Saw Atlantis on a digital projector in the theater...not quite there, yet

In My Humble Opinion
1

I saw Atlantis last night at the Ziegfeld theater in NYC. They showed the movie on a digital projector–the latest technology, which does away with the need for thousands of pricey, easily-damaged film prints. The studios can just beam the film files to theaters via satellite, and the theaters run the movie off their hard drive. Neat.

But…

The technology’s not quite there, yet.

The positives: the color was great (possibly enhanced by the fact that this was an animated film, with large areas of flat, bright colors rather than real-life tones); no dust or scratches!

The negative: the resolution isn’t high enough. Edges still have video’s stair-stepped appearance. This is esp. noticeable with all of the sharp outlines that go along with animated films, and anytime a title (text) comes on-screen.

I think if they really crank up the resolution (I don’t know what the dpi is right now–clearly better than regular TV or most computer monitors), it’ll be fantastic (assuming real film–not animation–holds up as well). The 2nd or 3rd generation of these projectors should rock. But right now, I’d prefer the dust and scratches for a little while longer.

Not to say that I wouldn’t want the system in my living room…

2

I agree with you. I saw “Emperor’s New Groove” in both regular and DLP (digital light projection) format. Yes, fewer annoying scratches and distractions, but no real difference in clarity (as the ads promised) and not enough to justify a $1 price increase.

Don’t know if they’re showing “Atlantis” in DLP around here. The big thing is showing non-IMAX movies (“The Phanton Menace”, “Fantasia 2000”, “Laura Croft Tomb Raider”) on an IMAX screen. Much larger screen (just like the pre-megamulticrackerboxplexes era), but the picture is really curved at the outer edges. If you can concentrate on the center of the screen, it’s okay and less headache-inducing. (And $4 more for the chance to pop a few aspirin before the show.)