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digital projection is RAD - ROTS

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i saw a handful of films this weeked. all had the ROTS trailer running. At the Grove the movie & traliers were projected digitally… other than the slight aliaising that happens on sharp diagonal edges (like text), it looked* great*. I paid special attention to the Star Wars trailer. Later we went to Grauman’s Chinese and saw a movie projected on film. One scene that really caught my attention was with Samual Jackson standing up on a podium with jedis around him… in digital you could make out the fine cross hatch design on his lapel… in the film projection it was an indistinct brown. If I wasn’t before, I am 100% sold on DLP and the future of theater. (unforunately Opening Day digital screening times were sold out by the time I got online)

I’m sure there are plenty of reasons for this discrepency (no film chatter in digital, cheaply made trailer prints, older projecter, slightly out of focus). But the Chinese theater is really a grade AAA place that takes immaculate care of their prints and making sure things are projected properly.

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My theater now plays commercials digitally before playing a the film. I can just tell they're digital, and that's not what I should be thinking while watching it. Aside from being annoying, they lacked the sense of depth the film had. I'm more sold on digital projection suckage because of it. It just didn't look right. I go to a theater to watch a film, not a glorified DVD. That's my experience though. ^_^;;


Made for IE Forum's Episode III theme month - May 2005.

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Originally posted by: Klingon_Jedi
My theater now plays commercials digitally before playing a the film. I can just tell they're digital, and that's not what I should be thinking while watching it. Aside from being annoying, they lacked the sense of depth the film had. I'm more sold on digital projection suckage because of it. It just didn't look right. I go to a theater to watch a film, not a glorified DVD. That's my experience though. ^_^;;


I'm not sure, but I think the commercials you're seeing may not be from a proper digital projector, but a regular video projection system. My local theater does this and I can always tell when they switch from the video to the film projector. I don't think they would really spend the money for a real digital projection system just for the commercials before a movie. When AOTC was out, I saw the true digitally projected version and I thought it looked better than the film version.
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I've been to some theaters who plays comercials digitally and the film "on film", and of course the image is not that bad and stuff, but I can certanly notice the difference. It's like when you watch something on TV that was recorded on video and then something recorded on film, it "feels" different.
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I think this theory goes back to something I saw on mverta's site.

Digital films are calibrated so that the contrast is extremely high and everything is set to an extreme level, everything high or everything low.

This cuts out the middle ground which is where all of the "warmth" and depth of the image is, it makes it flat and lifeless, making it seem fake altogether.

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I know what you're saying - like the ads for Coke they have on the cheapy video projector. But they were definately screening the trailers on the main DLP system. It looked EXCEPTIONALLY good. These next gen DLP are amazing: the resolution has been increased, the highs, mids, and lows all retain detail and depth, and the color reproduction is spot on. Plus you never get scratches, dirt, or bongwater stains on the print. No jitter in the gate (this is why I think the detail in mace windu's coat was better... every pixel lands spot on so the temporal resolution takes a massive jump). And no color shifts from one reel to the other (a pet peeve of mine).

anyhow, I hope everyone can see ROTS in DLP at least once. check out www.dlp.com and see if you have any DLP houses nearby. I'm lucky to live in los angeles where we've been having a renaissance in quality cinephile movie houses in the last 5 years. It's been a luxury. The tickets may run you $15 a pop, but you really appreciate the increase in experience.
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not to dispute any of the facts, but I tend to like the feel of film over digital. This is simply because film seems to be easier on the eyes than digital. A digital film can be harder on the eyes than film can
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You know... shouldn't this be on "off topic"?
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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Originally posted by: CharlieX
I know what you're saying - like the ads for Coke they have on the cheapy video projector. But they were definately screening the trailers on the main DLP system. It looked EXCEPTIONALLY good. These next gen DLP are amazing: the resolution has been increased, the highs, mids, and lows all retain detail and depth, and the color reproduction is spot on. Plus you never get scratches, dirt, or bongwater stains on the print. No jitter in the gate (this is why I think the detail in mace windu's coat was better... every pixel lands spot on so the temporal resolution takes a massive jump). And no color shifts from one reel to the other (a pet peeve of mine).


Maybe it was the quality of the projector. Then again, I grew up hating the look of digital. I even prefer the "look" of VHS. Digital things like CDs sound wrong to me, and DVD just lacks *something*. It looks so hard at times. At least when we got forced into it(being a sub anime fan and a widescreen advocate tends to leave one with no choice). That, and I hate how easily they are scratched, but that's something unrelated.

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I hope everyone can see ROTS in DLP at least once. check out www.dlp.com and see if you have any DLP houses nearby.


i know my favorite theater in my hometown of San Jose switched to digital just for AOTC. Saddened me greatly. i do hope to see it once, if only because AOTC looked horribly pixalated in film. The blues were just awful. I still doubt digital photgraphy. Fortunately, there are enough out there fighting to preserve film, so its not a repeast of VHS/DVD. Though I'd fear the loss a film still photography more. No problem giving both choices. ^_^


Made for IE Forum's Episode III theme month - May 2005.

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does anyone here (im sure some do) have tickets to see it at the 12:01 showing on a digital screen. I tried but was a bit slow, so while im going to the theater that has a digital projector im not sure if i have tickets to that auditorium. It seems they only have 1 digital projector, and the guy said that one show was sold out...so I dont know what version ill be seeing on the early morning hours of the 19th. Either way, i plan to see both versions, mainly for personal comparison reasons. So i plan to buy a ticket for the show (digital/film) i dont have for probably that sunday (the 22nd) providing there is showings available at that point. which i expect there should be.

also, as a slight aside, what do peoples tickets say? Mine says 12:01 am Wed 5/18/05 which is technically incorrect because the whole point of the midnight showing is that it is already the 19th at that point. (and they also can show it at midnight exactly and be fine as far as the release date, they dont have to wait till 1 minute after, think of new years)

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some or all of the above comments are partially exaggerated to convey a point, none of the comments are meant as personal attacks on anyone mentioned or reference in the above post
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Originally posted by: ricarleite
You know... shouldn't this be on "off topic"?


maybe. but then again, I'm willing to bet Lucas has said a digital projection is "the way Star Wars is meant to be seen." barf.