WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. and PARIS -- April 13, 2016 -- The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)), a leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the media, entertainment, and technology industries, today announced that Ymagis Group, the European specialist in digital technologies for the cinema industry, has used the next generation of SMPTE's Digital PROjection VErifier (DPROVE2) to simplify and accelerate adoption of the SMPTE Digital Cinema Package (SMPTE-DCP).
In tight collaboration with its two business units -- CinemaNext and Eclair, respectively dedicated to exhibitor services and content services -- Ymagis Group conducted the first wide-scale tests with SMPTE's DPROVE2, evaluating all 8,612 screens in its network to make the migration from Interop DCP to SMPTE-DCP, and found potential need for updates in less than 1 percent of the projectors.
"We are very pleased to be collaborating with SMPTE to ensure a smooth transition from Interop DCP to SMPTE-DCP," said Manel Carreras, senior vice president, Eclair, business development and studio relations at Ymagis Group. "With the assistance of several European movie exhibitors, we have completed an active testing phase at our labs in Paris; Berlin; and London in order to prepare ourselves for this technological step forward."
DPROVE2 allows exhibitors to test their digital cinema systems' functionality. The software represents SMPTE's increased emphasis on creating test materials for the cinema industry. The Society is planning additional test materials to support further evaluation and refinement of installed digital cinema systems, such as a new pink noise DCP for sound calibration.
Developed primarily to check for digital projector performance, alignment, and picture-sound synchronization in theaters, DPROVE is derived from the 2009 D-Cinema Digital Leader (SMPTE RP 428-6).
- The RP 428-6 sequences include traditional countdown numerals in front of a "clock arm" that rotates, with the position incremented on each frame.
- The background image contains a large number of elements to aid in verifying projection performance and alignment.
- These features include center and crop markers, focus stars, gradients for detecting contouring, gamma check, black and white references, precision color patches (saturated and desaturated), human faces for flesh tones, and left-right indicators for stereo (3D) imagery.
Though it no longer supports Interop DCP, the new DPROVE2 builds on DPROVE by supporting SMPTE-DCP with enhanced capabilities for sound channel IDs and routing, accessibility features such as closed-captioning/subtitling, 3D subtitles/captions, and improved picture-sound synchronization. DPROVE2 is an encrypted DCP that emulates actual movie playback as closely as possible.
"The industry is making substantial progress in moving toward SMPTE-DCP, and the extensive testing undertaken by Ymagis demonstrates the growing momentum of this shift," said Howard Lukk, director of engineering and standards at SMPTE. "We're thrilled that Ymagis took the initiative to test DPROVE2 in the field. As an increasing number of theater groups and networks benefit from this testing tool, the cinema industry -- and movie fans -- will begin to realize the value of a common progressive platform for digital cinema delivery."
SMPTE will make a distribution Key Delivery Message (KDM) for DPROVE2 available to any exhibition group or chain interested in verifying its cinemas' SMPTE-DCP readiness.
Information about SMPTE-DCP is available at www.smpte.org/DPROVE. Further information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.
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About Ymagis Group
Founded in 2007 and managed by professionals from both the motion picture and high-tech industries, Ymagis Group is a European leader in advanced digital technology services for the cinema industry. Through CinemaNext and Eclair, we provide smart and comprehensive solutions to movie exhibitors, distributors, event cinema, production companies, cinema/TV advertising networks, rights holders, TV/IPTV broadcasters, VOD platform operators and video publishers. Over the years, the Group has significantly grown its portfolio of solutions & services and further developed its geographic footprint in Europe with permanent offices in 20 countries. The company's core business is structured around three main units: CinemaNext (exhibitor services), Eclair (content services) and Ymagis (VPF & financial services). As of December 31, 2015, 9,500 cinema screens have been installed internationally by CinemaNext engineers. 7,000 currently avail of service contracts and 6,400 have been installed under VPF contracts. Eclair is the only provider with a content delivery service (via broadband or satellite) across Europe thanks to its network of 3,300 connected cinema sites. A publicly-traded company listed on Euronext, Ymagis Group is headquartered in Paris (France) and employs 675 employees. For more information, please connect to http://www.Ymagis.com, http://www.CinemaNext.digital or http://www.Eclair.digital
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R))
Winner of an Oscar(R) and multiple Emmy(R) Awards, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers(R) (SMPTE(R)) is a global leader in advancing the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem. A professional membership association that is internationally recognized and accredited, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. For a century, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines.
Nearly 7,000 members -- motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students -- who meet in Sections worldwide, sustain the Society. Through the Society's partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA(R)), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join.
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Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/Ymagis_ManelCarreras.jpg
Photo Caption: Manel Carreras, Senior Vice President, Eclair, Business Development and Studio Relations, Ymagis Group
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/SMPTE/SMPTE_Howard-Lukk-Director-of-Engineering-and-Standards-at-SMPTE.jpg
Photo Caption: Howard Lukk, Director of Engineering and Standards at SMPTE
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