Digital movies in movie theaters project at 2K (2048×1080 or 2.2 megapixels) or 4K (4096×2160 or 8.8 megapixels). DCI-compliant DLP projectors were available in 2K only, but from early 2012, when TI’s 4K DLP chip went into full production, DLP projectors have been available in both 2K and 4K versions.
The initial costs for converting theaters to digital were high: $100,000 per screen on average.
A theater can purchase a film projector for as little as US$10,000 (though projectors intended for commercial cinema use typically cost 2-3 times that figure to which had to be added the cost of a long-play system which typically also cost around $10,000, making a total of around $30,000 – $40,000) from which they could expect an average life of 30–40 years. By contrast a digital cinema playback system including server/media block/and projector can cost 2-3 times as much.
50 inch LED television with 4K of resolution will be available next month for $999.
Theaters converted starting in 2012 and home televisions are only 1 year behind.
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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