them money to fix (yes, changing the lenses would be a big expense for these theaters.) They've been given their chance, and now that they've established there's a stone wall of silence, it's time for the reporter to let the story out. If it pisses off the fickle moviegoing audiences even more, well, the theater owners had their chance to speak.
Maybe this story will get them to set a policy to change lenses. Or maybe it won't. When you consider the dreck that so many of these movies are, counting on the taste of the moviegoing public to concern themselves over projection quality seems unrealistically optimistic.
John
From the article these Sony lenses are retrofits to existing hardware.
The assumption then is that the original lenses were not meant to be regularly changed, which makes sense: Traditionally a theater projector lenses is selected and calibrated for the throw and screen size of the venue...then effectively never touched again. In that situation there's no reason not to have the entire projector effectively "locked down". It's both a DRM issue but also a "don't let the local moron theater manager goof up the finely calibrated projector settings".
3D caught them off guard. Replacing those projectors entirely would be ungodly expensive. There already existed an ability to replace the lens, which technically was all that is required to show 3D. The method to do so was never designed to be easy, however.
So the choices:
1) Scrap hundreds of millions of dollars worth of almost new projection equipment for a completely new "Now with 3D!" design.
2) Supply a replacement lens and instructions (albeit complex instructions).
From a business perspective it's an easy choice. Don't blame Sony, blame the non-sense that is the 3D fad.
My
How about explaining why the picture sucked at my local cinema before this 3D craze took off?
Funny may not give karma, but +5 Informative never made anyone snort coffee out their nose.
Not only that, but the advertisements have just become absolutely insane. I made the mistake of showing up to a movie on-time recently. And for the low-low price of a $10 ticket and $6 popcorn, I was treated to *20 minutes* of commercials and trailers (not including the slideshow at the beginning). After watching my second car commercial, I realized that I was giving up on theaters entirely. It's bad enough I have to skip through 6-7 trailers on every blu-ray I buy.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Gee, so on top of the projector problems, I have the various annoyances from people not behaving properly in the theater, possible sound-quality issues, and an overall sub-par experience. Or I could just wait for it to come out on DVD, and watch it at home, where I know the quality of the TV, DVD player, and sound system. And I can pause it if I need to take a potty break.
So what's the benefit to me for seeing it in the movie theater?
(And no, 3D is not a benefit because my wife gets splitting headaches from watching 3D movies).
Tho I wish the article went into more detail about the issue also how to tell the difference between a movie being shown in 2D with a 3D lens and a just naturally dark source.
"They’re not doing that, and there’s an easy way to tell. If you’re in a theater playing a digital print (the marquee at the ticket booth should have a “D’’ next to the film’s name), look back at the projection booth.
If you see two beams of light, one stacked on top of the other, that’s a Sony with the 3-D lens still in place. If there’s a single beam, it’s either a Sony with the 3-D lens removed or a different brand of digital projector, such as Christie or Barco."
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
So, let's recap again:
Home theatre:
- Better sound (always in the sweet spot)
- Better, cheaper food
- Alcohol, if inclined
- No cell phones
- No lines
- No noisy neighbors
- Can pause for bathroom breaks and food refills
- More comfortable seats
- and now better picture
Cinema:
- New releases available immediately
- Can go with large group
- 3D (I already wear glasses, so this isn't necessarily an advantage)
HT costs a lot up-front, but once you have it, you'll use it a lot - especially considering it works for TV and gaming. (My setup would take about 125 cinema trips for two to break even)
I've actually given up on theaters, and watch movies at home. Too much noise, smartphone glare, impolite people...
On one of my last outings, someone actually smoked a joint, which at least was fun, and quite in the spirit of the movie. Then he started to loudly get into the film, which was also fun, especially since the film was quite bad.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
That is one blessing about Austin: The Alamo Drafthouse.
No kids (except clearly marked "baby day" shows.)
Real beers on tap.
People yapping on cellphones get escorted out.
People texting get escorted out.
And who cares about focus after 2-3 brews anyway.
The person who answers the phone at N places said "I can't let you speak to him" and one guy said "I don't know" in a fancy way.
I did more "investigation" by opening /. this morning.
The things I read between the lines of TFA were:
1. this story is biased towards the rants of the projectionists (rightly or wrongly)
2. the moviegoer can't tell without comparing, even if the difference is huge, and almost no moviegoer has a reason to try comparing; everyone forgets how we put up with 4:3 and NTSC for 60 years without feeling shortchanged; our issues with quality are generally with the idea that someone somewhere is getting better quality for the same price, not that we have a clue what is or isn't appropriate de facto quality
3. the reporter didn't hound anyone or camp out in the lobby or sneak in anywhere or pore through secret documents to dig up the dirt, he just made a few phone calls, talked face-to-face with those who likely brought him the story in the first place, and eye-witnessed what anyone on the street could have seen just by looking.
4. the corporate types who actually do have insight into the problem don't seem to have any insight into the problem, hence maybe that one guy is just more out of the loop than he thinks. it happens. half of my chain of command wouldn't know what my main job function is, and i'm not an invisible presence around here.
5. the problem is a snafu in the specification of an item that was demanded heavily (did you see how much money Avatar made? as shitty a movie as it was? all attributed to 3D) and rushed to production. fixing the problem in the field is exacerbated by another problem that has intense corporate policy interest (piracy of digital content); the problem isn't affecting bottom line yet, so it won't get fixed soon.
When that happens, leave the movie, go to the manager's office, pound on the door, and raise a stink.
I've had missing channels, missing sub-bass (with everything turned up to the point of clipping to compensate), and one all-night film festival where the projectors were 4K, the source was BD, but everything was sent via 480p (i.e. one device in the chain had been configured incorrectly). What really pissed me off was that I actually went to the trouble of finding someone to radio the projection room and tell them both what was wrong and how to fix it, and have them do nothing.
why passwords and such are needed to change the lens and how was it set up like that?
The 3-D lens is mounted inside the case. The password is needed to allow you to open the case, because once the case is open you could get at the digital signal and steal it.
Why they coupled these is a small mystery, the most likely solution to which is that Sony's engineers did what was easy to implement instead of what was easy to use.
Amen. And now that I have 3D, no need to go to the theater any more for anything. I can wait until shows hit Blu-Ray.
No cell phones. No kids. No sticky floors. No people absentmindedly kicking your seat. No people around you talking or babies crying. No outrageous prices for snacks.
The theaters have done this to themselves.
The industry has decided to make this commitment for DRM (harder to copy in 3D theater with a video recorder) and margin reasons (higher ticket prices). The problem is that the 2D versions with the right lens look brighter and, in some cases, much better. The solution is never show the brighter 2D version. Of course, it cost money to change lenses, too. Bottom line, there in no incentive for the industry to go back to 2D anything, except that, maybe, people will not go to see dark screens.
Bob and a duck walk into a bar. The bartender says "We don't serve quacks in here". The duck turns to leave, and the bartender says "no, the duck can stay - it is that quack pretending to be a doctor that has to leave".
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As someone who has actually operated a Sony 3D projector at an AMC theater, I can't believe a post this wrong got modded +5. DRM and lens changes have nothing to do with this problem; the 3D effect is created by an electronic polarization filter mounted on a dowel that swings in front of the projector lens to show a 3D movie. You can release the clamps and swing it out of the way in about 15 seconds.
The real problem lies in the fact that AMC hires the least common denominator to operate movie projectors and pays them barely above minimum wage so they don't do anything crazy like take pride in their product. I got out of there as soon as I could.
maybe i'm weird, but i like trailers. In many cases, the trailers are better than the movie. You see a couple minutes of just the best parts and you get to use your imagination to weave together a cool story. I've often said i wouldn't mind sitting in a theater and watching an hour of trailers. I wouldn't want to pay for it though. If i could do it for free i think i'd find it preferable to seeing an actual movie. Actually i've done that plenty at home by piping hd quicktime trailers to my tv.
This morning a group of us watched Thor & one member of our group who had seen the movie in 3D IMAX said our 2D version was horrible and dark, probably by 33%. We thought this team member was nuts & now this article pops up. Interesting.
They're Sony projectors? So it should be relatively trivial to hack them shouldn't it?
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I go to the local movie theater maybe once or twice a year, and every time I go I'm reminded why the trips are so infrequent. The 20-30 minutes of advertisements and garbage before the show are bad enough, but as far as I'm concerned, digital cinema looks like crap. It's a jagged, aliased mess that's nowhere near the clarity of good film, there's enough ghosting to be a distraction, and I swear I've seen what looks like compression artifacting in fast action scenes that are heavy on red/blue. And now you have these dumb brightness issues. I can get lousy picture quality in the comfort of my own home for much less than the cost of a movie ticket. Plus I can hit the pause button to get up and pee.
Funny, because according to the article and a projectionist that actually offered his real name instead of posting anonymously, it's because of DRM.
So why aren't theater personnel simply removing the 3-D lenses? The answer is that it takes time, it costs money, and it requires technical know-how above the level of the average multiplex employee. James Bond, a Chicago-based projection guru who serves as technical expert for Roger Ebert's Ebertfest, said issues with the Sonys are more than mechanical. Opening the projector alone involves security clearances and Internet passwords, "and if you don't do it right, the machine will shut down on you." The result, in his view, is that often the lens change isn't made and "audiences are getting shortchanged."
That's right, according to James Bond, it's due to DRM.
...OK, so maybe saying "I'm taking the word of James Bond over someone who's anonymous" isn't quite the best way to phrase things, but well, that's really his name.
Plus it's entirely possible you're talking about a different model of Sony projector, since this apparently affects only Sony projectors that were originally 2D-only but later retrofitted to be 3D.
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
I go to movies. I like them. I no longer though go to movies near my home.
I drive 30 mins to get to one of these theaters.
I get there on time. Get an assigned seat. No commercials. A few good trailers. Small theaters.
Respectful people and Ushers that give a shit.
30 min of driving and a few extra bucks and suddenly I like movies again.
Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
You weren't in my house last night when Netflix had a system outage.
They're going to frame my emails if they ever see them.
I worked concessions at a theater in Dallas in 1981. The professional projectionists went on strike, so they trained me and other popcorn servers the minimal amount to keep the movies going. I don't remember the details, but 6 months later we became the permanent projectionists and the pros were not seen again. That is the level of concern management gives proper projection.
We still had to swap lenses and aperture plates depending on the film format. It was a simple mechanical release for the lens. I don't know why DRM would require something different for that task. Either Sony screwed up in a fit of paranoia (never!), or the current group of minimum wage projectionists just don't have the necessary training.
Trailers belong at the end.