Installing A Digital Cinema System

Digital Cinema Installation Workflows

Converting a performing arts theater or non-movie space into a temporary fully DCI-compliant movie showcase? Bringing DCP projection and sound to a permanent space?

Both permanent and temporary digital cinema installations share somewhat similar planning and process workflows, although permanent installation projects require additional integration steps.

Site Survey

In this phase, physical dimensions and existing capabilities are mapped out. Venue drawings (plans / blueprints) are always extremely helpful.

• Theater size, seating capacity, sightlines, acoustics, projector location, screen placement and rigging, and electrical power distribution contribute to determining screen size and type, projector, lens, and audio needs.
• Throw distance and screen dimensions lead to a conversation about the projection booth, a topic where short term and permanent installations can differ in major ways.
  • From a temporary sound-proof enclosure housing remote controlled projection to a traditional multi-port booth with excellent HVAC and power to spare: rely on an experienced cinema engineer to evaluate booth requirements.
• Technicians define positions and speaker types for 5.1, 7.1 or ATMOS audio. The Dolby ATMOS room designer tool is used to create the ideal design for the space.
  • Screen audio speakers and rigging for left, center, and right (LCR) channels will place speakers directly behind an acoustically transparent, perforated cinema screen. Side and rear surround speakers will also be placed in optimized positions.
• Audio, cinema screens, and masking systems can be heavy. Rigging points and/or structure will be critical to the project.
• Cinema projectors require darkness to maximize contrast ratios. Interior spaces benefit from light suppression.
• Cable pathway protection with cable ramps (temporary) or conduit (permanent) are certainly on the checklist.
• If the room is reverberant, soft fabrics and other audio absorbing materials are often used to deaden reflected sound in the theater.

Equipment Specifications

Having collected essential details from the site survey and event/venue stakeholders, the DTA team produces a line-item proposal and report. If the installation is permanent, DTA becomes part of the design process with architects, the owner and other stakeholders. Every installation is unique. Each may include:

• DCP projector and lens (primary and backup), projection surface, audio processor, speaker constellation, rigging, masking, connecting cables, and more.
• Additional line items for shipping, engineering, installation, training, travel, expenses, calibration equipment rental, and unique-to-site expenses keep our promise to always provide a complete picture of the project.

DCP Projector Setup

Installed on a stable pedestal, with electrical requirements satisfied, every DCP projector is evaluated against a performance checklist. Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) standards are incredibly strict about color accuracy, brightness, contrast, among other metrics. First, employing a spectroradiometer, DTA Digital Cinema engineers reconcile projector output with the precise cinema standards required.

• Color Calibration: DCP projectors display the P3-DCI color space. To confirm the projector hits these targets, our engineers measure both the spectral distribution and precise X, Y chromaticity coordinates to verify the color gamut is fully covered.
• Laser Tuning: Calibrating the output of individual primary colors (Red, Green, and Blue) ensures the projector’s white point does not lean toward any component color.
• Luminance and Uniformity: Cinema image brightness is measured in foot-lamberts (fL), and 14 fL is the standard. DTA technicians create specific uniformity files internal to the projector to ensure projector output is evenly distributed across the screen with no “hot spots” or dark corners.
• Image Geometry: DTA installation engineers employ a highly precise camera-based alignment system that automatically calibrates the projector’s internal geometry controls, locking in a perfect image which never needs to be readjusted.

Audio Calibration

Sound Sync

Because audio and video processing take separate paths through a cinema’s hardware, they can easily fall out of alignment.

DTA engineers solve the lip-sync problem with a precision tool that measures the time between a flash of light on the screen and a corresponding beep from the speakers produced by a special test clip that plays a repeating flash (a white frame) and a short audio tone (a 2-pop).

Knowing the exact number of milliseconds (or frames) the audio is leading or lagging the video, the Digital Cinema Processor is configured to this setting.

Multiplexed Tuning

In professional cinema the audio sweet spot should not just be the “reference listening position” or RLP. Audio needs to sound great for every audience member. DTA employs specialized calibrated microphones and hardware to tune the theater. Equalization (EQ) and Sound Pressure Level (SPL) are measured across the audio spectrum over the entire acoustic space simultaneously.

Because a specific frequency might sound quiet in Seat A but uncomfortably loud in Seat B, we place omni-directional microphones with a flat frequency response across the auditorium’s prime seating area.

• Pink Noise: A static-like sound containing all frequencies at the same pressure levels is generated by the cinema processor.
• Multiplexed Microphones: Listening to how the room shapes the noise.
• Equalization: Every frequency is measured and adjusted.
• Sound Pressure Leveling: Aligns fader setting 7.0 with the 85dBc standard for C-weighted slow response on the cinema x-Curve.