Film-Tech Cinema Systems
Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE


  
my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » Can You Watch DCP's?

   
Author Topic: Can You Watch DCP's?
Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999


 - posted 09-03-2012 08:08 PM      Profile for Bruce McGee   Email Bruce McGee   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I've been wondering if any of the systems allow you to actually WATCH a portion of the DCP's you have just ingested into your library server? I want to see trailers, etc. on the monitor. I dont like building shows blind like this, and I feel like the big projector is a tad expensive to use as a viewer. What do you think?

 |  IP: Logged

Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002


 - posted 09-03-2012 10:02 PM      Profile for Manny Knowles   Email Manny Knowles   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Didn't you have to fire up the projector to test out 35mm shows too? It's really not all THAT different.

The money you save on using the projector will be spent buying a monitor. Such a monitor would not come cheap.

 |  IP: Logged

Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009


 - posted 09-04-2012 03:08 AM      Profile for Carsten Kurz   Email Carsten Kurz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
No way.

I don't know how the Cinelink encryption is applied within a mixed playlist of blacks, trailers, main features, etc. Theoretically it could be possible to add an HD-SDI display or converter to a server-projector link, and maybe that could at least display the unencrypted parts of a playlist without powering on the lamp. But even if, that path would no longer be there with an IMB.

Of course it would be very handy if one could at least see a stampsize preview of your SPL on the monitor. If think DCI does not even forbid this actively.

- Carsten

 |  IP: Logged

Kris Verhanneman
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 182
From: Belgium
Registered: Dec 2009


 - posted 09-04-2012 03:11 AM      Profile for Kris Verhanneman   Email Kris Verhanneman   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
You can watch uncoded DCP with this link (not for free) but I find it easyer to create a show with all the new clips and enjoy the show.

 |  IP: Logged

Pietro Clarici
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Foligno (PG) Italy
Registered: Sep 2008


 - posted 09-04-2012 07:48 AM      Profile for Pietro Clarici   Author's Homepage   Email Pietro Clarici   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Stereoscopic Player works decently too, and it's much cheaper. Full-res payback requires at least a quad-core i5 CPU.

 |  IP: Logged

Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999


 - posted 09-04-2012 09:23 AM      Profile for Bruce McGee   Email Bruce McGee   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Manny Knowles

Didn't you have to fire up the projector to test out 35mm shows too?

Sure thing, Manny. With digital, I see absolutely nothing but a load of letters and numbers. I hate it.

 |  IP: Logged

Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: Boulder Creek, CA.
Registered: Jan 2004


 - posted 09-04-2012 01:51 PM      Profile for Dominic Espinosa   Email Dominic Espinosa   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Depending on your implementation you could play them out with FFMPEG or MPLAYER on a Linux system.
I've done this a few times. However you would need to make a script (I did it in Perl at one point or another) to parse out the CPL so you can match up the audio and video tracks. For trailers it's pretty straight forward.

 |  IP: Logged

Bruce Hansen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 847
From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 09-04-2012 05:48 PM      Profile for Bruce Hansen   Email Bruce Hansen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
BTW, with film you can look at it as you are building it up. At least you will have an idea of what is there.

 |  IP: Logged

Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002


 - posted 09-04-2012 09:20 PM      Profile for Manny Knowles   Email Manny Knowles   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Really? I did not know that.

With film, you still gotta project it to really test it out -- if you're doing it right -- that's my point.

 |  IP: Logged

Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999


 - posted 09-15-2012 11:57 AM      Profile for Bruce McGee   Email Bruce McGee   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thanks for the replies.

I'm just wanting to look at trailers that I might need to add to a trailer pak to replace something that is opening. Sometimes, just using a PG trailer just doesent cut it.

It's like flying blind around here, and I dont like it.

 |  IP: Logged

Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 09-15-2012 12:02 PM      Profile for Steve Guttag   Email Steve Guttag   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Another DCP player:

http://www.digitall.net.au/products/dcpplayer.html

It too isn't free but there is a demo version.

 |  IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 09-15-2012 09:36 PM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I think that it should be possible to watch a non-encrypted DCP on the server monitor. I like to pre-view trailers before showing them to audiences (to check if they're audience-appropriate, and also to weed out any chain-specific crap that might have sneaked in), and sometimes I need to remind myself what some of the "cell phone warnings" or "preview of coming attraction" snipes look like. It'd be nice to be able to see these without having to go to a computer or turn on the projector.

 |  IP: Logged

Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 09-15-2012 09:42 PM      Profile for Tony Bandiera Jr   Email Tony Bandiera Jr   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
C'mon Mike, what are you thinking? You're expecting the server makers to implement something that is useful, common sense, would make theatre operators' jobs easier, and should require minimal software changes....get real. [Big Grin] [Big Grin] [Big Grin] [Big Grin]

Never gonna happen.

 |  IP: Logged

Yinghong Wu
Film Handler

Posts: 32
From: Suzhou Jiangsu China
Registered: Apr 2012


 - posted 09-16-2012 09:56 PM      Profile for Yinghong Wu   Email Yinghong Wu   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I use Stereoscopic Player 1.81 to show DCP,It is pretty good.^-^

 |  IP: Logged



All times are Central (GMT -6:00)  
   Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic    next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:



Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM 6.3.1.2

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.

© 1999-2020 Film-Tech Cinema Systems, LLC. All rights reserved.