The Digital Cinema Summit at NAB last weekend featured the presentation of the newest version of what's known as the Digital Cinema System Specification. The standard is voluntary and involves specs for digital cinema mastering and distribution, which was developed by Digital Cinema Initiative LLC, a consortium of major Hollywood studios.
Proponents say the new standards are vital in order to ensure consistency in handling cinema digital data shot by digital cameras for eventual distribution to newly equipped theaters throughout North America and the world. The NAB Daily News this week quotes summit keynoter Leon Silverman, president of LaserPacific Media, saying that Hollywood still is adjusting to abandoning film, which has been around since films began.
"We need to better understand the data that will become the equivalent of our original camera negatives," Silverman said.
