Digital Cinema has arrived at the County Theater. We installed our new Digital Cinema projectors (and related equipment) on June 25-28. We are delighted with the beautiful new picture and hope that you are too. Let us know what you think.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Please view our HONOR ROLL of all campaign supporters.
THANK YOU. To everyone who helped make this such a great community-based success. Thanks to 1,045 individual gifts, 86% from members, $310,000 was raised for the Digital cinema Challenge. Thank you for your support when we needed it most – when the future of the County Theater depended on it. Together we have met this challenge and together we are moving into an exciting new digital future.
SPECIAL THANKS. We'd especially like to thank The Argus Fund, which made a very generous gift of $60,000 to the campaign. That gift capped the campaign and guaranteed a full Digital Cinema conversion.
WE SURPASSED OUR CAMPAIGN GOAL. Thanks to your generosity, our campaign raised more than our official goal. All of the money raised has been earmarked for Digital Cinema. It is all needed. Our initial goal of $200,000 was the minimum needed for digital conversion. The additional money raised has allowed a full conversion, including the ability to upgrade resolution from 2K to 4K, new screens, 3D in one auditorium, and other equipment. It will also allow us to fund service, upgrades and replacements. Digital Cinema is entirely computer based and, like all computers, the purchase price is just the beginning of the cost. The success of this campaign will help fund these upgrades and ongoing expenses.
Further Information. We have written up "The County Theater’s Journey to Digital Cinema" in a separate blog post. It’s a guide to converting to Digital Cinema for Art House Theaters. Take a look, if you are interested in more detail.
General Articles
Ambler Theater Completes Conversion to Digital by Eric Devlin, The Times Herald (Jan 16, 2013)
Digital or Die: Theaters Scramble for Pricey New Projectors by Jeff Gammage, Philadelphia Inquirer (Jan 14, 2013)
Taking Film Out of the Movies by Sean Rameswaram, Studio 360 (Jan 4, 2013)
Tampa Theatre needs pricey projector to show new digital movies by Brendan McLaughlin, ABC Action News (Sept 17, 2012)
Film Is Dead? Long Live Movies. by Manohla Dargis & A.O. Scott, The New York Times (Sept 6, 2012)
Resort Towns Face a Last Picture Show by Eric Hynes, The New York Times (Aug 24, 2012)
Major Upgrade at the County Theater by Jeff Lugar, Doylestown Patch (July 13, 2012)
Doylestown's County Theater going digital by Bill Reed, Philadelphia Inquirer (July 11, 2012)
Why The End of Film Is Awesome (Except When It Isn't) by John Lichman, BuzzFeed Contributor (May 22, 2012)
Movie Studios are Abandoning 35mm Film by Gendy Alimurung, LA Weekly (April 12, 2012)
We're About to Lose 1,000 Small Theaters That Can't Convert to Digital. Does It Matter? by Michael Hurley, IndieWire.com (Feb 23, 2012)
For Small Theaters, the Digital Future Is Dark by Nick Leiber, BusinessWeek.com (Feb 16, 2012)
The 35mm Battle Continues: 'Let's petition Ford to reopen the Model T production line' by Dana Harris, IndieWire.com (Nov 20, 2011)
The Sudden Death of Film by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times (Nov 1, 2011)
CinemaCon 2011: Fithian Urges NATO Members To Begin Digital Transition by J. Sperling Reich, celluloidjunkie.com (March 30, 2011)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the County Theater going to do
with the extra money that we raised?All of the money raised will be earmarked for Digital Cinema. It is all needed. Our official goal was $200,000, which is the minimum needed for digital conversion. The additional money raised will allow us to fund a full conversion, including 3D in one auditorium, 4K resolution capacity, new screens, complete alternate content interface – all of which are needed, but would have been put off until later. These additional funds also will allow us to fund service, upgrades and replacements. One of the scary things about Digital Cinema is that it is entirely computer based. And like all computers, the purchase price is just the beginning of the money that you spend. The success of this campaign will help fund those ongoing expenses. And it will also allow us to start saving, separately, for the ultimate replacement of these projectors – which we anticipate will be necessary in 7-10 years. (Welcome to the brave new world of digital cinema!)
- Why is the Movie Industry switching to Digital Cinema?
The movie industry has been trying to facilitate this change for over ten years. Their reason is economic. It is much cheaper for them to make digital hard-drives of movies versus film prints. Of course, the cost of purchasing the projectors for Digital Cinema falls on theaters. Currently, more than half of the screens in the US use Digital Cinema projectors, and the tipping point definitely has been reached. The change-over is happening very quickly now. It will be completed by 2013. Distributors are clearly and frequently saying to theaters: "Switch now or be left behind."
- What would happen if a theater doesn't
add Digital Cinema?
Yes, this question is now moot for the County Theater, since we will be converting to Digital Cinema. But we'll answer it, so that you know why we've been so adamant in making this conversion. Starting sometime in 2013, big arthouse hits like The Artist, The Descendants and The King's Speech will only be available in the Digital Cinema format. There will be virtually no 35mm film prints. These big arthouse hits bring a lot of happy people to the County. They are also essential to our economic viability. They pay the bills that allow us to show smaller independent and foreign films as well as special screenings like Hollywood Summer Nights and filmmaker appearances. That's why it is imperative that we make this Digital Cinema conversion. And why we are so happy that our members and friends have made it possible.
- Don't we already own digital projectors?
Yes, we do have small, inexpensive video projectors that can project digital content at lower resolution. These have been good for showing alternative content like plays and operas, BluRays, and the like. However, Digital Cinema projectors are bigger, brighter, and have higher resolution. They are also equipped with the stringent copy protection for first run films. We cannot use our current projectors for the industry-approved standard. We must add Digital Cinema equipment to continue to show current theatrical films.
- How does Digital Cinema look?
The good news is that dCinema offers an amazingly sharp and bright picture. We've been 35mm film cineastes for a long time. But we've been stunned by the beauty, depth and clarity of movies projected on the latest Digital Cinema projectors. We think that this is a step forward into the future of visual presentation. Plus, many older, classic films are gaining new life after being digitally restored. Yes, some film lovers will always prefer 35mm film. But, on balance, we think that the switch to Digital Cinema is good in terms of the visual aesthetic experience.
- What are other theaters doing?
Art House Theaters across the country are also faced with this same problem. We are members of a group called The Art House Convergence which is a consortium of 100+ independent theaters. We've been talking with our peers for over a year about how to address this challenge. Most small, independent theaters are approaching this problem the same way. We are fortunate to be financially healthy and pretty well positioned to make the change. Some smaller theaters are not so lucky. Some may not make it.
- Can't you just lease the Digital Cinema equipment?
The only "leasing" available is really just "financing" by another name. We have also explored the distributors' plan to "help theaters" with virtual print fees, but that option comes with too many strings attached and we have rejected that option as well.
- Won't there be any 35mm film prints in the future,
and what will happen to our current 35mm projectors?
There may be a few film prints made. But those very few film prints will not be a reliable source for the movies we need to show to survive. However, we will hold onto our excellent 35mm film projectors. We'll keep them for special screenings and to show archival prints and classic movies on 35mm film.
